Title: HR Director – Technology and Group Functions
Location: London, Farringdon – hybrid working with 3 days in office
Contract: 12 month FTC
Reporting to: HR Director, Strategic Business Partnering
About the Role
Royal Mail Group is undergoing one of the most significant organisational transformations in its history. To support this evolution, we are seeking a highly strategic, commercially minded HR Director to lead the people agenda across our Corporate Centre Technology & International Distribution Services (IDS) Group Functions.
This is a pivotal leadership role, partnering directly with the CIO, Group Leaders and their senior teams to shape and deliver a people strategy that builds the organisational capabilities required for long‑term success. You will ensure that people strategy is fully aligned with business strategy, while driving the execution and ongoing development of a Strategic People Plan for these critical functions.
As a senior member of the HR Leadership Team, you will work closely with our Centres of Expertise (CoEs), Shared Services and wider HR community to shape RMG‑wide people strategy, strengthen HR operational delivery, and lead the transformation of head office functions. You will also act as the day‑to‑day HR lead for our union relationship, ensuring constructive, progressive and future‑focused industrial relations.
Key Responsibilities
* Own and lead the end‑to‑end HR strategy for Technology & Group Functions, ensuring alignment with business priorities and long‑term organisational goals.
* Shape and deploy the transformation agenda, focusing on workforce design, future skills, organisational efficiency and opportunities for growth
* Partner the CIO, Group Leaders and their senior teams to co‑create a people strategy that enables sustained business performance
* Lead the deployment of the people strategy, ensuring it is embedded across central functions and supports the achievement of business outcomes
* Act as strategic HR consultant and coach to senior leaders, enhancing leadership capability and strengthening leadership team effectiveness
* Manage employee and industrial relations, both operationally and strategically, ensuring alignment with RMG’s ambition for constructive, progressive industrial relations
* Oversee senior talent activity, including senior hires, promotions, talent moves, capability development and exits
* Support RMG‑wide talent initiatives, contributing to talent processes and developing individuals within the talent pipeline
* Create the conditions for HR Business Partnering teams to succeed, ensuring clarity, alignment and strong collaboration
* Work collaboratively with CoEs and Shared Services, providing strategic input into key HR processes that drive performance and engagement (e.g. performance management, talent forums, succession planning)
* Build strategic external relationships to ensure our people approaches remain current, competitive and effective in specialist and niche areas
Skills & Capabilities
* Strong business acumen, with the ability to articulate the link between business strategy, people strategy and organisational performance
* Commercially astute, with a track record of making decisions based on clear cost‑benefit analysis and delivering measurable returns
* Exceptional execution capability, able to translate strategy into action and manage multiple priorities effectively
* Politically aware, with the ability to navigate complex organisational dynamics and diverse internal/external cultures
* Outstanding communication, negotiation, consultancy and influencing skills, with the ability to build trust at all levels
* Deep understanding of UK employment law, emerging people trends and best practice in HR
* Expert knowledge of UK trade union legislation and experience working in highly unionised environments
* Resilient, flexible and collaborative, with the ability to drive business change through people
Experience Required
* Significant experience leading HR in both generalist and specialist capacities
* Corporate Functions/Technology experience
* Proven expertise in complex organisational design, development and change, ideally within a dynamic, challenging environment
* Target Operating Model experience
* Demonstrated success in designing and improving organisational infrastructures to deliver measurable business outcomes
* Extensive experience operating in a FTSE 100 matrix organisation with strong union representation
* Strong track record of delivering strategic HR services in large, complex organisations
* Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to understand underlying needs and align them with organisational direction
* Experience managing interfaces between business units, CoEs, strategic HR and shared services to deliver a seamless HR experience
Qualifications
* Degree‑level education or extensive equivalent experience
* Relevant CIPD accreditation or equivalent professional qualification
Why Join RMG?
This is a rare opportunity to influence the future of one of the UK’s most iconic organisations at a time of significant transformation. You will shape the people strategy for functions at the heart of RMG’s modernisation, working with senior leaders to build the workforce, capabilities and culture needed for long‑term success.
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