Head of People
21 hours ago
Manchester
We are a growing UK Managed Service Provider delivering managed IT services alongside project services, software and automation solutions, training and consultancy. Our continued growth and transformation depend on having the right organisational structure, leadership capability, culture and talent. We are therefore looking for an experienced Head of HR who can shape and lead our people strategy while ensuring the business receives responsive, practical and commercially grounded HR support. The Head of HR will lead the organisation’s people agenda, translating business priorities into a clear, practical and measurable people strategy. Working alongside the senior leadership team, the role will provide trusted advice and constructive challenge on the people implications of business decisions. The successful candidate will strengthen organisational capability, develop managers, support effective change and create the conditions in which people can perform, develop and contribute to the organisation’s success. This is a strategic and hands-on leadership role. The Head of HR will lead and develop the existing HR team while remaining close enough to the business to understand emerging issues, support complex situations and ensure that agreed priorities are delivered. • Develop and deliver a people strategy aligned with the organisation’s growth, transformation and commercial objectives., • Translate business plans into clear people priorities, actions, measures and accountabilities., • Provide senior leaders with practical, evidence-based advice on workforce capability, organisational risk and the people implications of business decisions., • Contribute actively to business planning, budgeting and strategic decision-making., • Ensure that investment in people, systems, development and reward is proportionate, sustainable and linked to organisational outcomes., • Maintain a strong understanding of how the organisation creates value for customers and how people practices influence service quality, productivity, profitability and growth., • Advise on organisation structures, spans of responsibility, reporting lines, job design and role accountabilities., • Lead the people aspects of organisational change, restructuring and transformation programmes., • Ensure change is planned and communicated clearly, with appropriate engagement, consultation and support., • Help leaders anticipate the capability, capacity and behavioural changes required to deliver future business plans., • Balance pace and commercial need with fairness, employee experience and legal compliance., • Monitor the effectiveness of organisational changes and recommend further action where necessary., • Work with senior leaders to define and strengthen the culture required to support sustainable growth and high performance., • Ensure organisational values are visible in leadership behaviour, management decisions and everyday working practices., • Develop effective approaches to employee listening, engagement and communication., • Use employee feedback, workforce data and HR casework to identify cultural or organisational themes and turn them into practical action., • Develop evidence-led retention plans, with particular focus on business-critical and difficult-to-replace capabilities., • Strengthen the employee experience., • Ensure clear expectations and structure in people management across the organisation., • Coach and challenge senior leaders and managers to take confident, fair and consistent ownership of their people management responsibilities., • Develop a practical management capability framework covering leadership behaviour, communication, performance, employee relations, recruitment, retention, wellbeing and change., • Identify management capability gaps and put in place proportionate development, coaching and support., • Help create a culture in which managers address issues promptly, recognise good performance and have constructive conversations when expectations are not being met., • Evaluate whether management development is changing behaviour and improving business and employee outcomes., • Develop a workforce plan that identifies current and future requirements for capacity, skills, leadership and critical roles., • Use business plans and workforce information to anticipate recruitment needs, capability gaps and succession risks., • Establish proportionate talent and succession planning for business-critical and leadership positions., • Create practical pathways for internal progression, skills development and career growth., • Help the organisation decide when capability should be recruited, developed internally, accessed through external expertise or supported through technology., • Ensure workforce plans balance customer demand, employee capability, cost and operational resilience., • Lead an effective, inclusive and commercially focused recruitment strategy., • Ensure role requirements and selection criteria are clear, relevant and based on the capabilities needed for success., • Improve the quality and consistency of recruitment decisions through structured selection, manager guidance and appropriate assessment., • Strengthen the organisation’s employer proposition and candidate experience, particularly for specialist and hard-to-fill roles., • Ensure onboarding and probation processes help new employees become effective, connected and accountable quickly., • Monitor recruitment outcomes, including time to hire, quality of hire, candidate experience and early retention., • Maintain effective relationships with recruitment partners while ensuring appropriate cost, quality and governance controls., • Lead a clear and proportionate performance management approach that connects organisational objectives with team and individual contribution., • Ensure employees understand what is expected, how success is measured and how their role contributes to wider business performance., • Support managers to set meaningful objectives, give regular feedback, recognise contribution and address underperformance., • Ensure performance, development and career conversations are constructive, consistent and appropriately documented., • Work with Finance and senior leaders on pay, benefits, recognition and reward, using relevant internal and external evidence., • Periodically review the effectiveness, fairness and commercial sustainability of the overall reward proposition., • Act as the senior internal adviser on UK employment law and employee relations., • Personally lead or oversee complex, sensitive, senior-level or high-risk employee matters., • Ensure disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence and performance