Chief People Officer

Lancaster University; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 200,000 +; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK university is seeking an exceptional Chief People Officer to guide the institution through significant change. The role requires strong expertise in HR leadership, employee relations, and organisational development. The successful candidate will shape progressive ways of working and foster a resilient organisation for the future. Applications close on November 17, 2025.

Qualifications

• Strong record of operating at a strategic level in complex organisations.
• Expertise in transformation and talent strategy.
• Ability to navigate demanding employee relations.

Responsibilities

• Guide the University through profound change.
• Manage complex negotiations with credibility.
• Consolidate change and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership in HR

Employee relations

Organisational development

Talent strategy

Job description

Overview

Lancaster University is a globally engaged institution set within a 578-acre parkland campus, home to a dynamic community of 24,000 students. We are proud to be a TEF Gold institution, consistently ranked in the UK’s top 10 by the Complete University Guide 2025, with nearly half of our REF 21 submission rated 4*. Alongside a growing international presence, including our new campus in Indonesia, Lancaster continues to expand its global reach and deliver world-class research and teaching.

Chief People Officer

We are now seeking an exceptional Chief People Officer to take on a pivotal role in shaping Lancaster’s future. This is a demanding and rewarding position, requiring a leader who can guide the University through a period of profound change with sensitivity, while ensuring that new models and ways of working are embedded, refined and delivering positive impact for the longer term.

Role focus

As Chief People Officer, you will bring the wisdom, resilience and confidence required to lead across a wide range of people matters. In the near term, you will navigate demanding and sensitive employee relations, balancing fairness with firmness and managing complex negotiations with credibility and strength. Over time, your focus will shift to consolidating change, embedding new approaches, ensuring they deliver sustainable outcomes, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. You will combine determination and creativity, challenging established practice, inspiring colleagues to think differently and supporting them to adapt with confidence.

What we are seeking

We are seeking an accomplished HR leader with a strong record of operating at a strategic level in complex organisations. You will have deep expertise in transformation, employee relations, organisational development and talent strategy. Above all, you will combine professional robustness with imagination and creativity, bringing both the courage to make difficult decisions during times of change and the vision to shape and embed new ways of working that endure.

Impact and opportunities

This is a rare opportunity to have a lasting impact on one of the UK’s leading universities, supporting both our local community and our expanding global presence. If you are motivated by the challenge of steering a workforce through change and then shaping a progressive, high-performing and resilient organisation for the future, we would be delighted to hear from you.

How to apply

For more information, please visit www.andersonquigley.com/lancaster-cpo.

Timeline

The closing date for applications is noon on Monday 17 November 2025. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to campus for an engagement day on Monday 12 January 2026. Formal interviews will be held on Tuesday 20 January.

Equal opportunity

We warmly welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their age, religion, gender identity or expression, race, disability or sexual orientation, and are committed to promoting diversity, and equality of opportunity.