Director of People and Operations

JR United Kingdom; London; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

A forward-thinking organization seeks a Director of People and Operations to shape a new era of leadership. This role involves designing organizational systems, nurturing a values-led team, and leveraging technology to enhance human potential. As a leader in a significant transition, you will influence both internal practices and partner organizations, driving impact through a high-performing culture committed to growth and innovation.

Benefits

30 days holiday + bank holidays

Home office setup allowance

Private health insurance

5% employer pension contribution

Holistic wellbeing support

Investment in personal growth

Qualifications

• Fluent in fast-moving, values-led environments, particularly in consultancy or agency.
• Experience as a CPO, COO, or senior operations leader preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead people experience and team development efforts.
• Design and evolve the organizational operating system.
• Drive operational excellence and manage day-to-day operations.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic Thinking

Organizational Design

Team Development

Curiosity

Job description

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Director of People and Operations, london

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Client:

Forward Institute

Location:

london, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Views:

2

Posted:

10.06.2025

Expiry Date:

25.07.2025

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Job Description:

As Director of People and Operations, you’ll architect the systems, culture and rhythms to power us for the decade ahead.

It’s an exceptional time to be a leader. AI is transforming the nature of work and decision-making. Geopolitical shifts are upending old certainties. A cultural reckoning around ESG,

purpose, and EDI is unfolding, even as the crises of climate, inequality and polarisation grow more urgent.

At the Forward Institute, we believe that this moment demands a new kind of leadership: courageous, morally serious, deeply human and, above all, responsible.

Over the past decade we've worked with senior leaders from some of the most important institutions across business, government and civil society. Now, we’ re going further -

partnering with CEOs, founders and senior leaders to help build the most impactful organisations of our time.

As we enter our next chapter, we’ re committed to being a living model of the future-fit leadership we champion whilst significantly growing the organisation and scaling our impact.

Your role? To help lead that evolution.

Our People Vision

We believe the most powerful lever for change in the world is leadership, and that starts with our own people.

Our ambition is to be amagnetic organisation: one that attracts extraordinary people, nurtures their growth and transforms how they lead. When they leave, they’ve shaped our mission and been shaped by it.

This means:

We don ’t just want good people –we want the bold, the brave, and the deeply curious.

We help them build their craft in leadership, transformation, innovation, design and facilitation.

We practice responsible leadership every day– in how we work and partner with others.

We use technology wisely and intentionally, whilst always nurturing the best of what makes us human.

As our Director of People and Operations you will work side-by-side with the CEO and MD to bring this vision to life.

? Please do not apply via LinkedIn.

Apply here instead: https://forward-institute.jobs.personio.com/job/2135118?_pc=584975#apply

The Role

You’ll lead and steward our operating system, not as a back-office function, but as the architecture of how we work: how decisions are made, how teams collaborate, and how

tools and systems shape our culture:

• Attract, nurture and retain a high-performing, values-led team.
• Design our operating systemas we double in size over the next 3–5 years.
• Build aleadership institution that is both AI-native and deeply human, where the best of people and technology combine to drive impact.

While the core focus is internal, for the right candidate there’s scope to contribute to client-facing work, particularly with partner organisations rethinking their own

leadership and culture.

A note on technology: We’re proud of the human, values-led culture we’ve built. Now we're becoming a Human × Tech organisation - where technology and AI amplify human

potential, allowing our team to do their best, most meaningful work.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead our People Experience and Team Development

• Design and deliver an end-to-end people experience, from attraction and onboarding through to alumni, including integrating our Associate Directors and facilitators into the core team.
• Build the systems, structures and opportunities that enable people to do meaningful work, grow as leaders, and progress with clarity and purpose.
• Attract brilliant values-driven talent with deep craft and high standards, not just conventional ‘high performers'
• Champion a learning culture and shape a tailored development ecosystem: mentoring, formal learning, feedback systems, and cross-functional growth.
• Codify internal behaviours and working norms that foster trust, clarity, accountability and high performance.

2. Design and Evolve Our Organisational Operating System (People × Culture × Process × Tech) to scale our impact

• Translate our strategy into a coherent organisational roadmap.
• Design and evolve our operating system including a scalable and commercially-robust delivery model for both high-touch programmes and advisory work.
• Lead annual and quarterly planning (e.g. OKRs) to drive clarity, alignment and accountability.
• Steward a culture of curiosity, courage, inclusion, and mastery, where people to grow through their work.
• Drive AI adoption and digital enablement, embedding tools and workflows that enhance capability and effectiveness.

