What comes after HR manager?

Head of HR, then HR director or CHRO, the chief HR officer.

Is an HR business partner above or below an HR manager?

It depends on the company. On this ladder the business partner advises one part of the business, and the HR manager leads a team and its processes; some large companies rank senior business partners higher.

How long does it take to become head of HR?

Often ten years or more from the first HR job, through business partnering and leading a team. What counts is the scope you can show.

Do I need a qualification to move up in HR?

In the UK many employers expect CIPD membership at senior levels; elsewhere a degree and a record of results usually count for more.

What should the CV show for a head of HR role?

The HR function you shaped, the change you led and the people results in figures, such as turnover, time to hire and internal promotions.

HR manager career path: from HR generalist to head of HR, HR director and CHRO

Each step up the HR ladder, from your first HR generalist job to HR director or CHRO, the chief HR officer: what changes in the job, the gap to close, how to show it on your CV and in interviews, and a realistic plan.

The cvscored teamPublished 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 27 Oct 2026

Contents

The ladder at a glance
The first steps: generalist to HR manager
The steps up from HR manager
Your CV for the next step
Key takeaways
Frequently asked questions
More on the HR manager role

The ladder at a glance

Step	What you are measured on next	Typical time
HR generalist to HR business partner	Advice to the leaders of one part of the business	2 to 4 years
HR business partner to HR manager	An HR team and the HR processes of a site or company	2 to 3 years
HR manager to head of HR	All of HR for a company: people, budget and systems	3 to 5 years
Head of HR to HR director or CHRO	The people strategy, the board and the leadership team	3 or more years

Titles vary: in a small company the HR manager is the head of HR, while a large group may have HR managers inside each country. Compare what a job answers for, not only its title.

HR business partners take the advisory road through HR, from associate to head of HR business partnering, and reach CHRO from that side; their steps are on the HR business partner career paths.

Planning how people learn, from learning and development coordinator up to chief learning officer, is a road of its own on the learning and development manager career paths.

Grades, salary reviews and bonus plans have their own specialists, whose climb from compensation analyst to reward director is on the compensation and benefits manager career paths.

The first steps: generalist to HR manager

HR generalist to HR business partner

What changes: you stop only handling cases and start advising the leaders of one part of the business on their people: who to hire, how to organise, how to handle a low performer.

The gap: understanding the business you support, HR figures that answer its questions, influencing managers who outrank you, and the confidence to say no when the law or fairness requires it.

On the CV and in interviews: a case where your advice changed a manager's decision, and a figure you improved. Expect a role play with a demanding manager.

Plan (9 to 12 months, on the job): ask to support one department fully; attend its management meetings; build its monthly people figures; prepare a short qualification, such as a CIPD level in the UK, if your country expects one.

HR business partner to HR manager

What changes: you lead an HR team and own the HR processes of a site or a company: recruiting, contracts, payroll, performance reviews, and the talks with employee representatives.

The gap: leading HR staff, running yearly cycles such as the pay review, the HR budget, the employment law of the country in depth, and the HR system.

On the CV and in interviews: the team you led, the processes you improved with figures, and the agreements you reached. Expect questions on labour law and a works council or union.

Plan (12 months): run one pay review or performance cycle end to end; lead one HR project, such as a new HR system module; take on a direct report; negotiate one agreement with the employee representatives alongside your manager.

The steps up from HR manager

HR manager to head of HR

What changes: you answer for all of HR in a company: the HR team, its budget, the systems, the policies, and the people questions of the leadership team.

The gap: a people plan tied to the business strategy, organisation design, leadership development, large HR projects, and presenting to the leadership team with figures.

On the CV and in interviews: the HR function you shaped, the change you led and the results in figures. Expect a case about a reorganisation or a merger.

Plan (12 months or more): write the people plan for next year with the CEO; lead one change project; build HR figures the leadership team reviews monthly; develop a successor.

Head of HR to HR director or CHRO

What changes: you sit in the leadership team, shape the people strategy of a large company or group, report people risks to the board, and often work with its pay committee.

The gap: strategy and the board, the pay of top managers, succession for the leadership team, HR across several countries, and leading HR leaders.

On the CV and in interviews: the people strategy you set, the board topics you owned, and the leaders you hired or grew. Expect talks with the CEO and board members.

Plan (2 years or more): take on HR for more than one country; prepare board papers with the CHRO or CEO; lead succession planning for the top team; join one company-wide transformation as its people lead.

Your CV for the next step

At each step up in HR, hiring leaders want to see the wider role already, under a real job, in the words their ads use. Three rules:

Keep the real titles. Never upgrade a title; show the wider work in the lines beneath it.
Use the next level's words. A business partner role wants "advised the leadership team", "workforce planning", "organisation design"; an HR manager role wants "led the HR team", "labour law", "works agreements"; a head of HR role wants "people strategy", "change", "leadership team".
One result per line. Fewer leavers, faster hiring, an agreement reached, a project live, or leaders developed.

Skill	Weak line	Strong line, with proof
Business partnering	HR business partner.	Advised the sales director on a new team structure; 3 new roles filled internally and turnover halved.
HR team	Led a team.	Led 4 HR generalists for 900 staff; HR cases closed in 6 days instead of 15.
Strategy	Developed HR strategy.	Wrote the 3-year people plan with the CEO; 70 percent of senior roles now filled from inside.
Board	Board reporting.	Reported people risks to the board each quarter; succession in place for all 8 leadership roles.

Key takeaways

The ladder runs HR generalist, HR business partner, HR manager, head of HR, then HR director or CHRO.
A business partner advises leaders; an HR manager leads a team and its processes.
Head of HR answers for all of HR; HR director or CHRO shapes the people strategy with the board.
Titles vary by company size, so compare what a job answers for.
Add proof to your CV in the next level's words, one result per line.

Frequently asked questions

What comes after HR manager?: Head of HR, then HR director or CHRO, the chief HR officer.
Is an HR business partner above or below an HR manager?: It depends on the company. On this ladder the business partner advises one part of the business, and the HR manager leads a team and its processes; some large companies rank senior business partners higher.
How long does it take to become head of HR?: Often ten years or more from the first HR job, through business partnering and leading a team. What counts is the scope you can show.
Do I need a qualification to move up in HR?: In the UK many employers expect CIPD membership at senior levels; elsewhere a degree and a record of results usually count for more.
What should the CV show for a head of HR role?: The HR function you shaped, the change you led and the people results in figures, such as turnover, time to hire and internal promotions.