Head of People
£43,000 - £53,000 per annum
London
Application Deadline - 28th April
Our client is the governing body for higher education sport in the United Kingdom, they are responsible for organising 54 inter-university sports in the United Kingdom.
They are now looking for a new Head of People who will be responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction for the human resources and safeguarding. As a result, the Head of People will ensure that our client is compliant with Health and Safety regulations to protect our staff and ensure this is echoed in their approach to safeguarding participants as defined in their safeguarding policy.
To achieve this, the Head of People must ensure the effective management and optimisation of human resources services, development and maintaining a motivated and valued workforce whilst acting as a role model for organisational culture and values. Provision of a comprehensive, structured and holistic professional development programme is central to this. This requires the Head of People to work closely with the Senior Leadership Team and members of the Remuneration and Staffing Committee, and to directly support the Management Team and wider team leaders.
Working closely with members of the governance and compliance team responsible for ensuring statutory and industry standard compliance, the Head of People will chair the Safeguarding Strategy Group. The purpose of this group is to embed safeguarding practice into the operations, apply tests of knowledge and voracity of procedures in place, commissioning and supporting improvements where necessary, and monitoring progress with regard to disclosures, case management and associated issues, escalating to the CEO and Board as required.
The Ideal Candidate
Our client is a Disability Confident Committed and Equal Opportunity Employer. They value diversity and are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment. They make all employment decisions without regard to age, national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Research shows that some people don’t apply for a role if they feel they do not meet 100% of the person specification.
Our client encourages you to apply for this role if you feel you meet the key skills and knowledge listed below, even if you feel you do not have all of them. They are passionate about identifying the right people to help us develop and thrive.
Essential knowledge or experience
- Designing and delivering strategies to support a motivated and valued workforce and embed a culture of development and learning.
- Managing human resource functions, including, payroll, recruitment, disciplinary, grievances and contracts.
- Using and adapting HR policies and practices to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive working environment.
- Management experience with a proven ability to lead, develop and motivate others to reach their full potential.
- Experience of developing holistic change programmes that drive transformation through professional development, resources and support tools.
- Application of quality assurance within key processes including performance reviews, professional development, and safeguarding delivery.
- Managing internal staff meetings, working groups and communications.
- Effective presentation of management information to drive decision-making.
Essential skills and abilities
- Ability to work on own initiative.
- Strong team player with good interpersonal abilities including an ability and willingness to communicate and develop trusted relationships with a range of stakeholders.
- Effective mentor, motivator, manager and influencer of people.
- Excellent organisational and planning skills.
- Ability to manage a complex workload including competing priorities, achieve targets and respond quickly and flexibly to changing needs and demands.
- Conscientious with high standards and a commitment to excellence.
- Tenacious when it comes to problem-solving / acquiring key information.
- Desirable knowledge or experience
- Experience of developing strategy/policy that contributes to the development of the organisation to effectively deliver its outcomes.
- Experience in effective communication, presenting and influencing a wide range of audiences including board, members, stakeholders and staff.
- Experience of developing holistic change programmes that drive transformation through professional development, resources and support tools.
- Application of quality assurance within key processes including performance reviews, professional development, and safeguarding delivery.
- Sport-specific safeguarding requirements and expectations.
- Desirable skills and abilities
- Ability to innovate, be creative and work dynamically.
If successful, candidates are called to interview on the provisional date of 7 May 2025.