3. Drive Operational Excellence and Design the Underlying Systems and Safeguards that allow our People to Operate with Autonomy and Clarity

• Oversee day-to-day operations to ensure coordination and cohesion.
• Develop clear, inclusive policies that reflect our values and promote good practice without bureaucracy.
• Lead governance, risk, insurance and cybersecurity practices – ensuring integrity and trust.
• Oversee our workplace and hybrid working experience – as an extension of our brand and enabler of culture and performance.
• Simplify and improve internal processes and contracting systems, without compromising our human-centred culture.
• Uphold our responsible business commitments.

Who You Are

We believe different perspectives make us stronger. We’re committed to building a team that reflects the world we serve – so we welcome people from all walks of life who bring the mindset, experience, and ambition to help us grow our impact.

You ’ll be joining at a pivotal moment. You ’ll work closely with the CEO, and MD, sit on the senior leadership team, shape how the organisation works as we build a next generation leadership firm.

A seasoned CPO, COO, Chief of Staff or senior people/ops leaderwith experience infast-moving, values-led, growing environments

• Fluent in dynamic, commercial settings- consultancy, agency, start-up. You know how to build systems for fast-paced, project-led work and you have a commercial mindset.
• A people-first strategistwho sees organisational design as a lever for performance and purpose. You treat people strategy as business strategy.
• A systems thinker and hands-on builder- you spot inefficiencies, design smarter ways of working, and move fast from idea to execution.
• Curious about technology- you experiment with AI, and use tech to drive smarter, more human work.
• A believer in operations as choreography- where structure and rhythm shapeculture and impact.
• Strategic, grounded, and emotionally intelligent- you care about the people behindthe systems, and the ethics behind the decisions.
• Motivated by purpose- you challenge with kindness, design with clarity, and believe how we work matters as much as what we do.
• Deeply aligned with our mission- you believe better leadership builds a better world and want to help model that from the inside out.

You don’t need to tick every box. If you bring the vision, energy and alignment, we’ll back you to grow into the rest.

What We Offer

?A front-row seat to shape the future of leadership– at a defining moment forbusiness and society, working with some of the UK’s most influential leaders and institutions.

?A high-energy, values-led team– we move fast, challenge each other, and care deeply about the work we do and how we do it.

?Real scope to shape an organisation in motion– with autonomy, influence, and thechance to be at the heart of building a new kind of leadership organisation.

?Serious investment in your growth–world-class development, coaching, exposure to cutting-edge ideas, and the chance to work at the intersection of culture, systems and strategy.

?A meaningful executive role– with autonomy, visibility, and the chance to influence both our internal design and (if of interest) our client-facing work.

?Hybrid working and true flexibility– including 30 days holiday + bank holidays and a home office setup allowance.

?Health & financial benefits– private health insurance (Vitality), 5% employer pension contribution, and holistic wellbeing support.

?A competitive salary– £85,000–£105,000 depending on experience. We’ re hiring at a senior, strategic level. For the right person, we’re open to shaping a broader offer.

To Apply

We know this isn’t a conventional people role. But we’re not building a conventional organisation. If that excites you, we’d love to hear from you.

Pease send us your CV and a video covering letter (max five minutes) answering the

Based on your understanding of the Forward Institute's mission and our vision for the next decade, what do you believe we most need from our next Director of People and Operations? Please share what enables you to meet—and surpass - that need. We’d love to hear about the

experiences, passions, mindsets and areas of expertise that shape how you lead and drive impact.

We recommend uploading your video to a platform of your choice (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive) and sharing the link within a short document to upload. If video isn’t a

comfortable format for you, please let us know. We want the process to work for you.

You must have the right to work in the UK.

? Please do not apply via LinkedIn.

Apply here instead: https://forward-institute.jobs.personio.com/job/2135118?_pc=584975#apply

Applications close on 23rd June.

The process may slightly evolve but will include:

• First round interviews and role related task: 1 or 2 July
• Second round (will include a 2nd task): 7 July

We want this process to be as inclusive and accessible as possible. If you have any access needs, communication preferences or inclusion-related requirements - whether for the application, interview or role itself - please get in touch. We’re happy to offer reasonable adjustments and answer any questions.