Description
As Head of People - ITV News, you will oversee the People function across ITV Network News, ITV News London, and Good Morning Britain, working closely with editorial and operational leaders. Bridging strategic oversight and hands-on delivery, this role focuses on cross-newsroom strategy, alignment with People priorities and providing senior-level support.
You’ll act as a senior advisor, trusted partner and implementer, helping shape and embed people initiatives that drive performance, engagement, and cultural alignment alongside the People Partner.
This is a visible and influential role, requiring proactive leadership and an ability to balance strategic vision with operational excellence.
Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Business Partnering:
Develop deep partnerships with the leadership teams of ITV Network News, ITV London and Good Morning Britain. In collaboration with the People Partners, act as a trusted advisor, enabling leaders to align people strategies with editorial and business goals
Team Oversight:
Provide guidance and support to the People Partner and Coordinator where cross-divisional alignment, escalation or additional resourcing is needed. Ensure consistency in approach while enabling each team member to manage respective stakeholder relationships and initiatives. Be available as a sounding board and escalation point for day-to-day challenges
People Strategy Execution:
Lead the implementation of key people initiatives across supported areas - spanning engagement, performance development, L&D, D&I, talent, and culture programmes. Ensure local execution aligns with overall People Strategy and centres of excellence
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:
Champion and embed ITN’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, ensuring these principles are not standalone initiatives but integral to leadership decisions, talent processes and everyday newsroom culture. Work with the D&I Partner and leadership teams to translate ITN-wide priorities into locally relevant actions. Act as a visible advocate for inclusive practices, while equipping leaders and managers with the capability and confidence to lead inclusively
Employee Experience & Culture:
In conjunction with the wider People team, shape and champion inclusive, engaging workplace cultures in fast-paced editorial environments. Help teams navigate ambiguity, change, and pressure while maintaining psychological safety and strong team cohesion
Change & Organisational Design:
Support senior editorial and operational leaders with structural changes, organisation design, and workforce planning. Provide guidance rooted in evidence, expertise and strong employee insight
Talent Development:
Partner on succession planning and development plans for key talent across newsrooms. Run or facilitate calibration sessions, talent mapping, and development conversations, fostering a culture of continuous learning in a fast-paced editorial environment
Lead the creation and delivery of targeted learning and capability-building initiatives across ITV News, ensuring they address both immediate skill needs and longer-term talent development
Employee Relations:
Lead on complex and/or high-profile ER cases within your remit, in conjunction with the People Relations Manager. Coach managers to resolve issues swiftly, fairly and in line with best practice and legal compliance
Collaboration:
Represent ITV News areas in cross-ITN people projects as required, working in tandem with the People Partner. Collaborate with wider People and leadership teams to shape and deliver tailored people support
People, Finance & Legal alignment:
Work closely with Finance colleagues to support effective workforce planning, headcount forecasting, and budget alignment across the news divisions. Partner with Legal colleagues to ensure people initiatives and decisions are compliant, risk-aware, and aligned with employment law and regulatory requirements. Ensure all strategic people decisions are financially sound and legally robust
Metrics & Insight:
Use data and insight to assess team and departmental health, identify areas of opportunity, and measure the impact of your initiatives. Share regular reporting with the People Director and stakeholders
These are the main requirements of the role and is not an exhaustive list of duties. It is intended to reflect the nature, range, and context of the work, which will change over time. Key Requirements
1. Strong generalist background with strategic partnering experience, ideally in media, news (working alongside journalists) or similarly fast-paced industries
2. Credible and confident in coaching and influencing senior leaders, with a calm, solution-focused approach
3. Gravitas and the ability to work with challenging stakeholders
4. Experience leading cross-functional projects or initiatives, with proven ability to manage competing demands
5. Solid experience with very complex ER matters, organisational design, and change programmes
6. Comfortable interpreting and presenting people data to drive decision-making
7. Adept at translating strategy into practical delivery at team level
8. Naturally inclusive, empathetic, and curious with a drive for continuous improvement
9. Excellent written and verbal communication skills
10. Resilient, agile, and highly emotionally intelligent
This role follows our hybrid working model and we envisage will usually be based a minimum of 3 days per week at our Grays Inn Road office. We expect at least 2 of those days to be spent embedded with ITV News teams.