Head of People and Culture in Grimsby, Lincolnshire

Responsible To: Head of Operations; Chief Executive Officer

Salary: £38,000 (37.5 Hours)

Days / Times: Monday to Friday (Flexible working hours may be needed when necessary)

Locations: Town Centre

As this position will include working in our women only spaces (including Refuge), we are only accepting applications from women. (Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010 applies)

Job Purpose

These are VERY exciting times of change for us. We hope you will be interested in joining us on our journey. Womens Aid has grown tremendously in a very short time, both in size and in the delivery of services. Our paid staff team is now nearly 70, and this shows no signs of slowing down! We deliver varied and complex services such as refuge, outreach, housing, drop-ins, retail, online trading, children's support, training, etc. With this number of staff and approximately 140 active volunteers, capacity is stretched across leadership, operations, and income streams. We are developing a realistic management structure that supports this huge growth, strengthens leadership capacity and reduces operational overload. It ensures clear lines of accountability, protects service quality & compliance, but also enables us to ensure sustainable growth.

The Head of HR will help lead and develop the organisations strategy, ensuring that our managers and staff are supported, valued, and empowered to deliver high-quality services to survivors of domestic abuse. This role is pivotal in fostering a trauma-informed, inclusive, and resilient workplace culture, aligned with our values of compassion, integrity, and empowerment.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership
• Develop and implement a people strategy that supports organisational growth, staff wellbeing, and service excellence
• Advise the senior leadership team on HR matters, including workforce planning, organisational development, and change management
• Lead on equality, diversity, and inclusion initiatives across the organisation
• HR Operations
• Deliver all HR functions, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, supervision, appraisals, employee relations, and offboarding, with managers
• Support managers in official HR meetings ensuring robust procedures are followed. Support managers with HR meetings, giving advice and guidance to enable them to lead and ensure procedures are followed
• Develop HR policies and procedures, ensuring they are legally compliant, trauma-informed, and aligned with best practice
• Complement any external HR support services where applicable
• Implement new employment legislation and amend policies and procedures accordingly
• Staff Wellbeing and Development
• Champion staff wellbeing and mental health, ensuring a supportive and safe working environment
• Lead on management and implementation of staff development, training, and any progression pathways
• Support all managers in handling sensitive staff issues with compassion and professionalism
• Compliance and Risk Management
• Ensure compliance with employment law, safeguarding standards, and data protection regulations
• Ensure accurate HR records and reporting systems are maintained
• Contribute to business continuity planning and workforce resilience
• General Responsibilities
• To work as part of the Senior Management Team
• To work alone and on one's own initiative with due regard to lone working procedures
• To ensure good time management making use of our Outlook Calendars with all staff
• To participate in staff training, ensuring mandatory training is up-to-date and refreshed regularly
• To attend team meetings, external meetings and Trustee meetings as requested
• To be familiar with all policies of Womens Aid; to ensure policies are signed off as instructed; to ensure policies are implemented and adhered to at all times
• To work at all times in accordance with the confidentiality policy of Women's Aid
• To comply with data protection legislation, ensuring information sharing procedures are adhered to
• To ensure the highest standard of anti-discriminatory and equal opportunities practices are adhered to and to work in a non-judgmental way, within the guidelines of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice
• To work in a safe & responsible way, ensuring that safety & lone working procedures are followed
• To work in accordance with staff values and ethos as described in our staff agreement
• To work in a flexible and responsive manner to meet the changing needs of the service/project
• To assist with providing cover for absent Managers during periods of sickness, holidays, etc
• To carry out any other duties commensurate with the level of this post

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• CIPD Qualification Level 3 or above or equivalent
• Proven experience in a senior HR role
• Strong understanding of trauma-informed practice and its application in HR
• Demonstrated commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills
• Ability to handle sensitive and complex issues with discretion and empathy
• Excellent knowledge of employment law, protected characteristics and HR best practices
• Familiarity with HR systems and digital tools

Desirable Criteria

• Experience working in a domestic abuse, safeguarding, or trauma-related service
• Coaching or mediation qualifications
• Experience in organisational development or change management

Values and Culture

We are a values-led organisation committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and empowering environment for both our staff and the people we support.