Acting Head of People - 6 month contract

The Role FrankieOne is in a defining stretch - scaling a 100-person, global, regulated business while embedding AI across how we build, sell and operate. Our permanent Head of People is stepping out for a defined period, and we need a steady, senior hand to hold the function together and keep our people strategy moving. This will be a 6 month acting role. You will own the People & Culture function end-to-end for the duration of the engagement - but the brief is deliberately focused. We are not asking you to re-architect the function. We are asking you to maintain operational excellence, deliver the agreed people plan, support our leaders through a period of growth and change, and leave the function in a stronger position than you found it. You'll report directly to the VP of Operations, and lead a small, capable P&C team. The team is in flight on a number of programs - performance cycles, engagement, hiring against an aggressive roadmap, and embedding our values (The FrankieOne Way) more deeply into how we work. If you're someone who can walk into a fast-moving, ambiguous environment, quickly read the room, partner credibly with senior leaders, and execute without needing the runway to make sweeping changes - this is for you. Hold the function. Take ownership of the existing P&C operating rhythm, OKRs and FY plan. Identify what's working, keep it working, and prioritise ruthlessly within the defined engagement window. Steady the team. Lead, coach and support the existing P&C team. Ensure they're set up for success during the transition in and the eventual transition out. Be the trusted partner. Partner with the CEO and Leadership Team on the people implications of business decisions — hiring trade-offs, organisation design, performance, and retention of critical talent. Drive the hiring plan. Work alongside the Talent Acquisition Manager to deliver the FY headcount plan, including senior leadership hires. You'll be hands-on in executive-level interview panels. Run the people cycles. Deliver performance, compensation review and engagement cycles on time and with integrity. No dropped balls. Operationalise the values. Embed The FrankieOne Way into hiring, performance and recognition practices — without introducing unnecessary frameworks or process. Document and hand over. Ensure playbooks, processes, vendor relationships and key decisions are captured so the permanent successor can hit the ground running. Plan and execute a structured transition at the end of the engagement. Be an advocate. For FrankieOne, our product, our people and our values. In a previous life, you have: 10+ years' experience across People & Culture, Human Resources or People Operations, including leadership responsibility. Experience within a high-growth technology business, ideally a startup or scale-up environment (FinTech experience highly regarded). Proven experience partnering with founders, CEOs and executive leadership teams on organisational, talent and workforce decisions. Led workforce planning initiatives aligned to business growth objectives and changing organisational needs. Experience supporting organisational design, restructures, change management and business transformation programs. Built and scaled people practices across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, performance, learning and development, engagement and retention. Strong experience supporting recruitment across technical, product, commercial and leadership functions. Demonstrated ability to maintain culture, engagement and performance through periods of rapid growth, change or uncertainty. Working knowledge of employment legislation, employee relations, workplace investigations and HR compliance across multiple jurisdictions. Experience operating within globally distributed teams, including Employers of Record (EORs), contractors and outsourced delivery models. Strong commercial acumen with the ability to balance people outcomes against business priorities and constraints