Head of People Strategy

Dalton Recruitment has been retained by one of its key clients to secure them a new Head of People to support the Group People Director executing and driving the people strategy and delivering significant HR initiatives, helping to shape the organisation for the future.

As the Head of People, you will provide strategic and operational expertise to the leadership team acting as a trusted advisor and an agent for change. Working with confidence and at pace across all aspects of the organisation you will be responsible for the implementation and success of the people strategy and all related strategic initiatives. You will be proactive in driving employee engagement, organisational effectiveness initiatives and developing the EVP by supporting the leadership team to embed the values and behaviours which allow the group people agenda to be executed in line with the overriding business goals.

With the support of the wider HR team but with no direct management responsibility, the role will suit an HR professional with prior experience operating at the Senior HRBP or Head of HR level with an enthusiasm to take on specific project based work to drive change across the organisation. Industry backgrounds linked to retail, FMCG and field sales will be of particular interest.

Given the structure of the business, the role will require the individual to be primarily office based (Woking) with a day or two working from home each week. Occasional travel (monthly) will be required to their offices in the North West.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop, design, test and implement people initiatives that are aligned to the clients vision and ways of working across all areas of the organisation.
• Provide strategic leadership across the organisation on all people-related issues.
• Deliver timely, high-quality information and updates to the Executive Leadership Team and other senior leaders, including business cases and proposals.
• Ensure effective monitoring and measurement across all areas of the people agenda to drive decision making and enhancements.
• Conduct research and market analysis to identify trends and future opportunities.

Organisational Culture

• Drive a culture of high performance and continuous improvement across the organisation by collaborating with senior leaders to develop and implement appropriate people strategies.
• Lead in the design of a colleague engagement programme, driven through engaging and consistent internal communication.
• Design and implement targeted interventions to enhance colleague engagement and satisfaction creating a positive and inclusive workplace culture.
• Operate as a strategic partner to the senior leaders on matters of culture, behaviour, and leadership.
• Role model the business’s ways of working and support senior leaders to do the same.
• Collaborate with the employee resource groups to deliver the diversity, equity and inclusion agenda, and champion inclusion, growth and belonging across the organisation.
• Deliver the business’s Employee Value Proposition and Employer of Choice objectives.

Talent Management and Development

• Devise talent management strategy which delivers a proactive approach to talent management across the organisation to ensure we attract, retain and develop the best talent.
• Develop succession planning strategy and models for the organisation, working closely with the SLT to implement, ensuring decisions are evidence-based and data driven.
• Develop and maintain an innovative approach to reward and recognition.
• Lead on the development and delivery of programmes to improve and enhance management and leadership capabilities across the organisation.

Systems and Integration

• Support the technological development of the people function making recommendations for best-in-class systems and how best to leverage AI.
• Consult with senior leaders across the broader organisation to align and implement group-level initiatives and best practices.
• Support integration efforts specifically in relation to onboarding, development, talent management and succession planning, and internal communications.

Skills and Experience:

• 8-10 years progressive HR experience, with demonstrable leadership experience.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including rapport building and influencing.
• Target driven with good time and task management skills.
• Initiative-taking, confident and determined.
• Leadership that drives action.
• Ownership, agility and acting with pace.
• Commercially astute.
• Problem solving, decision making and conflict management and resolution skills.
• Ability to balance the needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and planning skills, forward focused with the ability to evaluate and adapt plans as required.
• IT literate. Advanced Excel & PowerPoint skills.

Dalton Recruitment Ltd is acting as a recruitment agency in relation to this role. We will always try to respond to all applications individually but due to the high volume we receive, this may simply not be possible. If you do not hear back from us within 3 working days, please accept our apologies but please also assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.