Salary: Competitive package to include discretionary bonus and company car
Closing Date: 16/09/2026
A senior HR leadership opportunity with genuine Group-wide influence.
Howarth Timber Group is one of the UK’s largest privately owned, family-run timber and building materials suppliers. With a proud heritage, strong values and ambitious plans for the future, we are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Group Head of Human Resources to lead our HR function and shape our people agenda across the Group.
This is a visible leadership role for someone who enjoys balancing strategy with hands‑on delivery. You will work closely with the Board, senior leaders and operational teams, ensuring our people practices strengthen business performance, colleague engagement, organisational capability and long‑term growth.
Although this is a Group‑wide role, there will be a slightly heavier weighting towards supporting one of our companies within the Group, reflecting its headcount, operational complexity and direct reporting lines.
The opportunity
As Group Head of HR, you will lead and develop a professional HR team and take overall responsibility for delivery of the Group People Strategy. You will act as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, bring expert judgement to complex people matters and create alignment across different businesses while recognising their individual operational needs.
What you will lead
- The Group People Strategy and its alignment with business priorities.
- Strategic HR support, advice and constructive challenge for the Board, senior leaders and directors.
- A collaborative, accountable and high‑performing HR team.
- Complex employee relations, organisational change and people risk.
- Talent attraction, succession planning, leadership development and workforce capability.
- Employee engagement, wellbeing, inclusion, culture and colleague experience.
- Reward, recognition, benefits and performance approaches.
- HR policy, governance, systems, reporting and continuous improvement.
- Board‑level people insight, workforce metrics and evidence‑based recommendations.
About you
You will be an established HR leader with the credibility to operate at senior level and the practicality to remain close to the business. You will bring:
- CIPD Level 7, Chartered membership or equivalent senior‑level experience.
- Substantial experience in a senior HR leadership role, ideally within a multi‑site or operational organisation.
- Strong knowledge of UK employment law and a successful record of leading complex employee relations matters.
- Experience of organisational change, people projects, workforce planning and talent development.
- Commercial awareness, sound judgement and the ability to turn insight into practical action.
- Confidence influencing senior stakeholders and presenting to leadership or Board‑level audiences.
- Experience of coaching, managing and developing HR professionals.
- A collaborative, pragmatic and improvement‑focused approach.
Howarth Timber Group is proud to have been officially recognised in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026!
- Influence people strategy across a successful and evolving Group.
- Shape culture, leadership capability and organisational performance.
- Work with a collaborative senior leadership team.
- Receive a competitive salary, bonus and benefits package, to include:
- Company car
- 31 days’ holiday, inclusive of Statutory Bank Holidays
- Option to buy up to an additional 5 days’ annual leave per annum or sell up to 3 days’ annual leave per annum
- Length of service awards
- Cycle to work scheme
- Contributory pension scheme
- Company sick pay
- Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
- Colleague referral bonus scheme — if you refer someone for an HGV Driver role and they successfully complete their probationary period, you’ll receive a £500 bonus. T&Cs apply.
- Employee Assistance Programme, (24/7 helpline, counselling sessions, legal, debt and life management advice line)
- Generous colleague Merchant Branch discount
- Opportunity to participate in a volunteering role for one working day per year – fully paid the Company
- Excellent training and development opportunities
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