Head of People

The Head of People role is a newly created position, offering a fantastic opportunity to lead and shape the people agenda across a growing organisation. Ideal for an ambitious People leader, this role will play a key part in driving organisational transformation, culture and performance while providing a strong platform for progression towards a future People Director position.

Client Details

Our client is a well-established and highly respected engineering and manufacturing business with a strong track record of delivering quality products and services to customers across the UK. Built on a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement and operational excellence, the organisation has earned a reputation for reliability, innovation and customer-centricity.

With ambitious growth plans and ongoing investment across its operations, the business is undergoing an exciting period of transformation. Its people are at the heart of its success, and the leadership team is committed to creating a high-performing, inclusive culture where colleagues can thrive, develop and contribute to the company''s future success.

Operating across multiple sites throughout the North of England, this is an organisation that combines the strength and stability of an established business with the energy and opportunity of a company embracing change, innovation and sustainable growth.

Description

Are you an ambitious senior People leader who thrives in fast-paced, operational environments and is ready to take the next step towards a People Director role in the coming years?

Our client is a highly successful manufacturing and engineering business employing approximately 400 colleagues across multiple sites throughout the North of England. As the organisation continues an exciting period of growth, transformation and investment, they are seeking an exceptional Head of People to play a pivotal role in shaping their people strategy, culture and organisational performance.

Reporting directly to a highly engaged and people-focused Finance Director, this is a rare opportunity to join the senior leadership team and influence business decisions at the highest level. You''ll combine strategic thinking with hands-on leadership, partnering closely with operational leaders to deliver a high-performing, inclusive and engaged workforce.

This role offers the breadth, visibility and impact that will position the successful candidate strongly for a future People Director appointment.

As Head of People, you will lead the people agenda across a diverse, multi-site manufacturing and engineering operation, ensuring people strategy supports commercial objectives while creating an environment where colleagues can thrive.

You''ll be equally comfortable setting long-term strategic direction and rolling up your sleeves to drive operational excellence. Working within a unionised environment, you''ll build trusted relationships across the organisation and champion a progressive, people-centred culture during a period of significant change and growth.

• Develop and deliver a people strategy aligned to business growth ambitions.
• Partner with the senior leadership team to drive organisational effectiveness, capability and performance.
• Lead and embed initiatives across employee engagement, talent development, succession planning and leadership capability.
• Coach and support managers to build high-performing, accountable teams.
• Lead employee relations activity, fostering positive relationships with employee representatives and trade unions.
• Drive organisational change programmes, ensuring effective communication and stakeholder engagement.
• Champion diversity, inclusion, wellbeing and employee experience initiatives across all sites.
• Deliver robust workforce planning and talent management strategies.
• Ensure HR policies, processes and practices remain compliant, commercially focused and fit for purpose.
• Use people data and insight to inform decision-making and influence business performance.
• Lead, develop and inspire the People team to deliver an exceptional service across the organisation.

This role requires someone to be engaging with the business and stakeholders for a minimum of 3 days per week.

Profile

We are looking for an ambitious, commercially minded and influential People leader who combines strategic capability with strong operational delivery.

You will likely bring:

• Proven senior HR leadership experience within manufacturing, engineering, industrial or similarly operational environments
• Experience supporting multi-site operations
• Strong employee relations expertise, ideally gained within a unionised setting
• A track record of leading organisational change, transformation and culture initiatives
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at Board and senior leadership level
• Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of how people strategies drive business performance
• Experience developing leadership capability, succession planning and talent strategies
• A collaborative and pragmatic leadership style with high levels of resilience and emotional intelligence
• CIPD qualification or equivalent professional experience

Most importantly, you''ll be someone who is excited by the opportunity to leave a genuine legacy, drive business performance through people, and continue your progression towards a future People Director position.

Job Offer

This role pays up to -75,000 to -80,000 per annum (dependant on experience), inclusive of a car allowance, performance related bonus and a suite of benefits.