Director of People Services

Costa Coffee; St Albans; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Share Investment Plan (SIP)

Annual discretionary bonus

Pension with 10% match

Costa Financial Support Fund

50% discount in Costa stores

Private medical cover

Job summary

Costa Coffee in the United Kingdom seeks a Director of Global People Services to lead Payroll, People Systems, People Operations and Employee Relations. You will drive the long-term strategy, oversee a cross-market function and enable scalable, consumer-grade service across our growth agenda.

You will harness data and technology to improve decision-making, embed continuous improvement, and partner with senior leaders to shape a best-in-class people experience.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in People Operations or Shared Services.
• Strong focus on service excellence, data-driven decisions and tech enablement.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive transformation.

Responsibilities

• Shape and deliver Costa’s long-term People Services strategy.
• Lead Payroll, People Systems, People Operations and Employee Relations.
• Use data and AI to improve decisions and efficiency.
• Ensure governance, compliance and scalable service delivery.

Skills

Strategic leadership

People operations excellence

Stakeholder influence

Job description

At Costa Coffee, we are what we craft. We’re reimagining coffee experiences in over 50 countries and counting, as a key part of the Coca-Cola System. Whether you get your coffee in a store, from a machine, at home, or on the go – we’ve got you covered.

Join us to shape the future of and lead our People Services function, transforming the experience for thousands of team members through exceptional service, digital innovation and operational excellence. Overseeing Payroll, People Systems, People Operations and Employee Relations, you'll create a seamless, modern and scalable people experience that supports our ambitious growth plans.

Our teams make a difference. Whether that’s working on new tech for the perfect pour, helping our teams grow, creating award-winning campaigns, crunching the numbers, or developing the latest exciting menu item; together, we stir up success.

We may be a global brand, but we haven’t forgotten our roots. That’s where the Costa Foundation and our fantastic community agenda come in. Whatever your role, you can help us change lives in coffee growing communities and help your local community too.

We also want to help you grow in your career through amazing experiences, our apprenticeship scheme, and development programmes. At Costa, you can go beyond the day-to-day.

And as a Director of Global People Services, there’s never been a better time to join.

So, why Costa?

We didn’t become a global coffee brand by sitting back. When you work here, you join a community that values passion, progression and integrity, with some pretty brilliant perks to sweeten the deal:

• Own a piece of Costa’s success by becoming a share owner in Coca-Cola with our Share Investment Plan (SIP)
• An annual discretionary bonus scheme, based on business results and individual contribution.
• A smart pension that saves you money on tax and national insurance, and matches your contributions up to 10%
• The Costa Financial Support Fund, supporting team members who find themselves in unexpected financial pressure
• 50% discount in all Costa-owned stores, and 25% off in other participating stores
• Private medical cover thanks to our Private Healthcare scheme
• And that’s not all. Explore even more of our perks here: https://bit.ly/costaperks

We’re passionate about being a great place to work, where you can bring your unique self into our mix. We firmly support diversity, equity and inclusion, and continue to work with our teams to shape the future of our culture and values: Disciplined to Deliver, Passion for Progress, Win with Warmth, Courage to Challenge and Trusted Team Players.

What you’ll do:

In this role, you'll lead a function that helps our business perform at its best. Working across markets and teams, you'll drive consistency, efficiency and great people experiences. This means you'll:

• Shape and deliver Costa’s long-term People Services strategy, supporting both business performance and team member experience.
• Lead Payroll, People Systems, People Operations and Employee Relations to deliver a best-in-class, consumer-grade service.
• Harness data, technology and AI to improve decision-making, streamline processes and unlock greater operational efficiency.
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement and external best practice to modernise People Operations.
• Ensure outstanding service delivery, governance and compliance, creating trusted, scalable and future-ready people services.

Who you are:

We're looking for someone who combines strategic thinking, strong leadership and a passion for delivering great people experiences. You'll bring:

• Significant leadership experience in People Operations, Shared Services or a comparable operational environment, with experience delivering transformation and continuous improvement.
• Strong customer and team member focus, using data, insight and technology to create exceptional service experiences and drive operational excellence.
• A commercial mindset, skilled at influencing senior stakeholders, embracing innovation and leading teams through complex transformation.

Where you’ll work:

Right now, our Support Centre teams work flexibly, blending home working with in-person time whenever it matters most – whether that’s a team moment, a creative session, or simply coming together to share ideas.

We’re excited to be moving into a new home for our brand in St Albans in January 2027 – an inspiring space from which our Support Centre teams will work three days a week to connect and collaborate in-person to bring our bold ambition to life.

For any reasonable adjustments and general queries, please get in touch with [e-mail]