Head of People Experience (Maternity Cover)

Our journey from start-up to global leader in industrial Carbon Capture 

Carbon Clean has been developing and providing carbon capture solutions since 2009. Over the years, we have grown our expertise and technology, including our CycloneCC system, to help heavy industry reduce carbon emissions more efficiently. In the next phase of our growth, we are seeking an impactful Head of People Experience . 

London (Hybrid – minimum 3 days a week in office) MAT cover 14 months FTC | Competitive   

The Role 

Reporting to the SVP of People, this is a strategic, hands-on leadership role responsible for shaping how Carbon Clean People function operates as we scale. You will lead People Operations, Reward and Employee Engagement, making sure the business has the infrastructure, governance, insight and employee experience it needs to support growth, performance and transformation. 

You will partner closely with senior leaders so that People is seen as a commercially focused, data-driven business enabler.

What does success look like 

• You are trusted with highly confidential matters and handle them with maturity and discretion. 

• You roll your sleeves up, balancing strategic thinking with hands-on delivery in a fast-paced scale-up. 

• You build credibility quickly with C-suite and VP-level stakeholders and are confident to challenge and disagree constructively. 

• You are comfortable with ambiguity: you ask the right questions, then take ownership and run with things without needing the full picture. 

• People Operations are efficient, accurate and scalable, with measurable reductions in manual effort and clear SLAs delivered consistently. 

• Engagement is maintained or improved year-on-year, with leaders accountable for acting on the results. 

• Reward is competitive, fair and well governed, with strong partnership with Finance on cost and budget. 

Requirements

Responsibilities consist of but not limited to… 

People Operations, Infrastructure & Technology 

• Lead and evolve a scalable, high-performing People Operations function, ensuring efficient, accurate and consistent delivery of core People processes. 

• Own the People infrastructure, including systems, data and reporting, maximising the value of Deel and HiBob to enable high-quality decision-making. 

• Identify opportunities to use technology, automation and AI to simplify processes and reduce manual effort. 

• Oversee the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding and bulk onboarding, ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience. 

• Lead operational transformation initiatives that improve scalability and enhance the employee and manager experience. 

Reward & Benefits 

• Design and implement reward strategies, including compensation, benefits and incentive frameworks aligned to business goals and retention of key talent. 

• Partner with Finance and senior leadership on compensation planning, benchmarking and cost management. 

• Ensure the benefits offering is competitive, cost-effective and aligned with employee needs. 

• Establish clear governance and consistency in reward decisions across the organisation. 

Employee Engagement & Insight 

• Own and evolve the Employee Engagement strategy, using surveys, insights and action planning to strengthen organisational health and leadership effectiveness. 

• Translate engagement and People data into meaningful insights and prioritised actions, proactively identifying risks such as attrition and cost. 

• Partner with senior leaders to strengthen accountability, capability, and follow-through on key themes. 

M&A, Governance & Leadership 

• Lead people-related aspects of M&A activity, including due diligence and integration planning, to ensure successful transitions. 

• Establish scalable People governance, operational standards and controls that support growth and compliance across our global team. 

• Deputise for the SVP, People as required, providing leadership continuity as required. 

• Lead, manage and develop a high-performing, engaged People Operations team, collaborating closely with People Partnering and the wider People team. 

You are an ideal candidate if… 

• You have significant experience in People Operations, HR Shared Services or similar, ideally within a start-up or scale-up environment. 

• You are a proactive self-starter who is comfortable building and scaling HR processes, systems and frameworks from the ground up. 

• You have hands-on experience with HR platforms such as Deel and HiBob, and a genuine interest in how technology and AI can transform People operations. 

• You bring strong reward expertise, including compensation, benefits and benchmarking, with exposure to reward consultancies and tools such as WTW. 

• You have experience owning Employee Engagement programmes and understand how engagement links to performance and retention. 

• You have supported M&A activity, including due diligence, post-merger integration and bulk onboarding. 

• You have worked closely with Finance on budgets and cost management, and are confident using data to drive decisions. 

• You have reported into C-suite or VP level and have strong experience leading and developing teams. 

The application journey has 4 key steps 

1. Recruiter call – an initial 30-minute conversation. 

2. First stage – in-person interview with The Head of People Exp and SVP People. 

3. Second stage – video interview with Other VPs from across the business. 

4. Final stage – in-person case study with The Head of People Exp and SVP People plus an informal chat with other members of the Team/Business. 

This process should take around 3–4 weeks – your schedule is really important to us, so we promise to be as flexible as possible! 

Why join us? 

At Carbon Clean, we’re tackling one of the world’s toughest challenges: decarbonising heavy industry. As Head of People Experience, you’ll have real ownership in building the People foundations of a fast-growing, mission-driven company with the backing of senior leadership and the freedom to shape how we scale. 

In addition, we offer you: 

• The opportunity to continue to develop both personally and professionally, in our rapidly growing company. 

• A culture that encourages excellence, ownership, flexibility and care. 

• Our great workplaces with excellent facilities and perks, where we can come together to collaborate with like-minded colleagues. 

• Our flexible approach to working – including our hybrid approach and days to work from anywhere globally. 

Benefits

We provide these benefits & perks: 

• 25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays. 

• Private Healthcare for you and your family. 

• Health Cash Plan to spend on specific treatments. 

• Life insurances for your financial protection including Income Protection, Life Insurance and Critical Illness Cover. 

• Wellbeing programmes including EAP trained counsellors. 

• Generous company pension contribution of 5%. 

• Green travel schemes including Cycle to Work & Electric Car Scheme. 

• Individual training budget tailored towards your personal development. 

• Funding support towards professional qualification and memberships. 

We believe everyone Belongs @ Carbon Clean  

We are passionate and committed to our people. At Carbon Clean, you will be working in an inclusive environment where everyone belongs. It’s talent that matters to us, and we encourage applications from people irrespective of their gender, race, sexual orientation and identity, religion, age, disability status or caring responsibilities. 

If you think you have most of what we’re looking for but not every single thing, go ahead and apply. We’d still love to hear from you!