Head of People and Culture

Head of People & Culture Up to £60,000 Based Shropshire – Hybrid, 3 days a week on site HRLife are delighted to be partnering with a truly purpose-led organisation to appoint their new Head of People & Culture. Providing a vital lifesaving service to communities across the region, this is an organisation where the work people do every day has a very real and visible impact. It's also an organisation with a strong sense of community and a genuine, collaborative ‘one team' culture. This is an exciting time to join an organisation that has grown and evolved considerably in recent years. Reporting directly to the CEO and joining a newly formed Senior Leadership Team, this is an opportunity to take the lead on People & Culture across the organisation, heading up a small HR team and supporting around 180 employees. There is plenty to get stuck into! While you'll have the opportunity to contribute to the longer-term people agenda, the initial focus will be largely operational. This is about taking a good look at what is currently in place, understanding what works, identifying where the gaps are and getting the foundations right on which to build. That could mean reviewing policies, getting close to current ER activity, strengthening processes and ways of working, looking at how managers are supported and starting to make better use of people data and insights. Alongside this, you'll lead and develop the existing People team, creating clarity around roles and priorities, building capability and helping them grow as the function itself develops. You'll be close enough to the day-to-day to roll your sleeves up when needed, but equally able to step back, spot what could be better and start shaping the future. And that's where this role becomes particularly interesting. With the foundations in place, you'll have the opportunity to work with the wider leadership team to help shape priorities around culture, engagement, leadership capability, performance and development, while ensuring the People function continues to evolve alongside the organisation. We're looking for an experienced HR generalist who is comfortable operating at both strategic and operational level. You'll need strong HR fundamentals, particularly around employee relations, employment law, policy and process, alongside experience of leading and developing a team. You'll also be comfortable using HR data and systems and able to bring greater structure and insight as the function develops. Just as importantly, how you work will matter here. This is a friendly, collaborative organisation, so we're looking for someone who is approachable, pragmatic and down-to-earth; someone who builds relationships naturally and is comfortable constructively challenging when needed. You'll be positive and supportive, but also credible enough to be a trusted adviser to the CEO and senior leadership team. You don't necessarily need to come from the charity sector. What matters more is that you're genuinely motivated by the opportunity to work for a purpose-led organisation and excited by the prospect of joining at a point where there is lots to do, lots to shape and a real opportunity to make the role your own. This won't be the role for someone looking to inherit a completely finished HR function where every process, system and framework is already perfectly established. But if you enjoy getting under the skin of an organisation, sorting out the fundamentals and then building from there, it could be a brilliant opportunity. The ideal profile will include:

• CIPD level 7
• Previous experience of leading, developing and getting the best from an HR team.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law, with confidence managing and advising on complex employee relations matters.
• Experience of reviewing and improving HR policies, processes and ways of working, with an eye for what could be simpler or better.
• Experience in managing areas such as ED&I, Wellbeing and culture development.
• Confidence working with senior leaders, providing pragmatic advice, influencing decisions and constructively challenging when needed.
• A hands-on, solutions-focused approach, comfortable getting into the detail rather than operating purely at a strategic level.
• Commercially aware, with an understanding of how People strategy drives the charity's performance.