Job Description What you’ll be doing: Strategic Leadership & Deputising Act as the HR Director’s primary deputy, providing leadership continuity and decision‑making authority. Represent HR at executive meetings, programme boards and cross‑functional senior forums. Lead major people‑related initiatives and strategic programmes aligned to organisational priorities. Shape the organisation’s people agenda through workforce insight, analytics and strategic thinking. Leadership of Operational HR Functions Provide strategic and operational leadership across all core HR service areas: HR Advice: Casework quality, ER expertise, consistent decision‑making and strong manager support. HR Generalists & HRBPs: Business partnering excellence, workforce planning, coaching leaders and organisational insight. HR Administration: High‑quality, compliant, efficient transactional delivery across the employee lifecycle. Payroll: Accurate, timely and compliant payroll operations with a continuous improvement focus. Pensions & Benefits: Strong governance, effective administration, supplier management and clear employee communication. You will ensure all teams operate cohesively, with aligned processes, shared standards and a unified service model. Workforce Strategy & Capability Lead initiatives that build organisational capability, including future skills, talent pathways and succession planning. Support leaders in organisation design, workforce planning and people‑led transformation. Use people analytics to inform decisions, anticipate risks and identify opportunities. Operational Excellence & Employee Experience Deliver consistent, efficient, compliant and customer‑centric HR services across the organisation. Standardise and improve core HR processes, systems and ways of working. Strengthen manager capability through coaching, guidance and targeted development. Embed continuous improvement methodologies to drive quality, efficiency and agility. Stakeholder & Union Engagement Build strong, trusted relationships with leaders at all levels across the business. Provide constructive challenge, expert guidance and professional HR insight. Partner collaboratively with trade unions and employee representatives, supporting positive consultation. Ensure complex ER matters are handled fairly, professionally and in line with policy and legislation. Governance, Risk & Compliance Ensure compliance with employment law, organisational policies, internal controls and audit requirements. Maintain robust case management, reporting and governance standards. Mitigate risk through consistent decision‑making, policy adherence and strong HR governance practices. Culture, Values & Change Leadership Role‑model our organisational values and promote a culture of trust, inclusion, accountability and wellbeing. Champion positive cultural change and support leaders to embed desired behaviours. Lead or support organisational change programmes with effective communication and engagement. Please Note: This summary highlights the core areas of the role but is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities. If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, we’d be delighted to receive your application. Due to the expected volume of interest, our response times may be slightly longer than usual. We appreciate your patience and thank you in advance for applying.