Chief People Officer in Manchester

We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted by Andrew Pattison, Chief Operating Officer and will take place on Wednesday 4th March at 12:00. The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about the application, and the interview and assessment process. Please register your interest by filling out this form and you will be sent an invitation. This will take place virtually, via Google Meets. If you wish to attend the session anonymously, and you are using a Google email address to join, please ensure that you have changed how your name appears before joining the call. Please note that the session will not be recorded.

As the Chief People Officer you will provide strategic leadership for a diverse portfolio encompassing HR, Workplace, and Security during a period of significant departmental evolution. Reporting to the Executive Board and advising Ministers, you will lead the People and Workplace (P&W) directorate of circa 65 to deliver a high-quality, agile HR service. You will be the architect of our future workforce and driving the DCMS People Strategy. You will also be key in ensuring the department delivers the landmark implementation of the NEO systems transformation in Summer 2026. This brings together five departments on one system as part of the Government Shared Services strategy. A further key priority will be strengthening our dual-headquarters model, ensuring visible leadership and increased representation across our London and Manchester offices.

Key responsibilities include:

• Driving the delivery of high-quality, professional HR services, ensuring senior leadership and line managers receive the expert guidance and streamlined support needed to lead their teams effectively.
• Acting as a core member of the executive board, providing expert counsel to Ministers and NEDs on complex people, property, and security matters.
• Leading the people-side of the HR/Finance system migration. This involves ensuring people, place and security processes utilise the new technology, redesigning P&W teams to maximise the benefits of the new NEO platform and supporting wider corporate transformation.
• Orchestrating the departmental workforce management strategy, focusing on organisational design, capability building, and regional growth in Manchester.
• Championing a values-led culture that prioritises equity and diversity, maintaining DCMS's ambition to be an inclusive employer of choice.
• Providing engaging workplaces by leading our dual-location strategy, collaborating with the Government Property Agency to meet official standards while actively relocating roles to our Northern HQ in Manchester.
• Prioritising the safety and security of DCMS staff and information, ensuring effective policies and governance are in place to meet Government Security standards.
• Overseeing the delivery of Government HR, Property, and Security standards across DCMS and its 42 Arms-Length Bodies.

About the Team

You will lead the friendly and dedicated People and Workplace (P&W) Directorate which comprises of circa 65 staff. You will be responsible for the HR, security, and property functions for DCMS, and will frequently collaborate with our family of 42 public bodies. The directorate also houses our people-centered change management team. Our mission is to create an inspiring, productive, and safe workplace where everyone belongs and thrives. We are proud of our high people engagement score of 74% and run various activities throughout the year to maintain our strong team culture. Our team is regionally dispersed, with approximately 40% of members based outside of London.

The directorate is structured into two core Deputy Director teams:

• Human Resources: follows a comprehensive operating model covering strategy, expert services, people development, business partnering, resourcing, and operations.
• Property, Workplace Services and Security: manages our office portfolio (in partnership with the GPA), physical and personal security, and business continuity.

We are currently embedding the DCMS People Strategy, focusing on building a future-ready, agile workforce and empowering staff through digital and AI skill development.

Person specification

The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience, please note that desirable skills will only be used in the event of tied candidates:

• Must have achieved CIPD Chartered Fellow membership (FCIPD) or be willing to work towards an experience assessment of this qualification upon commencement.
• Leadership: an authentic and visible leader with a proven track record of building, inspiring, and developing diverse, high-performing teams. You must demonstrate the ability to lead through ambiguity and foster a cohesive, values-led culture across a geographically dispersed workforce. You should demonstrate the acumen to add value to the organisation's senior management boards.
• Communicating and Influencing: outstanding interpersonal and political acumen, with the ability to establish immediate credibility and build trusting relationships at the highest levels. You must be able to navigate a complex landscape to facilitate senior decision-making and deliver successful outcomes.
• Seeing the Big Picture: translating overarching business strategies and departmental priorities into clear, deliverable people plans. You should have a track record of aligning people strategies to organisational goals using business insight, data analytics, and financial acumen.
• Changing and Improving: proven ability to lead organisational transformation by critically reviewing and reshaping organisational design and workforce planning, implementing innovative solutions that improve capability and prepare the department for the future. The capacity to lead large-scale transformational change across workplace systems, processes, and culture.
• Managing a Quality Service: a proven track record of delivering excellent HR, workforce, or OD services within an organisation of comparable scale and complexity. This includes a deep understanding of current best practices, managing organisational risk, and ensuring professional excellence in service delivery to meet customer demands.
• Experience or technical understanding of managing physical workplace functions, including facilities, security governance, or health and safety, particularly across multiple sites.