People Director Scotland - Maternity Cover

Mar Hall; Bishopton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

JA Resorts & Hotels seeks a seasoned Cluster People Director to lead the UK People agenda for JA Mar Hall and JA The Bruntsfield. The role covers learning, culture and standards rollout, with a focus on developing two specialists and guiding senior leaders.

You will manage end-to-end HR, payroll oversight and employee relations across two sites, balancing commercial priorities with colleague experience in a maternity cover role.

Qualifications

• Senior HR leadership experience in luxury hospitality or service-led multi-site environments.
• Strong, current knowledge of UK employment law and capability to advise senior leaders.
• Experience coaching managers and developing a small People team.

Responsibilities

• Own the cluster People plan for Scotland, aligning with commercial and colleague experience goals.
• Act as senior UK People adviser to property leadership teams and escalate sensitive matters.
• Oversee lifecycle from recruitment to offboarding with People team support.
• Lead learning initiatives and translate JA standards into local practice.

Skills

Senior HR leadership

UK employment law

People management

Learning & development

Tools

HR systems

Job description

CLUSTER PEOPLE DIRECTOR | SCOTLAND

Based predominantly at JA Mar Hall, Scotland | with weekly travel to JA The Bruntsfield, Edinburgh.

Cluster remit across our two Scottish properties and JA’s only UK hotels.

The opportunity

We are seeking an experienced, hands‑on Cluster People Director to provide maternity cover and lead the entire People agenda for JA Resorts & Hotels across our only two UK properties within the JA Resorts & Hotels portfolio: JA Mar Hall and JA The Bruntsfield. You will lead a small but mighty team supporting approximately 250 colleagues across two beautiful properties during an exciting period of growth and change. This is a genuinely broad leadership role encompassing every aspect of People—not simply an HR generalist position—with particular emphasis on learning and development, service culture and the continued rollout of JA standards in the UK.

Contract and start date: Maternity cover on a minimum six-month fixed‑term contract, with potential for extension to 9 months. Ideally starting in December 2026; a January 2027 start may be considered provided suitable handover arrangements can be made in December.

Reporting relationships

• Functional reporting: VP of HR, JA Resorts & Hotels (Global), with regular communication, alignment and escalation on key People matters, approvals and the rollout of company standards in the UK.
• Daily operational line management: Resort Director, JA Mar Hall, including day‑to‑day coordination and annual leave approval. The role is office‑based at JA Mar Hall.
• Property partnership: Work closely with the General Manager of JA The Bruntsfield to deliver Edinburgh‑specific People priorities and support operational decisions. Minimum once per week on site day in Edinburgh, additional as and when business requires.
• Direct reports: Cluster People Operations Advisor and Cluster People Development Coordinator, both supporting JA Mar Hall and JA The Bruntsfield.

What you will lead

People strategy and leadership

• Own the cluster People plan for Scotland, balancing commercial and operational priorities with colleague experience, retention and the ongoing evolution of both properties. A plan will be set out for this by the current People Director.
• Act as the senior UK People adviser to both property leadership teams; coach managers and provide timely, well‑judged decisions and escalation on sensitive matters.
• Maintain regular engagement with the Global VP of HR and translate JA group initiatives, standards and JA Way into effective local practice.
• Lead, prioritise and develop two specialist direct reports, providing appropriate technical oversight and building capability and independence. A plan will be set out for this by the current People Director.

Employee relations, compliance and operations

• Oversee the complete colleague lifecycle: workforce planning, recruitment, offers, contracts, onboarding, probation, performance, development, absence, family leave and offboarding, with the support of the People team.
• Lead complex employee relations matters, including investigations, disciplinaries, grievances and organisational change; engage external UK employment legal advisers where appropriate, as the business requires.
• Keep policies, processes and management guidance compliant with evolving UK employment legislation, including applicable Employment Rights Act 2025 implementation requirements.
• Provide senior oversight of Fourth HR/payroll records, monthly payroll checks and change controls in partnership with Finance, recruitment workflows and approvals.

Talent, learning and culture

• Own the cluster recruitment approach, with particular responsibility for management and senior appointments and their onboarding.
• Personally lead and facilitate learning and development initiatives, including learning needs analysis, management coaching, leadership programmes and the practical implementation of JA service culture, JA Way and operational standards.
• Oversee monthly JA Scotland induction, Forbes‑related service training, IFH training and Tail learning‑platform compliance and engagement with the support of the People development coordinator.
• Strengthen employee voice through consultative committees, engagement activity, recognition programmes and follow‑through on colleague feedback, with the support of the People operations advisor.

What you will bring

• Substantial senior HR/People leadership experience, ideally in luxury hospitality or another service‑led, multi‑site environment.
• Strong, current knowledge of UK employment law and the confidence to independently manage complex employee relations and advise senior leaders.
• Experience managing and developing a small team of People specialists, with the ability to coach managers at all levels.
• Demonstrable breadth across the entire People agenda: HR operations, recruitment, payroll oversight, employee relations, organisational development, colleague engagement, learning and development, and culture and change implementation.
• A confident, experienced learning and development practitioner—not solely an HR generalist—who can design, lead and deliver impactful training, coach leaders and translate global standards into practical experiences for colleagues and guests.
• A visible, organised and pragmatic leader, comfortable moving between strategic priorities and hands‑on operational support across two sites.

Working across two properties

The role is based at JA Mar Hall and requires a consistent, visible presence at JA The Bruntsfield in Edinburgh, with travel between both properties as business needs require. You will ensure both hotels receive responsive People support while building manager ownership and sustainable processes.

JA Resorts & Hotels is committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. This is a maternity cover appointment for a minimum of six months, with potential for extension. Remuneration and final contract terms will be confirmed through the recruitment process.