Head of Learning, Leadership and Culture - Interim

Head of Learning, Leadership and Culture

People & Strategy Directorate | Fixed-term contract (3–4 months)

Secondment opportunity considered

About the role

At Citizens Advice, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We want to create an environment where everyone can thrive, where leaders are equipped to navigate complexity and change, and where colleagues feel supported, valued and empowered to deliver our mission.

We’re looking for an experienced and values-driven Head of Learning, Leadership and Culture to provide leadership, stability and continuity across our National Learning and Development, Leadership Development, Talent Management and Wellbeing functions during a period of organisational change and transformation.

This is a caretaking role, offering an important opportunity to provide a steady hand and practical support to an established and expanding team as it navigates a period of change. With the wider OD&D department undergoing a change programme and its future structure and resourcing being reviewed as part of our Target Operating Model work, you’ll help the team maintain momentum, prioritise effectively and continue delivering high-quality support to colleagues across Citizens Advice.

You’ll bring clarity, reassurance and a supportive leadership approach during this transition, helping colleagues adapt to evolving priorities and ensuring that essential learning, leadership, talent and wellbeing activities continue to make a meaningful difference. You’ll also work closely with senior stakeholders to maintain focus on organisational priorities and support the team through the next phase of change.

Alongside providing this operational leadership, you’ll help sustain the leadership capabilities, learning culture and inclusive working environment we need to deliver our strategy and support our people through change.

What you’ll do

You’ll lead a team of specialists across Leadership Development, Talent Management, Learning and Development, and Wellbeing, providing the direction, support and space they need to do their best work.

Your focus will be on maintaining effective delivery, supporting team members through change and ensuring that the team remains connected to organisational priorities. You’ll build strong relationships across the People & Strategy Directorate and the wider organisation, working with colleagues at all levels of seniority, including Executive Directors, to provide advice, influence decisions and support the delivery of our people priorities.

You will:

• Provide stability and leadership through change, helping the team navigate the current change programme, manage uncertainty and maintain focus on key priorities and commitments.
• Support and develop the team, creating an environment where colleagues feel informed, supported and able to contribute, while helping them adapt to changing structures, responsibilities and ways of working.
• Maintain momentum across learning and development, ensuring our people continue to have access to the skills, knowledge and development opportunities they need.
• Support leadership development and talent management, helping leaders build the confidence and capability to lead through complexity, develop their teams and respond effectively to change.
• Champion employee wellbeing and resilience, recognising the impact of organisational change and supporting colleagues to feel connected, engaged and equipped to navigate uncertainty.
• Embed equity, diversity and inclusion in our people practices, aligning learning, leadership and culture initiatives with our Equity and Belonging strategy.
• Promote inclusive leadership and equitable progression, helping address barriers faced by colleagues from marginalised backgrounds, improve representation at senior levels and strengthen accountability for EDI outcomes.
• Build strong stakeholder relationships, working collaboratively across the national organisation and, where appropriate, with our network of local Citizens Advice offices and external partners.
• Support effective transition and handover, ensuring key activities, priorities, risks and dependencies are understood and that the team is well positioned for the next stage of organisational change.

About you

We’re looking for someone who combines strong people leadership with the judgement, adaptability and emotional intelligence needed to lead through a period of change.

You’ll be comfortable stepping into an established function, quickly building relationships, understanding priorities and identifying where your leadership can make the greatest immediate difference. You’ll balance operational delivery with a longer-term perspective, bringing people with you and creating clarity when the future is still evolving.

You’ll understand that, during periods of transition, effective leadership is as much about listening, building trust and providing reassurance as it is about setting direction and delivering outcomes.