cases are handled fairly, consistently and without unnecessary delay., • Promote early and informal resolution where appropriate while ensuring that risk is recognised and managed., • Maintain effective relationships with external employment-law advisers and other specialists., • Keep leaders and managers informed of relevant legal changes and their practical implications., • Ensure organisational changes and consultation processes are legally sound, well planned and professionally managed., • Develop a practical approach to employee wellbeing that supports healthy, sustainable performance., • Ensure wellbeing is considered in job descriptions, management practice, workload, change and employee support., • Promote an inclusive working environment in which people are consistently treated fair and respectfully., • Identify and address barriers within recruitment, progression, development and everyday working practices., • Ensure managers understand their responsibilities in relation to wellbeing and in particular to reasonable adjustments, dignity at work and employee support., • Use appropriate evidence and employee feedback to evaluate whether wellbeing and inclusion activity is making a meaningful difference., • Lead, develop and support the HR team, creating clear roles, standards, priorities and accountability., • Ensure the HR function provides a responsive, confidential, trusted, competent and commercially relevant service., • Maintain accurate, secure and appropriately controlled employee records and HR data., • Strengthen HR systems, workflows and reporting, reducing unnecessary manual administration where possible., • Develop a focused suite of people measures with required analysis that gives senior leaders meaningful insight., • Monitor trends in recruitment, retention, absence, performance, employee relations, engagement, capability and workforce cost., • Maintain appropriate HR policies, contracts, procedures and governance arrangements., • Ensure employee information is handled in line with data‑protection requirements and appropriate confidentiality standards., • Manage the HR budget and relevant external suppliers, ensuring value for money and effective service delivery. The Head of HR will be expected to: • Operate at a senior level within the business, with credibility, integrity and professionalism., • Build trusted relationships while remaining willing to challenge decisions, assumptions and behaviours constructively, throughout all levels of the business, • Have the agility to move between long-term strategy and immediate practical delivery., • Understand the commercial and operational realities facing a growing managed service provider., • Provide clear evidence based business issues, along with meaningful recommendations and solutions., • Make balanced decisions that consider business performance, risk, fairness and employee impact., • Remain visible, approachable and connected to employees and managers across the organisation., • Handle confidential and sensitive matters with integrity, sound judgement and discretion., • Develop the HR team and managers so that knowledge, confidence and capability are strengthened across the business., • Model the leadership behaviours and standards expected of others. The successful candidate will be an experienced senior HR generalist who combines strategic thinking, commercial judgement and strong professional expertise with a willingness to remain close to delivery. They will have the confidence to influence senior leaders, the resilience to lead through change and the practical judgement to determine when to coach, challenge, intervene or escalation. • Substantial senior-level generalist HR experience, including significant accountability for HR function and broader people agenda., • Experience in developing and delivering a people strategy aligned with organisational and commercial priorities., • A proven ability to convert strategy into clear plans, measures, ownership and delivery., • Experience in supporting a growing, changing or transforming organisation., • Strong organisation-design and change-management experience, including restructuring, consultation and implementation., • Up-to-date knowledge and practical application of UK employment law., • Confidence handling complex, sensitive and high-risk employee relations matters., • Ability to develop leadership and management capability., • Strong understanding of performance management, employee engagement, retention and organisational culture., • Experience of recruitment strategy, workforce planning, talent development and succession planning., • Ability to interpret workforce information, identify trends and use evidence to influence decisions., • Experience leading, developing and setting standards for a HR team., • Strong commercial and financial awareness, including the ability to assess cost, risk, value and operational impact., • Credibility and confidence when advising, influencing and constructively challenging senior leaders., • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex matters clearly and practically., • High standards of integrity, confidentiality and professional judgement., • A demonstrable commitment to fair, inclusive and evidence-based people practices., • CIPD Level 7, Chartered Membership or equivalent senior-level professional capability developed through substantial relevant experience., • Experience within an MSP, IT services, software, technology or another fast-moving business environment., • Understanding of workforce and talent challenges within technical, project and customer-service environments., • Experience in supporting a business that combines recurring managed services with project-based delivery., • Experience of improving HR systems, automation, workforce reporting or people analytics., • Experience of reviewing reward, benefits or recognition arrangements., • Experience in building or significantly improving an HR function during a period of growth or transformation., • Experience of working with external legal advisers, recruitment partners, benefits providers or other specialist suppliers. We welcome applications from people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Recruitment decisions will be based on the capabilities and evidence required to succeed in the role. Applicants are encouraged to request any reasonable adjustments or alternative arrangements they may need during the recruitment process. This job description describes the principal purpose and responsibilities of the role. Responsibilities may reasonably evolve as the organisation grows and its priorities change. #J-18808-Ljbffr
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