Director of People and Culture

AIP Publishing; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 106,000 - 141,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading scholarly publisher is seeking a Director of People & Culture to redefine workplace engagement and attract exceptional talent. This role demands a strategic, creative leader who thrives in ambiguity and can blend innovative strategies with a human-centered approach. The salary ranges from $140,000 to $185,000 with a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

Generous benefits package

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, including talent, culture, and performance.
• Proven experience in designing organization-wide people programs.
• Comfort with ambiguity and an entrepreneurial mindset.

Responsibilities

• Drive strategy in culture and employee engagement.
• Lead talent acquisition efforts and shape employer brand.
• Implement ongoing learning and development opportunities.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Creativity

Empathy

Communication

Job description

About the Job

AIP Publishing (AIPP) is where science, creativity, and purpose meet. We’re a leading scholarly publisher dedicated to advancing discovery — and to building a workplace where curiosity, collaboration, and innovation thrive. Guided by our values of intellectual freedom, inclusivity, and integrity, we’re investing in the people and ideas that will define the future of scholarly publishing.

Our culture celebrates exploration. We encourage big ideas, invite bold thinking, and believe that progress comes from experimentation and learning. As a fully remote organization, AIPP offers flexibility, balance, and the chance to work with smart, curious people who care deeply about their craft and community.

Learn more about AIP Publishing at https://publishing.aip.org/.

The Opportunity

AIPP is at a pivotal moment of reinvention — reshaping how we lead, connect, and grow. The Director of People & Culture (Director) will play a key role in helping us redefine what a thriving workplace looks like. This is a unique opportunity for a creative, strategic, and future-focused leader who is excited about experimenting with new ideas, sparking innovation, and co‑creating a bold people strategy that’s dynamic and human‑centered.

The Director will help shape how AIPP attracts, develops, and retains exceptional talent while amplifying our culture and driving engagement across the organization. Reporting to the Head of People & Culture and working closely with an HR Generalist, this individual will serve as a strategic partner and culture catalyst — inspiring leaders, coaching teams, and ensuring that AIPP’s values are felt in every interaction. The ideal candidate will thrive in a fast‑moving, ideas‑driven environment, balancing strategic vision with hands‑on execution and genuine care for people.

This role is designed for a builder and a doer — someone who isn’t just comfortable with ambiguity, but actually energized by it. Someone who thinks differently, leads with imagination, and isn’t afraid to challenge what’s possible.

In short, this is a chance to do HR differently — blending strategy with storytelling, data with imagination, and process with people. The Director of People & Culture will lead with curiosity, creativity, and courage, helping AIPP become a model for connection, equity, and innovation in the world of scholarly publishing.

The Director’s charge will be to drive strategy and execution in the following areas:

Culture and Employee Engagement

• Champion AIPP’s collective practices, principles, and ways of working, bringing creativity and curiosity to how we build culture.
• Spark engagement through fresh, people‑centered initiatives that celebrate connection, learning, and shared purpose.
• Lead engagement and feedback efforts, turning insights into bold ideas and joyful experiences that make AIPP a destination workplace.
• Lead the Culture Committee to advance enterprise‑wide diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Internal Communications Director to deliver storytelling that connects, informs, and inspires.
• Partner with leadership to continuously strengthen belonging, recognition, and trust across all levels of the organization.

Talent Acquisition and Employer Brand

• Develop and execute inclusive, creative strategies to attract and engage a diverse pool of talent.
• Evolve AIPP’s employer brand — positioning the organization as a place where smart, curious, purpose‑driven people want to grow.
• Leverage data to inspire inventive approaches that refine hiring and create a standout candidate experience. Partner with hiring managers to educate, empower, and level up recruiting practices across all of AIPP.

Learning and Development

• Reimagine learning as an ongoing, shared adventure — identifying opportunities for growth, experimentation, and leadership at every level and establishing a learning culture.
• Build learning experiences that feel energizing, not obligatory, while establishing an environment and culture where learning is part of the everyday fabric.
• Partner with the Head of People & Culture to build a modern talent framework that supports high‑potential development and succession planning.
• Identify and implement high‑impact strategies that ensure AIPP is a place where team members continue growing and thriving throughout their careers.

Performance Management

• Drive performance management through clarity, coaching, and feedback that empower people to do their best work.
• Champion accountability and growth by fostering a culture that celebrates progress, not perfection.
• Help build a feedback culture rooted in courage, clarity, and shared growth.

Employee Relations

• Serve as a trusted advisor and internal coach, guiding teams through challenges with empathy and fairness.
• Partner with leaders to anticipate issues, identify opportunities, and cultivate healthy, productive relationships.
• Use employee listening strategies (pulse surveys, focus groups, data analysis) to understand strengths and gaps and co‑create tailored solutions.

People and Culture Team Leadership

• Collaborate with the Head of People & Culture to translate organizational priorities into an inspiring roadmap for people, culture, and talent.
• Mentor and develop team members, fostering creativity, curiosity, and confidence.
• Work closely with the People & Culture Generalist and Director of Internal Communications while building strong partnerships across the expanded leadership team.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate brings a rare mix of strategic thinking, creativity, empathy, and strong drive for action. You’re energized by possibility, motivated by impact, and comfortable shaping the unknown.

You might be a great fit if you:

• Thrive in fast‑moving, ideas‑driven environments.
• See the human side of HR as just as important as the strategic side.
• Think like a builder — experimental, imaginative, and inspired by the blank page.
• Possess a natural ability to connect with people and build trust quickly.
• Bring both rigor and humanity to your work.
• Believe that culture is something we create together, not something we enforce.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, including talent, culture, and performance.
• Proven experience designing creative, organization‑wide people programs and organization structures that align with strategic goals.
• A track record of coaching leaders and driving change through influence, data, and storytelling.
• Comfort with ambiguity, experimentation, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Ability to gracefully balance big‑picture strategy with hands‑on execution.
• Exceptional communication and relationship‑building skills.
• A genuine passion for building inclusive, thriving, joyful workplaces.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this role is $140,000–$185,000, commensurate with experience, and includes a generous benefits package. This is a remote position open to candidates based in NY, NJ, CT, MD, VA, PA, MA, RI, or Washington, DC. Occasional travel may be required for team meetings and company events.

At AIPP, we offer competitive compensation based on the role, experience, and other relevant factors. Under the New York Convenience Rule, all employees, regardless of their residence in other states, will be taxed at the New York State tax rate. Employees may also have additional state‑specific tax obligations depending on where they live.

A wholly owned not‑for‑profit subsidiary of the American Institute of Physics (AIP), AIP Publishing’s mission is to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity by breaking barriers to open, fair research communication and empowering researchers to accelerate global progress. AIP Publishing supports the charitable, scientific, and educational purposes of AIP through scholarly publishing activities on its behalf and on behalf of our publishing partners. Our publishing portfolio includes digital books, AIP Conference Proceedings, and peer‑reviewed journals across a spectrum of research areas, including our flagship titles Applied Physics Reviews, Applied Physics Letters, Journal of Applied Physics, and The Journal of Chemical Physics.

Commitment to Non‑Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

https://publishing.aip.org/privacy/

Location: United States (Remote)