Deputy Head of People

The University of Greenwich is proud of its heritage, impact and mission to transform lives through education. With a diverse and vibrant community, and a growing reputation for research, enterprise and student success, we are on an exciting journey to become the best modern university in the UK by 2030. To support this ambition, we are seeking an experienced and values-driven Deputy Director of People to help lead and shape the future of our People Directorate. The Deputy Director of People will provide high-level operational and strategic leadership across key areas of the People Directorate. Reporting to the Executive Director of People, the postholder will hold direct line management responsibility for four Senior People Business Partners and the Head of Employee Relations, Change and Business Analytics. The roleholder will be responsible for leading and enhancing the university’s approach to people management, supporting effective business partnering, driving forward change and transformation programmes, and ensuring robust employee relations frameworks are in place. The role will also have oversight of data-led insight and analytics to support informed decision-making across the institution. As a key member of the People Directorate Senior Management Team, the Deputy Director will contribute to the development and delivery of our people strategy, support the continual improvement of directorate-wide services, and promote a culture of partnership, trust and service excellence. We are seeking an individual with significant senior HR leadership experience in a complex organisation, ideally within the public or higher education sector. A sound knowledge of employment law, employee relations, strategic workforce planning and organisational development is essential. The role also requires excellent judgement, political awareness, and a collaborative, enabling leadership style aligned with our university’s values and ethos. You will be joining a People Directorate of around 54 passionate and committed professionals who serve staff across the university with a focus on excellence, partnership and care. Our teams include People Business Partnering, People Operations, Staff Visa Compliance, Organisational and People Development (OPD), and Employee Relations, Change and Business Analytics. From team meetings and away days to wellbeing initiatives, we take pride in supporting our people and celebrating their achievements. If you are excited by the opportunity to help shape a people-focused, inclusive and impactful university, we would love to hear from you. Should you have any recruitment related queries or should you require access to these documents in alternative formats, please contactour advising Principal Project Manager, Simon Epsley (simon.Employment Visa: Under the UK Government Points Based System scheme this role does meet the criteria to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker Route application. We are looking for people who can help us deliver our mission of transforming lives through inspired teaching and research, through our values. We are committed to building a strong, diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly encourage applications from applicants with protected characteristic(s), who are currently under-represented within the University of Greenwich at these levels/within these areas. We encourage applicants to disclose experience of mental health problems so we can support them fully during our recruitment process and make any necessary reasonable adjustments. We are making significant strides to understand and continuously improve our employees’ experience and we are committed to implementing progressive diversity talent management. #