Head of People in Darlington

Location: Flexible, UK + Hybrid Working Arrangements

Compensation: Up to £85, + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as Head of People.

The role

As Head of People, you’ll have a role that’s out of the ordinary. You will be shaping the future of our workforce while influencing culture and capability at a strategic level, enabling operational excellence for customers ranging from the British Army to emergency services.

Day-to-day, you’ll have the following responsibilities:

• Shape and deliver HR strategy aligned with business goals, influencing senior leaders and key stakeholders.
• Lead HR services across the employee lifecycle, driving consistency, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Coach and develop HR teams, building capability and fostering a high-performance culture.
• Champion diversity, inclusion, wellbeing, and engagement as integral parts of the people agenda.
• Partner with leaders to anticipate workforce needs, plan succession, and support transformation initiatives.
• Represent HR in cross-functional forums, contributing to organisational success.

This role is full time working 37 hours per week. This role can be based at any of our main UK locations, with an expectation to work from your nearest Babcock office or site two to three days per week. The main UK locations include; Andover, Donnington, Bovington, Catterick, Warminster and Ashchurch.

Essential experience of the Head of People:

• Extensive HR expertise with experience in large, complex, global organisations.
• Proven HR leadership track record, operating as a key member of a strategic leadership team.
• Strong commercial acumen, able to understand stakeholder needs and deliver effective, pragmatic solutions.
• Collaborative and influential, building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders through integrity and transparency.
• Innovative and resilient, bringing diverse groups together and leading through complexity to achieve successful outcomes.

Qualifications for the Head of People:

We value difference and don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education, provided you can show the required level of experience and/or willingness to learn then we would like to hear from you.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role. Many of the positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held.

Generous holiday allowance

Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance

Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+

Employee share scheme

Employee shopping savings portal

Payment of Professional Fees

Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave

Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Babcock employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. This Window opens February through to March annually.

‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day’s paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity

Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Babcock

We’re Babcock — a global FTSE organisation with over 26,000 people working together to make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. From initial design to final decommissioning, your work will contribute to products and services that are essential to national security and public infrastructure. Together, we’re building a future that lasts — not just through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work-life balance. We call that lifetime engineering. Join us and see how far we can go, together.

We are a disability confident committed employer.