People Director, Operations

Drayton; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Drayton, a high-growth international consumer business, seeks a strategic People Director, Operations to lead the people agenda across manufacturing sites in the UK and Europe. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, this role drives engagement, workforce planning and organisational design for large frontline workforces.

The ideal candidate brings strong HR leadership in manufacturing, experience scaling people practices, and a hands-on, pragmatic approach to change and transformation at senior

Qualifications

• Proven HR leadership experience in manufacturing or operationally intensive environments.
• Experience supporting large frontline workforces and site-based teams.
• Track record of leading change and organisational development initiatives.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with practical, hands-on delivery.

Responsibilities

• Partner with operational leadership across two major manufacturing sites in the UK and Europe.
• Lead all people activity for large frontline workforces, ensuring strong engagement and organisational effectiveness.
• Oversee workforce planning, employee relations, organisational design and people development.
• Support the evolution of systems, processes and ways of working as the business scales.
• Contribute to culture, reward, talent and performance across the organisation.
• Influence senior stakeholders to drive business performance through effective people leadership.

Skills

People leadership

Manufacturing experience

Change management

Stakeholder management

Strategic workforce planning

Job description

Drayton are thrilled to be partnering with a highly successful, international consumer business to appoint a People Director, Operations, Reporting to the Chief People Officer, this is a significant leadership appointment with responsibility for leading the people agenda across operational sites while also contributing to wider strategic projects and organisational development initiatives.

In This Role You Will:

• Partner closely with operational leadership across two major manufacturing sites in the UK and Europe.
• Lead all people activity for large frontline workforces, ensuring strong engagement and organisational effectiveness.
• Oversee workforce planning, employee relations, organisational design and people development.
• Support the evolution of systems, processes and ways of working as the business continues to scale.
• Contribute to key strategic priorities across culture, reward, talent and performance.
• Influence senior stakeholders and help drive business performance through effective people leadership.

Requirements:

• Essential to offer HR leadership experience within manufacturing, FMCG, food production, logistics, distribution or another operationally intensive environment.
• A proven track record supporting large site based and frontline employee populations.
• Experience gained within a larger, more mature organisation, with exposure to scalable people practices. Candidates who can complement big company experience with success in a smaller, fast growing organisation would be very attractive.
• Experience leading change, transformation or organisational development initiatives.
• The ability to balance strategic thinking with a practical, hands on approach.

The Ideal Profile:

• An experienced People leader with strong manufacturing credentials.
• Credible and influential, with the gravitas to work effectively at senior leadership level.
• Strong commercial acumen and exposure to areas such as talent management, performance, culture, reward or succession planning.
• Resilient, pragmatic and collaborative, with the ability to build strong stakeholder relationships and operate effectively in a fast paced environment.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join a market leading growth business and play a pivotal role in strengthening organisational capability across a complex and evolving international operation.

This role will be based in the UK, with an element of regular travel to their European based manufacturing site.