HR & People · Client side · Updated September 2026
Head of People / HR salary
in the UK.
Based on Stonor Search's salary data, People and HR leaders in the UK typically earn between £100,000 and £160,000 depending on level: around £100,000 – £130,000 at vp / senior director level, rising to £120,000 – £160,000 at c-suite / executive level. London roles sit higher, at £110,000 to £180,000, roughly 14% above the UK average in our data. Pay varies with seniority, location, company stage and sector, and the real scope of the role.
Also covers: Chief People Officer, HR Director, VP HR, Head of HR, People Director, CPO (People), Head of People.
UK average
High confidence£127,500
Typical salary (band midpoint)
- Salary range
- £100,000 – £160,000
- London
- £110,000 – £180,000
- Levels covered
- VP / Senior Director to C-suite / Executive
- Last updated
- September 2026
Head of People / HR salary by seniority and location
Annual base salary, GBP. "Typical" is the midpoint of the published band. London and UK-average bands are published separately.
| Level | UK average range | UK typical | London range | London typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VP / Senior DirectorVP / Head of HR | £100,000 – £130,000 | £115,000 | £110,000 – £150,000 | £130,000 |
| C-suite / ExecutiveChief People Officer | £120,000 – £160,000 | £140,000 | £140,000 – £180,000 | £160,000 |
What does a Head of People / HR earn by location?
- London
- £110,000 – £180,000
- UK average
- £100,000 – £160,000
Other regions use the UK average band: South East, South West, Midlands, North West, North East & Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Remote (UK).
In Stonor's data, London People and HR leaders earn around 14% more than the UK average at the same level. Regional searches outside London fall back to the UK figure and say so.
Market context
Stonor's report publishes the bands for this role without a written market commentary, so we haven't invented one. The numbers above are the honest extent of what we can say, plus the factors below.
About this data
- Sources
- Stonor Search SaaS & Tech Salary Benchmark 2025
- Sector coverage
- Client side — SaaS & Tech
- Benchmark period
- 2025
- Includes
- Base salary only. No bonus, commission or equity.
- Confidence
- High confidence. A published Stonor band for this exact role and location.
What affects a Head of People / HR's salary?
Seniority
The biggest lever. In Stonor's data a vp / senior director Head of People / HR sits around £115,000, while c-suite / executive level is around £140,000. Titles inflate faster than pay, so check the scope, team size and budget behind the title before assuming the top band applies.
Location
London pays about 14% more than the UK average for People and HR leaders in Stonor's data. Hybrid roles based outside London are increasingly benchmarked against the national band rather than the London one, and candidates know it.
Company stage
The band is a SaaS and tech figure. Where a company sits between seed and scale-up changes the cash-versus-equity mix more than the headline title does, and Stonor's reports don't publish a size split, so treat the range as covering that spread.
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