You’ll bring:

• Significant experience leading learning, leadership development, organisational development, talent management, wellbeing or related people functions.
• Experience leading and supporting specialist teams, creating the conditions for people to perform well and develop their skills and confidence.
• A proven ability to lead through organisational change, maintain service delivery and support colleagues through uncertainty.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the credibility to work effectively with senior leaders and advise on complex people and organisational issues.
• A commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, with an understanding of how organisational systems, leadership behaviours and development opportunities can create or reinforce barriers to progression.
• Experience translating organisational priorities into practical learning, leadership, talent and wellbeing approaches that deliver meaningful outcomes.
• The ability to assess priorities quickly, make sound decisions and balance competing demands in a fast-moving environment.
• A collaborative, pragmatic and compassionate leadership style, with a focus on building trust, encouraging accountability and helping people feel supported.

You’ll be motivated by the opportunity to make a positive difference in a short period of time, recognising the importance of continuity, stability and thoughtful leadership while the organisation considers its future direction.

About the team

The Learning, Leadership and Culture Team sits within our People & Strategy Directorate, which supports organisational development, transformation, inclusion and high performance across Citizens Advice and our wider network.

Following recent investment, the team is expanding its capacity and expertise across leadership development, talent management, learning and development, and wellbeing. At the same time, the wider OD&D function is entering a period of change, with its structure and resourcing being reviewed as part of our Target Operating Model work.

This creates a particularly important moment for the team. We need a leader who can provide continuity, maintain strong relationships, support colleagues through the transition and ensure our people priorities continue to receive the attention and leadership they need.

You’ll work closely with colleagues across the People & Strategy Directorate and the wider organisation, helping the team remain effective and responsive while the future operating model develops.

Citizens Advice offers confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. Through our national network of charities, we give people the knowledge and the confidence they need to find their way forward – whoever they are, and whatever their problem.

Do you want to work for an organisation that makes a difference, every single day, to people from all walks of life? The people that turn to Citizens Advice need help overcoming an obstacle in their lives – from debt to evictions to trouble at work – and you can be key to them getting the support they need in the quickest, easiest, and most effective way.

Please apply with your CV and cover letter detailing how you meet the essential criteria in the personal spec in the role profile.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is of strategic importance within the organisation and recognised as integral to all we do as a service.

Central to pursuing our EDI mission is building diverse and inclusive teams in which everyone has a sense of belonging. We believe inclusion is a social justice issue - a principle that underpins our all EDI work. To that end, we particularly welcome applications from people we would like to see better represented in our organisation and sector - people of colour, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people. We follow the social model of disability. We will offer an interview to disabled candidates who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident Interview Commitment where they meet our selection criteria in their application. Some of our roles attract a high volume of applications and in some circumstances where it is not practicable or appropriate, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled candidates. We will provide reasonable adjustments as needed.

We’re a flexible employer, so this role may suit anyone who’d prefer a flexible arrangement to help their work/life balance, many of our colleagues spend most of their time working remotely. Whilst we prefer a blended approach between a local office, if one is near you, and home we’re open to being flexible on location, occasionally a role may require you to be based in a certain location if that's the case it will be detailed in the advert or job description. This can be discussed in more detail during your interview.

The National Citizens Advice operates from offices in England and Wales, with 4 regional offices based in Cardiff, London, Birmingham and Leeds, therefore all successful applicants must be based within England or Wales.

Please be aware that Citizens Advice is not a sponsoring organisation. Therefore the successful applicant must already possess the right to work in the UK or be able to secure the right to work in the UK independently.

We have been awarded the top charity in Third sectors' employer index, where it's recognised that Citizens Advice is an organization that not only prioritizes the people we serve but also values the wellbeing of its employees.

Citizens Advice seeks to redeploy internal staff who are at risk or under notice of redundancy and will prioritise them in the recruitment process where necessary. If you have been confirmed as at risk or under notice of redundancy please ensure you indicate this in the at-risk box in your application.

Please note, in the event of a high number of applications, we reserve the right to close the application early.

This vacancy closes at 23.59 on the closing date.

For more information about the organisation, our values and benefits please see the following link - Information, values and benefits

Need help with your application, see our useful how to guides on the following page - Guidance notes for applicants