Head of People Services

Interim Head of People Services (12 months) North Essex Interim role with hybrid working As the Interim Head of People Services, you will provide steady, people-centred leadership across HR, Payroll, Talent Management, and Learning & Development. Your role will be pivotal in supporting the organisation through a period of transition, establishing current operations, and helping shape a more effective and future-ready People Services structure. This role demands a confident senior leader who remains hands-on, pragmatic, and unphased by a reactive environment. You will role-model collaborative leadership, build trust quickly, and bring teams and stakeholders with you through change. Key responsibilities include supporting the development and refinement of the People Strategy, delivering assigned strategic actions, and ensuring progress is visible and measurable. You will lead the development of workforce analytics and insights to inform decision-making and future planning. Additionally, you will provide authoritative, practical HR guidance to Directors and the Senior Management Team (SMT), advise on policy implementation and organisational change, and offer grounded, experience-based insight to ensure change is delivered in a people-centred and sustainable way. Your leadership will ensure managers have the tools, guidance, and confidence to manage people effectively, keep them informed of employment law changes and their implications, and provide coaching and support to strengthen people management capability across the organisation. To excel in this role, you will need senior HR leadership experience in complex or reactive environments, with the ability to flex between strategic and hands-on delivery. A proven track record in stabilising and improving HR/People Services functions and leading teams through uncertainty is essential. You must be a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and demonstrate professional competencies at a Chartered level, including ethical practice, professional courage and influence, valuing people, working inclusively, commercial drive, passion for learning, insights-focused, and situational decision-making.