Overview

We are seeking a proactive and people-focused People Manager to support our rapidly growing team. You will play an important role in running the day-to-day People function, ensuring a positive employee experience, and partnering with teams to foster a thriving workplace culture. This generalist position involves a broad range of responsibilities, including recruitment, employee relations, policy implementation, performance management, and supporting key People initiatives. The role has primary People responsibility for our Warehouse/Unit and is based at our Lewes Head Office with one day per week at our Unit/Warehouse in Barcombe Mills.

We are a mission-driven wellness brand with an award-winning range of collagen, blends and supplements. As a B-Corp, Ancient + Brave meets high standards of social and environmental impact. We are shaping the future of wellness with simple daily rituals that support women’s health, sustainability, and female empowerment.

Key Responsibilities

• Reporting to the People Director, manage the People function to ensure smooth day-to-day operations and excellent service across the business, with support from the People Experience Assistant.
• Drive continuous improvement across People processes, systems, and policies to be fit for purpose and scalable.
• Be a culture champion, embedding values through leadership, communication, and best-in-class people practices.
• Act as a trusted partner and coach to managers and team leads on performance management, ER issues, development planning, and team dynamics.
• Own complex employee relations cases, ensuring consistent policy application and employment law adherence.
• Use people data and insights to guide decision-making and support business planning.
• Act as the primary People Manager for Warehouse/Unit operations, tailoring processes while aligning with wider company policies.
• Collaborate with the Unit Manager and Supervisor to resolve people issues, manage performance, and build engagement on the ground.
• Support recruitment and onboarding for the Unit to ensure a seamless and consistent experience.
• Oversee the employee lifecycle from onboarding to exit, ensuring a high-quality and consistent experience.
• Maintain accurate and compliant employee records, contracts, and policies with support from the People Experience Assistant.
• Communicate monthly payroll changes to the Financial Controller.
• Oversee recruitment processes with internal Talent Partner(s) and external agencies; design inclusive job descriptions and structured interview processes; make data-led hiring decisions.
• Champion DEI best practices throughout hiring and the employee experience.
• Support the rollout and evolution of performance management, feedback, and development frameworks.
• Collaborate on internal surveys and engagement initiatives; analyze results and turn insights into action.
• Contribute to the Learning & Development roadmap and support relevant training programs.
• Act as a superuser for HRIS (Humanns) and ATS (TeamTailor); maintain the Company Wiki on Notion for accessible information.

Who You Are

• Proven experience in a senior HR or People leadership role, ideally in a high-growth, multi-site environment (e.g., scale-up, FMCG, logistics, or manufacturing).
• Strong understanding of both operational and strategic HR.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and best practices across ER, performance, and engagement.
• Hands-on experience with HRIS and ATS systems (e.g., Humanns, TeamTailor).
• Confident working with senior stakeholders and operational teams, including warehouse/fulfilment functions.
• Strong project management skills and ability to balance long-term initiatives with fast-paced delivery.

To truly thrive at Ancient + Brave you will embody our brand spirit and company culture. You will be hungry, humble, high performing, and entrepreneurial in approach.

Why Join Us

Ancient + Brave is a community-built brand committed to innovation and sustainability with social and environmental responsibility at the heart of everything we do. We are a B-Corp certified company and part of 1% for the Planet, with initiatives to support environmental partners and employee well-being. We offer competitive benefits including private medical insurance, wellness programmes, retirement planning, annual leave and wellbeing days, professional development opportunities, and an engaging, inclusive work environment. Our office is based in East Sussex with in-office collaboration and a supportive culture designed to nurture talents.