Strategic People Lead (Belonging, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion)

Job Advert Are you a dynamic and experienced Senior HR Professional with a passion for driving positive change and an expert in fostering a culture of belonging and engagement? Do you excel at being an influential leader with confidence to challenge the status quo? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, we want to hear from you! Join us at Mencap as our People Partner and be the driving force behind our organisational transformation. We have an exciting new opportunity for a Strategic People Lead to join our team on a full-time, permanent basis. We can be flexible on the location of this role, but you will need to travel to locations across England, Wales, NI and Scotland as and when required. As a Strategic People Lead, you will work closely with Executive Directors and key stakeholders to lead and deliver the people agenda for your respective Directorates. This is a senior-level role, instrumental in aligning the organisational strategy with a forward-thinking and impactful people plan. This role is responsible for driving Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Lead and champion BEDI across the organisation, embedding principles of belonging and inclusion into all Mencap’s people strategies, policies, and practices, and ensuring a culture where everyone feels valued and empowered to thrive. What you will be doing: Develop trusted relationships with stakeholders at all levels and act as the strategic partner to the Executive Directors. Lead the people agenda for the Directorates, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and fostering a culture which aligns with Mencap Values. Champion change initiatives, providing independent voice and constructive critique to drive continuous improvement. Influence and contribute to the organisation-wide people plan as part of the People Leadership Team, focusing on strategy development. Manage and mentor operational business partners, building a proactive, high-performing team focused on value-adding interventions. Drive key people projects, ensuring they are successfully embedded across the organisation and adopted by colleagues and volunteers. Lead thought leadership in at least one strategic area (e.g., talent management, workforce planning, organisational design, or Belonging, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion). Leverage people data to identify trends, generate insights, and implement data-driven improvements. You will lead a team of People of Partners to achieve your strategic aims.It is not essential to have previous experience within the Charity or Social Care sector. We are open to consider any background, but you must have experience of working in a People Leadership role within a large organisation. If this position sounds like you then please apply now by uploading an up to date CV and a cover letter that outlines why you would be the perfect person for the job. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and welcome applicants with disabilities to apply for all roles with us. To find out more about the scheme please visit the direct gov website. We are an equitable, diverse and inclusive organisation and we particularly welcome and encourage disabled applicants and those from the Black and Asian communities to apply for the role as they are under-represented within the workforce. *Please note*The application closing date for the role will be on Monday 16th December. First stage interviews will be held before Christmas with second stage interviews to follow w/c 6th January 2025. Job # 33006 We are also recruiting to a Strategic People Lead focussing on organisation design, change and performance. If this suits your skill set more, please apply on job ID: 33007. Benefits In addition to knowing that your work positively impacts people’s lives, you will receive fair pay and enjoy a comprehensive range of rewards and benefits as one of our employees. (T&Cs apply based on contract). Holiday Entitlement: 32 days of holiday (including bank holidays), increasing to 35 days with long service, plus the option to purchase up to 10 additional days through our Holiday Plus scheme. Sick Pay: Service-related sick pay available after completing a 6-month probation period. Pension Plan: Eligibility to join the Mencap Pension Plan, with Mencap matching contributions up to 5% on a salary sacrifice basis, providing National Insurance savings. If you don’t join the Plan initially, you will be auto-enrolled after three months. Additional Benefits: Membership in the Mencap Pension Plan includes up to 3 times salary death in service life cover and Income Protection of 50% salary, activated after 26 weeks of long-term sickness. Loans: Access to loans for debt consolidation, bikes, computers, and phones after 6 months of service, as well as interest-free season ticket loans. Discounts and Cashback: Discounts and cashback ranging from 3% to 30% at high street shops, including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays, and more through Mencap Extras. Health Cash Plan: Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy, etc. Employee Assistance Program: Free access to a 24/7 employee assistance for advice and support. Recognition and Awards: Quarterly award scheme and recognition every 5 years through our You Rock program. Training and Development: Access to fantastic leadership training and further development opportunities. About Mencap We work in partnership with people with a learning disability, and all our services support people to live life as they choose. Everyone wants a purposeful job – to do something meaningful. At Mencap, we can give you that. You will have opportunities to develop as a person, colleague, leader and activist. We want to make you feel inspired to reach your potential. Our work includes; providing high-quality, flexible services that allow people to live as independently as possible in a place they choose providing advice through our help lines and web sites