People & Culture Manager in Southampton

Shape our people strategy. Lead with purpose. Make a difference.

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 30 per week, to be worked at least 4 days a week

Salary: £45,000 FTE (pro-rata for 30 hours)

About us

Social Care in Action (SCiA) is a values-driven charity with over 30 years experience in supporting people across Southampton and the surrounding areas to live independently, stay connected, and thrive. With services spanning home care, extra care, specialist care, day services, and community transport, our teams make a meaningful difference every day. Our people are central to everything we do. As we continue to strengthen our culture, modernise our people practices, and support high-performing teams, this role is essential to our future. With a workforce of circa 180 staff and ambitious plans to grow in line with service expansion, we are at an exciting point in our journey. We are actively investing in the transformation of our people practices and the digitalisation of our HR systems, with Employment Hero at the centre of that work. This role will play a key part in driving that agenda forward, helping us build the scalable, modern and data-informed people function our organisation needs to thrive.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced, confident and values-led HR professional to lead the operational delivery of our People & Culture function. This is a key leadership role within the organisation, acting as the senior operational expert responsible for employee relations, compliance, safer recruitment, workforce data, and day-to-day support to managers. You will work closely with the Head of People & Culture to translate organisational strategy into operational practice, ensuring managers feel supported, policies are applied consistently, and our culture continues to strengthen. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a broad generalist environment, enjoys a mix of casework, system improvements, coaching managers to provide the best leadership to our workforce.

What You'll Be Doing

• Operational People & Culture Leadership
  • Lead day-to-day operational delivery of the People and Culture function, ensuring a responsive, professional, and values-driven service.
  • Translate the organisational People and Culture strategy into clear operational plans and priorities.
  • Act as the primary point of contact for operational people matters, ensuring consistency and fairness across all services.
  • Embed organisational values and behaviours through people processes and management practice.
• Employee Relations & Case Management
  • Lead on employee relations cases including absence, performance, disciplinary, grievance, and capability processes.
  • Manage cases in a timely, proportionate, and legally compliant manner, coaching and guiding managers throughout.
  • Prepare and quality-assure documentation, investigation processes, and outcome letters to ensure robust, defensible outcomes.
  • Escalate complex or high-risk matters, such as TUPE, restructures, or safeguarding-related issues, to the Head of People and Culture, as appropriate.
• Policy, Governance & Compliance
  • Lead the development, implementation, and review of people policies and procedures in line with employment law, social care regulations, and organisational values.
  • Ensure compliance with safer recruitment standards, GDPR, CQC expectations, and internal governance requirements.
  • Maintain accurate records and audit trails to support inspections and external scrutiny.
  • Contribute to identifying and mitigating people-related risks, supporting the People Risk Register.
• Recruitment, Workforce & Talent Management
  • Oversee operational recruitment processes to ensure safe, efficient, and values-based hiring across all roles.
  • Support workforce planning, recruitment pipelines, and onboarding to ensure services are appropriately staffed.
  • Ensure induction, probation, and mandatory training processes are consistently applied and monitored.
  • Contribute to retention initiatives and workforce insight through data analysis and feedback.
• People Data, Systems & Reporting
  • Oversee the accuracy and integrity of workforce data within Employment Hero and all people records.
  • Produce regular people management reports, dashboards, and insights to support senior leadership decision-making.
  • Monitor key metrics, including absence, turnover, and recruitment activity, identifying trends and improvement opportunities.
  • Support continuous improvement of people systems, including automation and efficiency enhancements.
• Team Leadership & Development
  • Line manage People and Culture team members, providing supervision, coaching, and performance management.
  • Foster a supportive, high-performing team culture that reflects organisational values.
  • Ensure team members maintain professional competence and access appropriate learning and development opportunities.

What We're Looking For

Essential

• Demonstrable experience in a generalist HR or People and Culture role, ideally at manager or senior advisor level.
• Proven expertise in employee relations case management, including disciplinary, grievance, and capability processes.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law, GDPR, and HR best practice.
• Experience of developing, reviewing, and implementing HR policies and procedures.
• Confident communicator with the ability to coach and influence managers at all levels.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret workforce data and produce meaningful insights.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage a varied caseload and competing priorities.
• Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and values-led working.
• Confidence operating as the most senior HR practitioner on site.
• CIPD Level 5 (or working towards), or equivalent professional qualification.

Desirable

• Experience within a social care, health, or regulated environment.
• Familiarity with Employment Hero or similar HRIS platforms.
• Experience managing or mentoring a small HR team.
• Understanding of CQC requirements and safer recruitment standards.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Managers feel confident, supported and equipped to lead their teams.
• Casework is resolved promptly, fairly and with strong governance.
• Policies, systems and compliance processes are clear, consistent and up to date.
• Retention of our workforce is reduced and aligns with at least national averages.
• Recruitment pipelines are strengthened and time-to-hire is reduced.
• Workforce data is reliable, insightful and drives informed decision-making.
• A high-performing, values-driven People & Culture team is thriving.

Our Values

We are guided by a clear set of behavioural competencies that underpin everything we do:

• Puts people at the centre of everything they do
• Earns trust through their actions
• Works closely with our communities
• Collaborates to make a difference
• Aims high and leads by example

These are not just words on a wall, they shape how we recruit, how we lead, and how we hold ourselves accountable. We are looking for someone who genuinely lives these values.

Why Join Us?

• A meaningful role in an organisation that is genuinely committed to the people it serves.
• Autonomy to lead the People and Culture function operationally with the support of a collaborative senior team.
• Opportunity to shape culture, embed best practice, and grow as a professional.
• A supportive line manager in the Head of People and Culture, with clear escalation pathways for complex matters.
• A committed, values-driven team around you.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter outlining how your experience meets the requirements of this role and why you are motivated to join our organisation. We are committed to safer recruitment practices and all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.