VP of People - Relay

Company Mission

In the future, almost everything we consume will simply materialise on our doorsteps – what we call “e-commerce” today will simply be “commerce” tomorrow. But if we continue on today’s trajectory, the growth of e-commerce risks damaging the environment, alienating our communities, and straining the bottom line for small businesses.

Relay is an e-commerce-native logistics network. We are built from the ground up for environmental, social, and economic sustainability. By building from the ground up we are able to entirely rethink both the middle and last mile enabling us to reduce the number of miles driven to deliver each parcel, lower carbon emissions, and lower costs, all while channelling funds to community members.

At the same time, we’re fixing the last broken aspect of e-commerce for consumers: delivery. As shoppers, we should have complete control over when and how we receive our purchases, and we should be able to return unwanted items as easily as we ordered them. That’s why whenever you buy from a merchant powered by Relay, you’ll be able to reschedule your delivery at any time. And if you don’t like what you ordered, at the tap of a button we’ll send someone to pick it up.

To orchestrate this complex ballet, Relay relies on a wide range of technologies, from advanced routing and planning to sophisticated user experiences that gu

About the Role

As the VP of People, your mission is to ensure Relay’s team has the environment and opportunity to grow, learn and make an impact from the moment they start working at Relay until they leave the company. To accomplish this, you’ll need to grow and lead our human-centred People team while fostering and strengthening our culture across the company. We are seeking a strategic leader who excels in relationship building, pays attention to details, manages systems, and is results-oriented.

In this role, you will serve on Relay’s Senior Leadership Team and lead the People strategy. You’ll have a dedicated budget to work closely with leaders throughout the company to build, mature and own initiatives across areas such as talent acquisition, employment strategies, people operations, engagement and retention, career development, compensation and benefits, employee experience, people success, and hybrid/remote work.

This role requires balancing rapid headcount growth with operational efficiency while preparing the company for its next phase of expansion. Exciting times ahead! 

As the VP of People at Relay, you can expect to

• Develop and execute all aspects of a human-centred People & Culture strategy that supports our continued growth and long-term purpose while providing an incredible employee experience.

• Lead, mature and grow our People team. Hire and build a high-performing team that meets our ever-evolving needs.

• Design and implement key talent initiatives such as performance reviews, leadership training, and growth framework.

• Ensure we offer competitive compensation, benefits, and employment options. Strengthening the company's reward philosophy.

• Scale and guide our People Ops team to streamline our processes for scaling, particularly in onboarding and HR automation.

• Manage and optimise HR tools such as engagement surveys and HRIS systems.

• Collaborate closely with the Finance team.

• Monitor, report, and take action on appropriate metrics, success criteria, and methods to evaluate the ongoing success of the People function, their initiatives, and various health KPIs of our team.

• Act as a strategic partner to key stakeholders to align people strategies with business goals.

We are looking for candidates who have

• Executive Coaching & Leadership: Proven experience coaching senior leaders and aligning people strategies with company goals.

• Data-driven: Strong ability to use data analysis to inform decisions around talent management, budget, and operations.

• Stakeholder Management: Excellent relationship-building skills with internal stakeholders to ensure buy-in and smooth execution.

• Team Leadership: Experience managing a People team of at least 5 members, with a focus on achieving key operational goals.

• Communication Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills for influencing across all levels of the organisation.

• Experience in Scaling Companies: Previous experience in a high-growth company (200-500 employees) during a significant scaling phase.

• Background: We're looking for candidates with a background in tech-first companies, ideally, but we're also open to profiles from fast-paced, high-performing environments.

Relay is offering

• 25 days annual leave per year (plus bank holidays).

• Generous equity package.

• Bupa Global: Business Premier Health Plan - Comprehensive global health insurance with direct access to specialists, dental care, mental health support and more.

• Contributory pension scheme.

• Hybrid working in our Dog-friendly co-working space; we're based in London near Old Street tube station.

• Free membership of the gym in our co-working space in London.

• Cycle-to-work scheme.

• A culture of learning and growth, where you're encouraged to take ownership from day one.

• Plenty of team socials and events - from pottery painting to life-size Monopoly and escape rooms