Talent & Culture Manager

Salary - £61,399 - £65,157 (negotiable dependent on experience)

Hybrid and flexible working (50/50)

Location: Wallingford, Bangor, Lancaster, Edinburgh

Closing date: Monday 1 June 2026. We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.

Are you an experienced Talent & Culture Manager, learning and development lead or transformation lead who enjoys driving positive change and helping people do their best work? Reporting to the Head of People and leading a small talent team, we’re seeking a thoughtful and strategic professional to join our People team on a 12-month maternity cover from August 2026. You’ll lead a collaborative, values-driven team, shaping and delivering organisation-wide learning and leading on transformation initiatives that build capability, strengthen culture, and support our people to thrive.

As a trusted partner, you’ll work closely with senior leaders to shape and deliver people development and transformation solutions aligned to UKCEH’s goals. You’ll translate strategic priorities into practical action, with a particular focus on leading an exciting culture transformation programme.

In this senior role, you’ll play a key part in strengthening leadership capability, enhancing the employee experience, and supporting inclusive, high-performing ways of working. You’ll build strong relationships and confidently influence senior stakeholders across the organisation.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Leading, supporting and coaching a team, creating a positive, collaborative environment and encouraging growth through a coaching-led approach.
• Leading a UKCEH-wide culture transformation programme, designing, delivering and evaluating initiatives that support leadership capability, behaviours, inclusion and overall employee experience.
• Working in partnership with senior leaders to understand organisational development needs and help shape these into clear, achievable plans.
• Designing and commissioning learning and organisational development activities, ensuring they are aligned with business priorities and reflect inclusive, thoughtful practices.
• Building internal capability for learning delivery, supporting colleagues and leaders to share knowledge and develop others.
• Supporting the early careers advisor with the development of early career researchers, including employees and students, helping to nurture future talent across UKCEH.
• Using data and insight to understand impact, helping to ensure people development and culture initiatives continue to evolve and add value.
• Overseeing career development and internal progression processes, ensuring fairness, consistency and alignment with UKCEH frameworks.
• Contributing to wider people initiatives, including workforce planning, recruitment and EEDI activity where appropriate.

There’s never been a more exciting time to join UKCEH. Our new five-year strategy, launched in 2024, has sparked a wave of energy and optimism across the organisation, ushering in a period of transformation and renewal. This is an opportunity to contribute to a new chapter in UKCEH’s story: to help translate vision into action, foster innovation, and ensure that every part of the organisation is connected by a clear and purposeful ‘golden thread’ from strategy through to delivery, making a significant impact on the future of environmental science.

For this role we’re looking for someone with a genuine passion for learning, culture and organisational development - someone who thrives in a collaborative environment, brings fresh thinking, and is motivated by making a meaningful difference, while approaching their work with professionalism, care and a focus on delivering high-quality outcomes.

For the role of Talent & Culture Manager, we’re looking for somebody who:

• Brings professional qualifications or equivalent experience within a senior L&D, OD or people development role.
• Has proven experience leading or supporting organisational change and shaping positive, inclusive cultures - ideally within complex or multi-site environments.
• Can translate strategic priorities into clear, practical, and time-bound people and culture initiatives, delivering meaningful impact within a fixed-term remit.
• Has a track record of leading, managing, and developing teams, keeping energy and momentum high through periods of change or transition. Strong coaching and facilitation skills are essential.
• Communicates with clarity and confidence, tailoring messages to different audiences.
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement, with the ability to influence, advise, and constructively challenge senior leaders and can build credibility and strong relationships at senior levels.
• Takes a thoughtful, evidence-based approach to decision-making, balancing long-term vision with the need to deliver in the here and now.
• Is open to travelling across UKCEH sites when needed, supporting collaboration and connection across the organisation.

Desirable: Brings experience or an understanding of Equality, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (EEDI), with the ability to embed inclusive practices across recruitment, learning, organisational culture, and leadership.

Apply Today – Supporting Statement Questions

If this opportunity excites you and aligns with your career goals, we’d love to hear from you. Please submit your CV along with a covering letter highlighting your most relevant qualifications, skills, and experience. We’re particularly interested in hearing about your experience of leading or contributing to culture or organisational development initiatives.

Working for UKCEH is rewarding. We appreciate the continuous dedication and contributions of our staff, which is why we provide a comprehensive benefits package that includes financial incentives and wellbeing-oriented perks, such as:

• 27 days annual leave (rising to 29 days after 5 years’ service) plus 3 days for Christmas closure.
• 10% employer pension contribution.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements (role dependant).
• Peer reward and recognition scheme.
• Dental insurance, gym/fitness discounts, retail discount portal.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• 24-hour, 365-day support with physical, mental, social, health or financial issues and much more...

At UKCEH, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone—regardless of background, identity, ability, or circumstance—has the opportunity to thrive. As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from neurodivergent candidates and those with disabilities. We are happy to provide any adjustments or support you may need throughout the application process—please don’t hesitate to reach out. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we’d love to hear from you anyway. You may be just the right fit for this role or another within our wider team.

Please note: Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role, and this does not qualify for endorsement to support a Global Talent Visa application. If you are considering pursuing self-sponsorship, please indicate this in your application so we can take it into account during the recruitment process.