Head of People and Organisational Development

We Manage Jobs(WMJobs); Wolverhampton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Wolverhampton College seeks an exceptional leader to head Human Resources and payroll, shaping strategy across people development and culture. You will collaborate with senior colleagues to ensure staff are engaged, skilled, and supported to deliver an outstanding learner experience.

Responsibilities include leading HR policies, payroll controls, workforce planning, and change programmes while maintaining statutory compliance and a strong employee relations ethos.

Qualifications

• Experience leading HR strategy and people development within complex organisations.
• Proven ability to shape culture, wellbeing, inclusion and staff engagement.
• Strong recruitment, succession planning and workforce planning experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for HR and payroll, aligning to college objectives and a high‑quality service.
• Lead talent management, succession planning, recruitment and onboarding to support workforce sustainability.
• Oversee staff induction, early‑career support, mentoring and professional development pathways.
• Analyse workforce data for reporting, insights, and evidence‑based decisions for senior leadership and audit.
• Develop and implement HR policies, conduct, discipline, and grievance processes with statutory compliance.
• Drive organisational design, change programmes and leadership development to meet curriculum priorities.
• Maintain payroll policies and controls, ensuring accuracy and compliance with regulations.
• Strengthen staff wellbeing initiatives and engagement activities across the college.

Skills

Strategic leadership

People management

Budgeting

HR policies

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

Purpose and Role

• Provide strategic leadership for people and organisational development, ensuring the College attracts, develops, and retains a skilled, agile workforce aligned to current and future curriculum and organisational priorities.
• Shape and embed a positive, values driven culture that promotes engagement, inclusion, wellbeing, and professional growth, ensuring staff feel supported, motivated, and able to deliver an exceptional learner experience.
• Design and deliver development, leadership, and change programmes that strengthen capability, build leadership excellence, and enable staff to adapt confidently to evolving systems, structures, and strategic ambitions.
• Oversee high- quality, compliant people practices, including policy development, safeguarding, employment standards, and workforce planning, ensuring the College meets all statutory, regulatory, and audit requirements while operating as an employer of choice.
• Act as a trusted advisor to the Principal and Chief Executive, Governors, and senior managers on all people related matters.

Being part of the College Leadership Team

• Contribute to the development and implementation of the College Strategy and role model a visible, values driven leadership that promotes trust, accountability, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
• Prepare and present clear, timely papers and reports to support effective and informed decision-making. Sharing information where requested and appropriate for other key stakeholders such as the DfE.
• Manage budgets proactively in line with financial regulations, ensuring value for money and contributing to income generation and capital investment, where appropriate.
• Deputise for Executive Management Team members, attending meetings and representing the College in key activities as required.
• Participating fully in Human Resources procedures including the Annual Performance Review process; Return to Work/Managing Attendance Policy and Quality and Performance Management policies.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide strategic leadership and direction for all Human Resources and payroll operations, ensuring the function supports strategic objectives and delivers a high‑quality, customer‑focused service.
2. Provide strategic leadership, a people first workforce plan, ensuring the College has the skills, capacity, and flexibility needed to meet curriculum and operational priorities. Lead talent management, succession planning, recruitment, and selection to support long‑term workforce sustainability.
3. Lead the design and delivery of a comprehensive staff induction and onboarding programme, supporting new starters to integrate quickly and effectively. Oversee early‑career support, including mentoring, probation processes, and development pathways for new teachers and industry entrants.
4. Oversee workforce development systems and analyse workforce data to ensure accurate reporting, robust insights, and evidence‑based decision‑making. Provide regular analysis and impact evaluations to senior leaders, governors, and auditors relating to workforce development, mandatory training, and CPD.
5. Lead on the effective development, application and oversight of the College’s conduct, disciplinary, and grievance policies. This includes ensuring all cases are managed fairly, consistently, and in accordance with statutory requirements. Provide leadership and guidance on complex employee relations matters to maintain high standards of professionalism and compliance.
6. Anticipate future skills needs and lead organisational design, role profiling, career pathway development, and leadership development to ensure an effective workforce structure aligned to current and emerging curriculum priorities.
7. Promote a college‑wide learning culture, ensuring curiosity, professional growth, and shared practice are embedded. Develop and oversee the professional development strategy, including CPD frameworks, mandatory training, and leadership programmes. Work collaboratively with managers to understand team‑level development needs and design tailored solutions that support performance and continuous improvement.
8. Lead the development and delivery of the College’s culture and engagement strategy. Advise senior leaders on organisational climate, engagement trends, and cultural insights, and coordinate recognition initiatives that celebrate staff contributions
9. Lead staff wellbeing initiatives, promoting mental health, workload balance, reasonable adjustments, resilience, and staff support. Maintain key wellbeing partnerships and work with occupational health and managers to identify wellbeing trends and interventions.
10. Strengthen internal communication and staff engagement, ensuring transparent, timely communication and leading cross‑College engagement activities such as staff briefings, networks, and community building initiatives.
11. Develop leadership capability, including coaching, action‑learning and culture‑focused programmes. Support managers to embed constructive performance conversations and positive team environments.
12. Lead and support organisational change programmes, designing and delivering development interventions that help staff adapt to new systems, processes, or structures
13. Own and maintain all payroll policies, procedures, and controls, ensuring they are up to date, legally compliant, and aligned with sector best practice.
14. Drive continuous improvement across processes, systems, and service delivery to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and internal controls, whilst also overseeing the efficient processing, reconciliation and analysis of data.
15. Support the planning and delivery of the College’s EDI Strategy, coordinating campaigns, awareness events, and training that promote inclusion, belonging, and respect. Monitor compliance with EDI statutory duties and contribute to inclusive policy development.
16. Oversee the development, review, and implementation of HR policies, ensuring they are modern, fair, inclusive, and aligned to best practice. Ensure the College meets all statutory, regulatory, and audit requirements relating to employment, safeguarding (single central register), and workforce compliance.
17. Lead employee relations, building constructive partnerships with recognised trade unions and managing escalated or complex cases where required.
18. Build strong working relationships with curriculum and support managers, staff forums, trade unions, and external organisations. Engage in sector networks to share best practice and bring innovation into the College.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure staff as well as visitors and contractors understand and consistently apply Safeguarding and Equality and Diversity measures to ensure a healthy, sustainable and productive learning environment is consistently maintained.
• To carry out any other duties as directed by your Line Manager.

City of Wolverhampton College is an education establishment within an ever‑changing service, and all staff are expected to participate constructively in college activities and to adopt a flexible approach to their work. The job description is not intended to be exhaustive and is only indicative of the nature and level of the responsibilities associated with the post at the date it was drawn up. Your duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility. Such variations are a common occurrence and cannot themselves justify a reconsideration of the terms and conditions of employment associated with the post.

Our Values

Our values are the foundation of everything we do. They reflect our commitment and shape our college, ensuring that every interaction makes a meaningful impact:

We work Collaboratively We take Ownership We are Welcoming We show Commitment

Safeguarding

The College is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of learners and expects all who work with or on behalf of the College to share this commitment. All roles within the College therefore are subject to DBS regulations.

The College considers that the job holder for this role should have a DBS Enhanced CHILD.

Equality and Diversity

We are committed to the promotion of equality of opportunity in all of our activities and to encouraging access to our College from all groups irrespective of race, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.

We are working to create an environment in which cultural diversity and individual difference are positively valued in an atmosphere free from harassment and discrimination. We take our legal and moral obligations with respect to equal opportunities seriously and welcome dialogue with groups and individuals on ways in which our equal opportunities policies and practice can be enhanced.