Head of People

About Juru

Juru is an international energy and environmental consulting and engineering firm, headquartered in the UK with operational centres in Tashkent and Almaty. Our 160 employees work across 10 countries, delivering projects for clients including Masdar, ACWA Power, Toyota, EBRD, the World Bank and IFC.

The opportunity

We are growing, and our People systems need to grow with us. Many were designed for a smaller organisation; with ambitions to double our headcount and productivity, we are ready to rethink how we hire, develop, reward and support our people.

As Head of People, you will lead that work in close partnership with the Operations Director and Business Unit leaders. You will combine organisational development with leadership of day-to-day People operations across Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys building practical systems, developing leaders and turning ideas into lasting improvements — while preserving the trust, initiative and flexibility we value.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. ​​​​​​​

Key responsibilities:

• People strategy and organisational development. Review existing practices and deliver a prioritised improvement roadmap. Connect workforce planning, organisational structure and clear responsibilities with business needs.

• Recruitment and onboarding. Build a consistent hiring process with engaged hiring managers, effective assessment and thoughtful candidate communication. Help new colleagues settle in, build connections and become effective in their roles.

• Performance, development and manager capability. Make performance reviews and career development meaningful and practical. Equip managers to set expectations, give feedback, delegate and handle difficult conversations.

• Grading, compensation and benefits. Strengthen our grading framework and establish clear principles for pay, promotions and progression. Work with Finance to balance market competitiveness, internal fairness and affordability.

• Culture and employee experience. Turn employee feedback into visible action, improve communication and support a respectful, inclusive workplace. Help leaders address retention, wellbeing and team challenges early.

• People operations and team leadership. Develop a capable People team, simplify workflows and maintain reliable records and accessible policies. Ensure compliance with applicable employment requirements in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, using specialist advice where needed.

What success looks like

In your first year, we would expect an agreed People roadmap, tangible progress on priority systems, more consistent hiring and onboarding, and leadership better equipped to lead. Your team will deliver dependable everyday support while implementing improvements that employees and leaders can see and use.

Priorities and implementation milestones will be agreed with the Operations Director following your initial review.

• 7+ years of progressive HR or People experience, including leading a function, team or significant change programme.

• A track record of building or improving People systems and seeing changes through implementation.

• Strong expertise across organisational development, performance, compensation, recruitment and employee development.

• Commercial judgement and the ability to prioritise and deliver with a small team.

• High emotional intelligence, discretion and confidence to challenge constructively and build trust.

• Experience applying employment requirements and recognising when specialist advice is needed.

• Strong written and spoken English and Russian.

• A relevant degree or equivalent professional experience.

Experience in consulting, engineering or professional services, and across multiple countries, would be valuable. Uzbek or Kazakh, professional HR qualifications, and familiarity with Google Workspace and Asana are welcome.

Why join Juru?

• Scope to make a difference: shape the People function at an important stage of our growth.

• Close partnership with leadership: influence decisions and take improvements from design to everyday use.

• International exposure: work with specialists delivering energy and environmental projects across the region.

• Competitive compensation: salary reflecting your experience, plus a discretionary bonus.

• Learning and development: on-the-job and online opportunities.

• A comfortable Tashkent office near Buyuk Ipak Yuli metro station.

Interested?

Tell us about a People process or system you improved: what needed to change, what you did and what became better.