Head of People Strategy and Governance

We are looking for a Head of People Strategy and Governance to drive strategic objectives of SGN by establishing clear governance, decision-making and assurance arrangements across the People function. You will be responsible for acting as a strategic partner to the CPO and People Leadership Team, enhancing operational effectiveness, streamlining decision-making, and optimising communication. You will serve as a trusted advisor to the CPO, ensuring that priorities are translated into structured plans, decisions are made at the right level, actions are tracked to completion and People activity is aligned to Executive and Board expectations.

Here’s how you will contribute…

• Lead and coordinate the People function’s strategic programme, developing and maintaining a roadmap that aligns priorities, key milestones, governance activities, and business objectives.
• Drive effective governance and accountability across the People function, ensuring clear decision-making process, risk management, tracking and delivery.
• Provide strategic support to the Chief People Officer, preparing high-quality presentations, briefings, and reports that enable informed decision-making and effective engagement with internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop meaningful people insights and performance reporting, creating dashboards, KPI scorecards, and data-driven updates that measure progress against strategic and operational goals.
• Champion continuous improvement and operational excellence, identifying opportunities to streamline processes, enhance collaboration, and improve the quality and efficiency of People team outputs.
• Build strong relationships across the organisation and beyond, partnering with leaders, business functions, regulators, and external stakeholders to align priorities, support transformation initiatives, and deliver positive outcomes.
• Oversee People function planning and financial management, including budget forecasting, performance monitoring, and resource planning to support the successful delivery of strategic objectives.

What you will need:

• Demonstrated experience leading strategic programmes and transformation initiatives, with the ability to align activities to organisational goals and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Strong understanding of governance, risk management, assurance and performance frameworks, ideally gained within a regulated or complex organisational environment.
• Ability to think strategically and solve complex challenges, translating information and insights into clear priorities, recommendations and actions.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships and present complex information in a clear, accessible and impactful way.
• Proven project and programme management capability, successfully coordinating multiple priorities, workstreams and stakeholders to achieve shared objectives.
• Experience supporting senior leadership teams and governance forums, including Executive, Board or committee-level reporting, decision-making processes and action tracking.
• Knowledge of utilities, infrastructure or other regulated sectors is advantageous, although we welcome applications from candidates with transferable experience from similarly complex environments.

If this role interests you but you’re not sure you tick every box, we’d still love to hear from you. You might be just who we’re looking for – now or in the future.

Why SGN?

SGN leads pioneering research and development for a net-zero energy system. Our innovative technologies are transforming the gas industry while keeping people safe and warm. We are an award-winning employer, including CCA Gold Awards for Great Places to Work and Inclusivity and Accessibility, and a proud Gold member of the Armed Forces Covenant.

If you require any accommodations or support during the application process, reach out to us. We're here to help ensure an inclusive and accessible experience for everyone.