Director of People & Culture
Location: Leicester
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
We are seeking an experienced and values-driven Director of People & Culture to join our Executive Team and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our organisation. This is a strategic leadership role with end-to-end accountability for Recruitment & Onboarding, Learning & Development, HR and Payroll Operations. You will lead the people agenda across a complex, multi-site environment, ensuring our workforce strategy, culture and systems enable sustainable growth, high performance and an exceptional employee experience.
The Role
As Director of People & Culture, you will:
- Set and deliver a forward-thinking People & Culture strategy aligned to organisational priorities and long-term growth
- Champion a values-led, inclusive and high-performance culture
- Lead workforce planning and organisational capability development
- Ensure people processes, systems and practices are compliant, efficient and scalable
- Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO, Executive Team and Board
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Culture:
- Lead and embed organisational values across the full employee lifecycle
- Drive engagement, wellbeing, inclusion and culture initiatives
- Strengthen the employer brand internally and externally
Recruitment & Onboarding:
- Oversee talent acquisition strategies that attract high-quality, values-aligned candidates
- Ensure consistent, high-impact onboarding and induction experiences
- Build strong external partnerships to support sustainable talent pipelines
Learning & Development:
- Shape and deliver a comprehensive L&D strategy, including leadership development and career pathways
- Ensure statutory and mandatory training compliance
- Champion apprenticeships, digital learning and future skills development
HR & Payroll Operations:
- Lead HR operations to ensure accurate, timely and compliant people administration
- Oversee payroll processes and benefits administration
- Drive continuous improvement, digitalisation and process efficiency
Employee Relations, Performance & Wellbeing:
- Provide senior oversight on complex employee relations matters
- Lead performance management, engagement and reward frameworks
- Use insight from employee feedback to drive continuous improvement
People Data & Insight:
- Use workforce data and analytics to inform decision-making
- Oversee HR systems, dashboards and reporting on key people metrics
Leadership & Collaboration:
- Lead, develop and inspire the People & Culture team
- Work collaboratively across Operations, Finance, Quality and Commercial teams
- Represent People & Culture at Executive and Board level
About You
You will be an accomplished senior People leader with:
- Proven experience at Director or Head of People level
- Strong oversight of recruitment, L&D, HR operations and payroll
- Experience operating in a multi-site, operational environment
- A strong understanding of workforce planning, organisational change and culture development
- CIPD Level 7 or equivalent experience (desirable)
You will bring:
- Deep knowledge of employment law and HR best practice
- A data-driven, commercially astute mindset
- Strong influencing, communication and leadership skills
- The ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on when required
If you are a values-led, strategic People leader who thrives in fast-paced, purpose-driven environments, we would love to hear from you.