Join Police Digital Service as Head of People Services - 12 months Fixed Term Contract with possible extension Salary starting at £90,000 per annum The Head of People Services is a senior leader within the Police Digital Service (PDS), responsible for shaping, delivering, and continuously improving the full range of People Services that support the organisation's mission to enable UK policing through digital, data, and technology innovation. The role provides leadership oversight and operational management across Core HR operations, Recruitment & Resourcing, Learning & Development, and Internal Communications. About Police Digital Service To protect people from harm in our rapidly changing world, police services must not only keep up with technology and business changes but develop capabilities and ways of working that will enable them to adapt to and deal with the complexity of modern criminality. Police Digital Service strives to be the go-to partner for technology developments and programmes across UK policing. Our team provides technical advice and delivers services to help policing and law enforcement organisations across the UK prioritise and focus on technology efforts. Why Join us? Balance is important and we want you to take time off to recharge - we offer 28 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 30 days after 5 years of service. Holiday Purchase also available Flexible working hours - We trust you to do your job and we appreciate that life doesn't always fit around a 9 to 5 workday. We operate core hours of 10 to 4, Monday to Friday (37hr week) We care about your well-being - we have an EAP that offers not just welfare benefits but also retail discounts Plan for the future - we offer an excellent pension scheme and life assurance cover Put your mind at rest regarding your health - offering remote GP, mental health and physiotherapy appointments via video consultation Family - Enhanced maternity and paternity pay along with a flexible return to work Community - one paid day off per year for volunteering You can find out more here: Benefits - Police Digital Service (pds.police.uk) Key Responsibilities Lead the continuous improvement and delivery of the People Services objectives, ensuring alignment to the wider workforce plan and PDS organisational goals. Act as a senior advisor to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Committee on operational HR, workforce trends, polices, employee relations casework and service improvement. Lead all HR operational services including onboarding, employment contract management, HR policy, employee lifecycle processes, and HR operations. Ensure all HR processes are efficient, legally compliant, and continuously improved through digital tools, automation, and employee feedback. Oversee the end-to-end recruitment and resourcing processes, ensuring PDS attracts and retains high-quality talent across digital, technical, and corporate functions. Oversee the design and delivery of a comprehensive learning approach, including leadership development, technical capability building, and mandatory training. Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing People Services team with clear career pathways and professional development. Champion a culture of inclusion, wellbeing, continuous improvement, and collaboration. What you need to succeed in the role Essential Significant HR leadership experience across operational HR, recruitment, and L&D. Track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment. Strong understanding of UK employment law, HR policy, and people-related governance. Experience leading end-to-end TUPE transfers across large organisations. Demonstrable success in workforce planning, talent development, and organisational capability building. Demonstrable change leadership in a complex environment. Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills at senior/executive level. Experience in public sector, policing, digital/technology or similarly complex fields. Chartered CIPD status (Member, or above). Strategic, forward-thinking, and solutions-oriented. Highly collaborative with a strong customer and service focus. Inclusive leadership style with a commitment to equality, diversity, and wellbeing. Adaptable and resilient, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and change. Data-driven decision-maker with strong analytical skills. Role-model for PDS values: innovation, integrity, collaboration, and public-service impact. Desirable Experience in a digital transformation environment or organisation with technical capability requirements. Knowledge of policing governance structures or experience working with police forces. For a full list of responsibilities and criteria, please refer to the Candidate Pack. Diversity, equity and inclusion We are committed to equal opportunities for all and will not discriminate on any grounds. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible span of experience. All applicants will be considered without attention to age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, nationality, neurodiversity or disability status. Working Arrangements This is a remote role, requiring occasional travel to our National Management Centre in Wigan. All applicants must be eligible to undergo NPPV3 (Non Police Personnel Vetting Level 3 )and SC vetting clearances. Successful applicants will require NPPV3 clearance to have been cleared before starting with PDS. Please note, we may choose to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications for this role so please endeavour to complete your application as soon as possible.