HR Director - Central Services (William Grant & Sons)

FWB; Cumbernauld; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

William Grant & Sons is seeking an experienced and commercially minded HR Director to shape people strategy, talent development and leadership capability across the business. This high‑impact role partners closely with the executive and senior teams to align workforce design, recruitment, learning and employee relations with the company’s growth ambitions and culture.

As a trusted advisor, you will champion a progressive, high‑performing and inclusive workplace, ensuring policy compliance across

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a senior HR Business Partnering or HR leadership role.
• Strong commercial awareness linking people strategy to business performance.
• Excellent stakeholder management at executive level.

Responsibilities

• Partner with executive and senior leaders to deliver business and people objectives.
• Drive organisational effectiveness, productivity and workforce performance.
• Support leaders in building high-performing, inclusive teams.
• Lead strategic workforce and succession planning activities for critical roles.
• Champion talent development and leadership capability across the organisation.
• Ensure robust recruitment and onboarding processes attract exceptional talent.
• Provide expert guidance on organisational design, change, employee relations and performance management.
• Support the delivery of practical and impactful learning and development initiatives.
• Partner with reward specialists to ensure remuneration practices remain competitive and aligned with business objectives.
• Oversee employee relations activity, helping leaders manage complex people matters confidently and effectively.
• Promote strong employee engagement and a positive workplace culture.
• As part of the HR Leadership Team, you will ensure HR policies, processes and practices are consistently implemented and legally compliant.

Skills

Senior HRBP/HR leadership

Stakeholder management

Commercial mindset

Job description

William Grant & Sons: a home where Rare Characters thrive.

We value every employee for their rare character, distinctive skills, experience and perspectives. Every one of our colleagues has a role to play in helping us to achieve our growth ambitions.

At William Grant & Sons, our vision is to be “A home where rare characters thrive”. We value all colleagues for their rare character, distinctive skills, experience and perspectives. Diversity & Inclusion is at the heart of how we do things at William Grant & Sons, fully aligned to our purpose and our company values. We strive to create an environment where we can all be our best and bring our whole selves to work.

About the role

WGS are seeking an experienced and commercially minded HR Director to play a pivotal role in driving organisational performance, leadership capability, talent development and people strategy across the business.

This is a highly influential leadership position, partnering closely with executive and senior leadership teams to ensure our people, culture and organisational capability support the achievement of both business unit and company-wide objectives.

As a trusted strategic advisor, you will lead the HR partnership agenda for the central functions, providing both support and challenge to leaders while championing a progressive, high-performing and employee-focused culture.

Key responsibilities

You will:

• Partner with executive and senior leaders to deliver business and people objectives
• Drive organisational effectiveness, productivity and workforce performance
• Support leaders in building high-performing, collaborative and inclusive teams
• Lead strategic workforce and succession planning activities for critical roles
• Champion talent development and leadership capability across the organisation
• Ensure robust recruitment and onboarding processes attract and retain exceptional talent
• Provide expert guidance on organisational design, change, employee relations and performance management
• Support the delivery of practical and impactful learning and development initiatives
• Partner with reward specialists to ensure remuneration practices remain competitive and aligned with business objectives
• Oversee employee relations activity, helping leaders manage complex people matters confidently and effectively
• Promote strong employee engagement and a positive workplace culture
• As part of the HR Leadership Team, you will ensure HR policies, processes and practices are consistently implemented and legally compliant

You’ll bring:

• Significant experience in a senior HR Business Partnering or HR leadership role
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to connect people strategy with organisational performance ensuring accountability at all times.
• Expertise across talent management, succession planning, organisational development, employee relations and change management
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the confidence to support, influence and challenge at executive level
• A collaborative and pragmatic approach, with the ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on when required
• Be a resilient HR professional with sophisticated business partnering skills at all levels.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment legislation and HR best practice