HR Director / HR Directress

Wescom Group: HR Director Opportunity

W Talent is proud to support Wescom Group in the search for a HR Director. Wescom Group is a global leader in survival solutions, recognized for quality, performance, reliability, and safety. With a rich heritage, the company operates across the marine, defense, and emergency services markets, delivering specialized products and technologies where safety and reliability are paramount.

Wescom manufactures over 2.5 million pyrotechnic products annually for the global maritime and defense industries, showcasing its specialist capabilities across manufacturing and logistics, energetic compounds, safety systems, radio frequency signaling, and camouflage systems. The Group has a strong international presence, with businesses and manufacturing capabilities in the UK, Germany, Spain, and Australia. Its diverse portfolio includes Wescom Signal & Rescue, PW Defence, Eflare, ANP Pharma, Marine Rescue Technologies, and BCB International, making it a technically specialized organization.

The Opportunity

This is a unique chance to shape the people strategy of an international manufacturing group, operating in some of the world’s most safety-critical markets. As Wescom Group continues to grow and integrate its businesses, it is seeking a remarkable HR Director to lead its people agenda into the next phase.

This influential role will involve close collaboration with the CEO, the Group leadership team, and operational leaders, ensuring that Wescom possesses the necessary talent, capabilities, culture, and organizational infrastructure to meet its ambitious goals.

The Role

Reporting directly to the CEO, you will own the Group's HR strategy, aligning it with broader business objectives while ensuring it remains practical, visible, and connected to the operational environment. You will lead and develop the HR function across Wescom's various businesses and sites, fostering greater consistency while recognizing the unique needs of each operation.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Developing and delivering a Group-wide HR strategy aligned with business growth and organizational priorities.
• Acting as a trusted HR partner to the CEO, leadership team, and senior operational managers.
• Leading and strengthening the Group HR function.
• Driving workforce planning, succession planning, and talent acquisition and retention.
• Building leadership and management capability across the organization.
• Enhancing performance management and fostering a high-performance culture.
• Providing expert leadership on employee relations, employment legislation, policies, and people risk.
• Supporting organizational change, transformation, and integration efforts.
• Developing employee engagement initiatives for a consistent employee experience.
• Reviewing and enhancing HR policies, processes, systems, and governance.
• Utilizing HR data and insights for better business decision-making.
• Managing reward and benefits activities with a commercially sound approach.
• Collaborating closely with operational and HSE leaders to uphold Wescom’s commitment to safety, quality, and compliance.
• Championing the Group’s values of people, diversity and inclusion, collaboration, innovation, safety, quality, integrity, and sustainability.

About You

We are seeking a credible, commercially minded, and hands-on HR leader who understands that effective HR transcends policies and processes. You will be comfortable operating strategically at the Board and senior leadership levels while remaining engaged with the operational side of the business, turning challenges into practical HR solutions.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• Experience as an HR Director, Head of HR, or in an equivalent senior HR leadership role within manufacturing, engineering, defense, marine, industrial, or other complex operational environments.
• A solid background in developing and implementing practical people strategies.
• Experience working in international or multi-site organizations.
• Skills in complex employee relations and people risk management.
• Expertise in organizational change and transformation.
• A track record of developing leaders and enhancing management capabilities.
• Experience in succession planning and organizational development.
• Knowledge of acquisitions, integration, or restructuring processes.
• The ability to leverage HR data and insights to influence business decisions.
• Familiarity with UK employment legislation and HR best practices.
• CIPD qualification or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Location

The successful candidate will ideally be based in Central England or South Wales, with site presence expected in Cardiff, Derby, and Hull.

What’s on Offer?

• Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.
• Car allowance.
• Performance-related bonus.
• Employer pension contribution.
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays.
• AXA private healthcare.
• Ongoing executive leadership development and professional support.
• A key position within the senior leadership team, with a genuine influence over the future of the Group.

W Talent is retained for this search. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered. Apply online using the form below.