People Director

Smallsteps; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Macmillan Davies is partnering with a Peak District based client to appoint a People Director on a 0.6–0.8 FTE basis. This permanent role leads the full People agenda and will shape culture, leadership capability and organisational effectiveness, reporting to the CEO in a senior leadership capacity.

The role requires senior HR leadership with a proven ability to drive change, partner with the CEO and Executive team, and deliver measurable value across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Significant senior People/HR leadership experience.
• Experience advising CEOs and executive teams.
• Track record in organisational change, transformation, or restructuring.
• Strong commercial awareness and alignment of People with business priorities.
• Experience building leadership and organisational capability.
• Understanding of culture, engagement and organisational effectiveness.
• Ability to manage complex people issues and difficult conversations.
• Credibility to challenge senior stakeholders constructively.
• Resilience and independence in a changing environment.

Responsibilities

• Shape and deliver a People strategy aligned to commercial objectives.
• Partner with the CEO and Executive team as a trusted adviser.
• Strengthen leadership and management capability across the organisation.
• Improve engagement between employees and leadership.
• Develop career, succession, talent and development frameworks.
• Enhance organisational effectiveness and performance.
• Support leaders through change and difficult decisions.
• Ensure the People function is proactive, commercially focused and delivers value.

Skills

Senior People leadership

Trusted adviser to CEOs

Change management

Commercial awareness

Leadership development

Culture and engagement

Handling complex people issues

Stakeholder influence

Resilience and independence

Job description

People Director

Peak District

Fractional Role 0.6–0.8 FTE

Permanent

£100,000–£120,000 FTE plus bonus

Macmillan Davies are delighted to be exclusively partnering with our client in the search for an outstanding People Director to join the senior leadership team of an established and highly skilled organisation based in the Peak District.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced People leader to step into a role where your experience, judgement and perspective will genuinely shape the future of an organisation.

Reporting directly to the CEO, this is a broad and influential role with responsibility for the full People agenda and a clear mandate to help shape culture, leadership capability, organisational effectiveness and the way the business supports and develops its people.

The permanent role is 0.6–0.8 FTE, offering flexibility around how the working pattern is structured across the week.

The Opportunity

This is not simply about maintaining an existing People function. It is about bringing the leadership, structure and clarity needed to move the People agenda forward.

You will work closely with the CEO and Executive team, acting as a trusted adviser and bringing the confidence to challenge, influence and provide an independent People perspective when it matters.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Shape and deliver a People strategy aligned to the organisation’s wider commercial objectives.
• Work directly with the CEO and Executive team as a trusted and influential partner.
• Strengthen leadership and management capability across the organisation.
• Build engagement and connection between employees and leadership.
• Further develop career, succession, talent and development frameworks.
• Improve organisational effectiveness and performance.
• Support leaders through change, complex people matters and difficult decisions.
• Ensure the People function is proactive, commercially focused and delivers measurable value.

There is also a strong opportunity to be visible across the organisation. We are looking for someone who enjoys getting close to the business, listening to employees and leaders, understanding what is really happening and turning insight into meaningful action.

About You

You will be an experienced senior People or HR leader who has operated at People Director or HR Director level, with the credibility to operate confidently with CEOs and Executive teams.

You will combine strategic thinking with pragmatism. You will be comfortable setting direction, but equally prepared to roll up your sleeves and make things happen.

We are particularly interested in people who can demonstrate:

• Significant senior People / HR leadership experience.
• Experience of operating as a trusted adviser to CEOs and Executive teams.
• A strong track record of navigating organisational change, transformation or restructuring.
• Strong commercial awareness and an ability to connect the People agenda to business priorities.
• Experience developing leadership and organisational capability.
• A strong understanding of culture, engagement and organisational effectiveness.
• Confidence managing complex people issues and difficult conversations.
• The credibility to constructively challenge senior stakeholders.
• The resilience and independence to operate effectively in a changing environment.

Just as importantly, you will be calm, credible, curious and approachable, with the emotional intelligence to build trust across all levels of the organisation.

Why consider this opportunity?

For the right person, this is a chance to have a level of influence that can be difficult to find in a larger organisation.

You will have direct access to the CEO, a genuine voice at Executive level and the scope to shape the People agenda rather than simply deliver against someone else’s strategy.

The Peak District location adds another dimension to the opportunity, offering the chance to work within a distinctive setting while taking on a role with significant organisational reach and influence.

Salary: £100,000–£120,000 full-time equivalent plus bonus

Working pattern: 0.6–0.8 FTE, potentially across 4–5 days

Location: Peak District

If you are an experienced People Director looking for a role where you can make a tangible difference, influence at the highest level and leave your mark on the future direction of an organisation, we would be very interested in hearing from you.