Head of People Job Description: Senior HR Leader

The Head of People provides strategic leadership for the people function, shaping culture, talent and organisational capability. Candidates should be experienced senior HR professionals who can translate business priorities into coherent people strategies and lead cross‑functional HR delivery.

Head of People Job Profile

The Head of People is responsible for developing and executing a holistic people strategy that supports business objectives and drives employee engagement, performance and retention. This role combines strategic planning with hands‑on leadership of core HR activities and requires strong stakeholder engagement at executive level.

The postholder will lead a team of HR professionals, partner with senior leaders to influence organisational decisions and ensure effective, compliant people practices across the organisation.

Head of People Job Description

The Head of People defines and implements strategic people initiatives covering talent management, leadership development, workforce planning, employee relations and organisational design. They act as a trusted adviser to the executive team, aligning people priorities with commercial goals and ensuring the workforce is capable, motivated and well governed.

In this role the Head of People will lead the HR function to deliver operational excellence, continuous improvement and measurable outcomes. They will establish metrics to evaluate people programmes, drive evidence based decisions and manage change programmes to support organisational growth and transformation.

Head of People: Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive people strategy aligned to business objectives and long term workforce needs.
• Lead, coach and develop the HR team to deliver professional, consistent HR services across the organisation.
• Partner with senior leaders to advise on organisational design, structure and role clarity to support strategic priorities.
• Oversee talent acquisition strategy and workforce planning to ensure the right skills and capacity are in place.
• Design and maintain performance management and succession planning frameworks to build leadership pipelines.
• Develop learning and development programmes that address skill gaps and promote career progression.
• Manage employee relations, providing guidance on complex cases and ensuring fair, timely resolution.
• Lead initiatives to improve engagement, inclusion and organisational culture, using data to inform interventions.
• Ensure HR policies and practices are compliant with employment law and reflect best practice.
• Establish and monitor people metrics and dashboards to measure impact and inform strategic decisions.
• Drive change management activities, supporting leaders to implement business change with minimal disruption.
• Advise on reward and recognition approaches to support motivation and retention strategies.
• Manage HR budgets and external vendor relationships where applicable.
• Champion ethical conduct, confidentiality and consistent application of people policies.

Head of People: Requirements and Qualifications

• Degree in human resources, business, psychology or related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• Substantial senior HR experience with a track record of leading people functions and delivering strategic programmes.
• Strong knowledge of employment law, HR policies and best practice in a relevant jurisdiction.
• Proven ability to develop and implement people strategies that support organisational objectives.
• Experience of leading and developing HR teams with a focus on coaching and performance.
• Demonstrable experience in talent acquisition, succession planning and leadership development.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills at executive and operational levels.
• Data literate with experience using people metrics to drive decisions and improvements.
• Strong change management and project management capability.
• Commercial awareness and ability to balance people priorities with business needs.
• High level of integrity, confidentiality and professional judgement.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present to senior audiences.
• Professional HR qualification or membership of a recognised HR body is desirable.