Head of People, HR Director or Chief People Officer: When to Hire Which
Most founders make their first senior People hire about a year later than they should, and then hire the wrong level. Here is how to time it and which title to write on the brief.
The headcount triggers
Around 50 employees: most scaleups make their first Head of People hire here. Before this, an office manager or outsourced HR usually copes
Approaching 100: the point where a founder's personal influence on behaviour and decisions starts to fade. Getting through this without a strong People leader is hard
150 to 400 and growing: an HR Director to professionalise the function, build the team, and get ahead of the next raise or exit
PE-backed after acquisition, or 400 plus: a Chief People Officer who sits on the exec team and owns the people side of the value creation plan
One caveat from the market: do not hire a People leader before product-market fit. Culture work on a business that is still pivoting is wasted.
What each costs in the UK in 2026
Head of People or Head of HR, London: £83,000 at the 25th percentile, £93,000 median, £107,500 at the 75th
HR Director, London: £122,250 to £171,250, median £146,750. Mid-market outside London £85,000 to £145,000
Chief People Officer, London: £146,750 to £244,500, median £195,500
How to pick the title
If the job is 'build the basics and make us a place people want to join', it is a Head of People. Hire for energy and judgement, not CIPD level
If the job is 'fix the function we already have and prepare us for scrutiny', it is an HR Director. Hire for change leadership and board credibility
If the job is 'own the people strategy as a peer of the CFO and CTO', it is a CPO. Hire for commercial judgement first and HR depth second
The mistake we see most
Hiring a Head of People at 50 and expecting them to be the CPO at 300. A few can make that jump. Most cannot, and the business ends up managing a painful exit of someone it likes. Be honest in the brief about where the business is going.
We recruit Heads of People, HR Directors and Chief People Officers for UK scaleups and PE-backed businesses, assessed for culture and attitude before credentials. See HR leadership recruitment for the full list of roles, or read how we hire.
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