Head of People
Sacro | Edinburgh (flexible working)
Salary: c£50,000
Sacro is seeking to appoint a Head of People to provide strategic leadership of its people agenda at a pivotal point in the organisation’s development. Reporting to the Chief Executive and sitting on the Leadership Team, this is a senior role with responsibility for shaping and delivering Sacro’s People Strategy and ensuring the organisation’s values, culture and transformational priorities are embedded across the workforce.
About Sacro
Sacro’s vision is for a Scotland that is safe, inclusive and supports the wellbeing of everyone. The organisation delivers life-changing services for people in the justice system, aiming to empower people, provide hope and protection, and help to build safe communities. Central to Sacro’s approach are three core pillars: becoming a trauma responsive organisation, embedding equality, diversity and inclusion, and co-producing services with the people they work with, placing lived experience at the heart of delivery.
The Role
The Head of People will lead Sacro’s People Support Team and provide expert advice and leadership across all aspects of people strategy, organisational development and human resources. The role is central to ensuring that Sacro’s people are motivated, supported in their wellbeing and equipped to deliver high-quality services in complex and often challenging environments.
Key areas of responsibility include:
1. Providing strategic people leadership and advice to the Executive, Leadership Team and managers across the organisation.
2. Developing and delivering Sacro’s People Strategy, aligned to organisational mission, values and transformational priorities.
3. Leading Learning and Development, ensuring people are supported to reach their full potential.
4. Overseeing all core HR functions, including recruitment, onboarding, payroll, employee relations, absence management and compliance.
5. Championing trauma responsive practice, equality, diversity and inclusion across the organisation.
6. Leading employee relations, including engagement with trade unions and formal consultation processes.
7. Contributing to organisational decision-making as a member of the Leadership Team, including risk management, governance reporting and budget oversight.
This role requires a visible, collaborative leader who can balance strategic thinking with practical delivery and who is confident operating in a values-led, mission-driven environment.
The Candidate
Sacro is seeking a highly credible and values-driven HR leader with significant senior-level experience. Candidates will bring:
8. Considerable experience in a senior human resources role, ideally within the third or public sector.
9. Chartered CIPD status and a strong working knowledge of Scottish employment law and HR best practice.
10. Proven experience leading and developing teams, managing budgets and advising senior leaders.
11. Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, collaborate and build trust at all levels.
12. Experience of organisational development, learning and development, and supporting wellbeing at work.
13. A strategic mindset, high personal integrity and a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Experience or knowledge of the justice sector is desirable but not essential.
The Opportunity
This is an opportunity to play a central role in shaping the culture, capability and future direction of a respected national organisation delivering meaningful social impact. The successful candidate will help ensure Sacro continues to be a supportive, inclusive and high-performing place to work, enabling staff to deliver the best possible outcomes for people and communities across Scotland.
Sacro is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from candidates from all backgrounds.
For a confidential discussion,