People Capability Lead

Ordnance Survey; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 71,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading geographic data organization in Southampton is looking for a People Capability Lead to shape talent and development strategies. The successful candidate will architect a roadmap ensuring the right skills and leadership for the future while managing a high-performing team. This role involves championing continuous learning and employee engagement in a hybrid work model. Extensive experience in HR or people change roles is essential, with a focus on delivering measurable impacts.

Benefits

Salary – c.£74k

Performance related bonus up to 10%

A competitive pension scheme

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Free subscription to OS Maps app

Access to online learning platforms

Life Assurance cover

Employee Assistance Programme

Flexible working

Annual volunteer day

OS Explorers Nursery discount

Parking or Cycle to Work scheme

Support for continuous improvement

Qualifications

• Experience in strategic planning and delivery in a leadership role.
• Background in various HR or People Change roles, including Learning and Leadership.
• Proven track record of delivering measurable impact from people capability initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of learning, talent, and succession frameworks.
• Act as trusted advisor to senior stakeholders on people capability.
• Manage and inspire a high-performing agile team.

Skills

Change Management

Culture

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)

Employee Engagement

Leadership

Organizational Development (OD)

Organizational Structures

Target Operating Model (TOM)

Job description

People Capability Lead

Join a newly formed People Capability team here in OS, with a pivotal mandate to shape and elevate the skills, leadership, and growth mindset underpinning our 5 year strategy.

Why this role matters

Future fit impact: You’ll architect a strategic talent and development roadmap, ensuring we have the right people with the right skills at the right time now and in the future.

Culture catalyst: You will champion continuous learning, leadership, and performance excellence to drive our purpose-driven culture across the organisation.

Visible people leadership: You’ll lead by example, empowering and developing your team to thrive through clarity, support, and shared purpose.

This role leads a talented team of Resourcing, Talent, Learning and Leadership Specialists.

If you think OS is the place for you and you can make a difference in this role, please submit a CV together with a covering letter (or similar) telling us why you’re interested and how your skills, experience, and unique qualities mean this is the role for you.

Please note that without a covering letter, we’ll be unable to consider your application and it will be rejected.

What you’ll do in this role

Shape our capability strategy & roadmap

Lead the development of learning, talent, and succession frameworks for the organisation.

Translate business strategy and goals into priority capability initiatives that source, develop, and retain the skills and talent we need.

Lead and deliver talent, learning, and leadership initiatives with impact

Lead the team to deliver effective and engaging solutions across leadership, early careers, talent, technical pathways, and more.

Align the talent, capability, and development approach with OS’ career architecture, to enable talent and skills mobility that’s needed.

Inspire and advise others

Act as trusted advisor to senior stakeholders on people capability and talent that drives business performance.

Maintain strategic partnerships, both internally and across the industry, to source best in class solutions.

Be relentlessly curious

Use data and insights to make what we do better.

Benchmark externally to keep practices current and innovative.

Lead your team

Manage, coach, and inspire a high-performing, agile team across capability, resourcing, and learning domains.

Steward annual budgets with rigor, delivering clear ROI.

Embed a learning culture

Advocate for inclusive and continuous development across all levels of the organisation.

About you

You’ve got experience in a leadership, mid‑senior level where you’ve had accountability for strategic planning and delivery.

Your experience supports your credibility, so you’ve probably worked in a range of HR or People Change roles, including Learning, Leadership, Talent or Recruitment.

You understand how to be successful in contexts like ours, by bringing experience of technology or data businesses and an awareness of public‑sector organisations or similar.

You’ve got a track record of success and can evidence how you’ve delivered measurable impact from people capability initiatives before.

You’re a strategic thinker who excels at translating complex data into relevant and valuable insights and conclusions. You’re solution‑oriented and adept at tackling ambiguity.

You facilitate, influence, and collaborate superbly, and can persuade and support stakeholders at all levels with ease.

You can successfully operate as a practical do‑er and curious innovator – in fact, that excites you. You’re resourceful and curious, and able to prioritise the right opportunities at the right time.

You’re an exceptional people leader, with a track record of building and leading high‑performing multi‑disciplinary teams.

The Rewards

• Salary – c.£74k
• Performance related bonus up to 10%
• A competitive pension scheme (OS contributes up to ~12%)
• 28 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays (including 3 days Christmas shutdown), with an extra day’s leave for each year worked up to 33 days
• Free subscription to our award‑winning OS Maps app and wider employee discounts
• Support with continuous improvement with access to online learning platforms / e‑books, and coaching / mentoring schemes
• Life Assurance cover
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Flexible working
• Annual volunteer day to support the local community and charities
• OS Explorers Nursery discount
• Parking at our modern Southampton HQ, or Cycle to Work scheme for active commuting

Location

We embrace a hybrid working model at OS which means balancing intentional time together connecting, and autonomy to work in a way works for you. You will be required to spend 50% of your time in HQ.

Security

OS conducts DBS background checks for all joiners and some of our roles require additional security clearance, including to SC or DV level in some cases. We will tell candidates at the appropriate time during the recruitment process if additional clearance will be required for this role.

Unfortunately, we are currently unable to offer sponsorship for this role, therefore you must have the right to work in the UK, without the need for employer sponsorship.

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that people may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any during the application process.

Research indicates that women, individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ+ community members, neurodiverse individuals, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds often hesitate to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Ordnance Survey, we are dedicated to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and genuine workplace where everyone can thrive. If you’re enthusiastic about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly match every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the ideal candidate for this or other roles within Ordnance Survey.

Skills required for this role

• Change Management
• Culture
• Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)
• Employee Engagement
• Leadership
• Organizational Development (OD)
• Organizational Structures
• Target Operating Model (TOM)

Closing date Sunday 07 December @23 : 59