Chief People Officer, Publicly Listed Technology Company, Global Role

About the Employer Hiring this Chief People Officer

Our client is a fast-growing, publicly listed company operating across advanced materials, radiopharmaceuticals, nuclear medicine and next-generation nuclear fuels.

Headquartered in the United States and dual-listed on two major exchanges, the company is expanding rapidly as it commercialises new technologies, enters additional markets and executes its strategic growth agenda.

With approximately 220 employees worldwide and a market capitalisation as high as US$1bn, the business is transitioning from an early-stage environment to a more structured publicly listed organisation. Recent developments include the acquisition of a southern African onshore natural gas and liquid helium producer, the spin-out of the nuclear energy division and the global expansion of radiopharmacy capabilities.

Our client is doing work that genuinely matters, developing technology to help cure cancer, address energy challenges and solve industrial material shortages. Its flagship gas asset holds one of the richest helium concentrations ever recorded, strategically important at a time of global supply uncertainty. Over the next decade, profits from these operations will fund a community trust supporting schools, health centres and infrastructure in rural South Africa, a programme the CFO is personally committed to.

This is a rare opportunity to be the person who builds the people infrastructure of a listed, science-led company from the ground up. The leadership team is incredibly driven and genuinely excited about what they are building.

The Chief People Officer Opportunity

This is a newly created role, our client’s first Chief People Officer. To date, HR across the group has been managed informally, distributed across the senior leadership team. The business has reached a size and complexity where this is no longer sustainable and the Chief People Officer will be responsible for building the HR infrastructure from the ground up.

This is a role for someone who rolls up their sleeves, knows what needs to happen, and gets on with it. It is for someone who can work shoulder-to-shoulder with the CFO and COO to ensure the smooth running of its HR and operations functions.

If you have created an HR function from nothing, understand the mechanics of multi-jurisdictional employment and thrive in a fast-moving, high-impact environment where no two days are the same, this role was built for you.

Chief People Officer Roles and Responsibilities

Build the HR Infrastructure

• Establish the foundational HR infrastructure: employment agreements, HR policies, reporting structures, org charts by entity, function and business unit
• Implement payroll processes and ensure consistency and compliance across the global network
• Create and maintain a coherent record of the workforce across all entities, who is employed where, under what terms, at what cost
• Create the templates, frameworks and processes that a growing listed company needs

Employment Compliance and Risk Mitigation

• Ensure the group is compliant with employment law across all operating jurisdictions, including South Africa, the US (federal and state), the UK and Canada
• Manage the legal and contractual employment risks that come with operating a listed company with a diverse, multi-geography workforce
• Advise the CFO and COO on people-related risk, including compensation structures, terminations, restructures, visa and mobility issues

Compensation and Total Rewards

• Develop a coherent compensation framework across the group, one that reflects local market realities while maintaining internal equity
• Support the administration of the group equity award programme for eligible employees
• Ensure bonus structures and benefit arrangements are documented, compliant and consistently applied

Organisational Design

• Maintain a clear, current picture of the organisational structure as it evolves through growth and acquisition
• Advise on organisational design as new entities are added, ensuring the group is structured for efficiency, accountability and scale

Day-to-Day HR Counsel to Leadership

• Be the first call for the CEO, CFO and COO on any people-related matter
• Provide practical, grounded HR advice quickly
• Help the leadership team handle sensitive situations with the right combination of commercial pragmatism and appropriate process

About You: Experience Required for this Chief People Officer Role

Essential

• You have built a global HR function from scratch before
• You have worked across multiple countries and jurisdictions simultaneously
• You have supported M&A activity from the HR side, including employment agreement reviews, TUPE, payroll integration and workforce transfers
• You have worked in organisations with a wide range of employee types, from operational or manual workers to highly technical, scientific or engineering talent
• You are commercially minded and pragmatic
• You are fast-paced, direct and intuitive. You will work with a leadership team that is fast-moving, candid and commercially focused
• You are willing and able to travel internationally on a regular basis
• You are hands-on. You do not need a team around you to get things done

Highly Desirable

• Experience in a listed company environment (NASDAQ, NYSE, LSE, JSE or equivalent) and familiarity with the people-related governance obligations that brings
• Experience in a science-led, regulated, industrial or energy sector business
• Exposure to emerging or frontier markets beyond the US and UK, such as Africa, the Middle East and Asia
• Experience supporting a founder-led or entrepreneurial leadership team through rapid growth
• Familiarity with equity award programmes and executive compensation structures

You Are Probably Not the Right Person If:

• You have spent your career in large, established HR functions and have never had to create a process that didn’t already exist
• You want to build a team around you before you can get started
• Your instinct is to consult before advising, or to escalate before deciding
• You are energised by culture programmes, engagement initiatives and organisational development projects