Chief People Officer

University of Derby; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 200,000 +; Full time

Job summary

A leading higher education institution in the UK is seeking a Chief People Officer to provide strategic leadership for its people agenda. This role involves attracting and retaining a high-performing, inclusive workforce while ensuring strong governance. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in managing equivalent services within complex organizations and be a chartered member of the CIPD. This position will focus on employee relations, organizational growth, and delivering innovative service solutions.

Qualifications

• Graduate or equivalent with chartered membership of the CIPD.
• Proven experience in strategic management of equivalent services.
• Experience delivering transformative change and innovative service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the University's people agenda.
• Translate strategic ambition into sustainable organizational performance.
• Oversee employee relations and legislative frameworks.
• Manage a team of professional staff.

Skills

Strategic management

Interpersonal skills

Talent management

Performance management

Organizational growth

Education

Graduate with chartered membership of the CIPD

Job description

Overview

As Chief People Officer you will be joining an institution that understands and values the life-changing power of education. As a key member of our Executive team, the CPO provides strategic leadership for the University's people agenda and is accountable to the Vice-Chancellor for attracting, developing and retaining a high-performing, inclusive workforce, while ensuring strong governance and compliance. Operating at the heart of our leadership and decision-making structures, the CPO plays a critical role in translating our strategic ambition into sustainable organisational performance. As CPO managing a team of high-quality professional staff, you will lead and deliver strategies for talent, reward, performance, engagement, well-being and inclusion and embedding a culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and organisational growth. With a deep understanding of the factors affecting employee relations, you will also oversee legislative frameworks governing employment, equality and workplace practices and in ensuring that university policies and decisions are legally sound, ethically robust and aligned with sector best-practice mitigating risk and safeguarding the University\'s reputation.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the University\'s people agenda and be accountable to the Vice-Chancellor for attracting, developing and retaining a high-performing, inclusive workforce, while ensuring strong governance and compliance.
• Translate strategic ambition into sustainable organisational performance.
• Lead and deliver strategies for talent, reward, performance, engagement, well-being and inclusion; embed a culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and organisational growth.
• Oversee employee relations and legislative frameworks governing employment, equality and workplace practices; ensure policies and decisions are legally sound, ethically robust and aligned with sector best-practice, mitigating risk and safeguarding the University\'s reputation.
• Manage a team of professional staff and operate at strategic and operational levels to implement procedures and policies to achieve key objectives.

Qualifications

• Graduate (or equivalent) with chartered membership of the CIPD.
• Proven experience in strategic management of equivalent services in large and complex organizations.
• Understanding of issues facing higher education is advantageous, but more important is experience delivering transformative change, high-performance cultures and innovative service delivery.
• Technical expert with excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.