People Manager in City of London

ABOUT VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

Vivienne Westwood is one of the most iconic British fashion brands, renowned for its heritage, innovative design, and commitment to culture and activism. We care deeply about our people and the environment, and our core values - Gaia, Quality not Quantity, Activism, Culture & Heritage - guide us daily. If you share our passion for creativity, sustainability, and innovation, we’d love to hear from you.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The People Manager is responsible for the overall effectiveness of the People function. Reporting to the Global HR Director, the role balances strategic advice with hands-on operational leadership and accountability for a generalist People team. Working closely with senior stakeholders across the business, the role provides trusted guidance on employee relations, organisational change, workforce planning, performance, reward, wellbeing, and People operations. It also involves direct support to the Global HR Director on People priorities, complex cases, and strategic initiatives as required. The focus is on delivering consistent, high-quality People practices across the employee lifecycle within a creative organisation. This role is full time on a 1 year FTC, and based onsite at the Head Office in Battersea, London.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategic People Leadership
  • Support the Global HR Director to shape and deliver the People strategy, acting as a senior advisor on organisational design, workforce planning, People risk, and culture.
  • Translate strategic priorities set by the Global HR Director into practical People plans, using People data, metrics, and insight to inform decisions and delivery.
• HR Operations, Governance & Employee Relations
  • Hold accountability for the compliant and consistent delivery of the full employee lifecycle across the organisation, ensuring robust governance of People policies and practices in line with UK employment legislation and best practice.
  • Ensure effective operational delivery through the People team across contracts, onboarding and offboarding, recruitment, systems, data integrity, reporting and internal People communications, maintaining clear standards, quality control and alignment with workforce plans set by the Director.
  • Lead complex and high-risk ER matters, including investigation, disciplinary, grievance, performance, absence, and organisational change.
• Performance & Capability
  • Ensure effective delivery of performance and capability frameworks through the People team, including probation management, performance reviews and performance improvement processes.
  • Oversee the development and delivery of in-house training programmes, ensuring alignment with business needs and capability gaps.
  • Manage the effective use of the LMS platform, including content creation, reporting, compliance tracking and continuous improvement.
  • Oversee relationships with external training providers, ensuring quality, value for money and alignment with development priorities.
  • Equip managers with clear guidance, training and tools to manage performance effectively, maintaining quality control and audit oversight of team delivery.
• Payroll & Reward
  • Ensure accurate and timely provision of People data and reward inputs to Finance and Payroll, maintaining robust internal checks and controls within the People team.
  • Oversee the administration of Director-approved pay, bonus and retail commission frameworks, ensuring information provided for calculation and payment is complete and accurate.
  • Work in close collaboration with Finance and the Payroll Manager to resolve queries, manage risk and ensure smooth execution of payroll and commission processes.
• Wellbeing, Risk & Compliance
  • Support and provide oversight to the People team in the management of health-related cases, including disability, reasonable adjustments, Occupational Health referrals and Equality Act considerations, ensuring fair, compliant and risk-aware outcomes.
  • Ensure appropriate frameworks and guidance are in place to support employee wellbeing, inclusion and health-related risk management.
  • Partner with Office Management on People-related risk and health and safety matters.
  • Contribute to audits, risk assessments, and continuous improvement of People governance and compliance.
• CSR & Early Careers
  • Ensure effective delivery of People-related support to CSR initiatives through the People Leads, including provision of workforce data, policy alignment and employee volunteering coordination.
  • Maintain oversight of the accuracy and integrity of People data provided for sustainability and reporting purposes.
  • Oversee the operational delivery of early careers and educational programmes through the People Team, including the intern programme and associated development initiatives.
• Stakeholder & Advisory Management
  • Work closely with senior stakeholders and cross-functional leaders across the UK, EU, US and Thailand to support the delivery of People initiatives, organisational change and risk mitigation.
  • Manage relationships with external People advisers, including legal counsel and specialist consultants, ensuring appropriate support on complex cases, compliance matters and transformation activity.
• People Team Leadership
  • Lead and line manage the People team, setting clear standards, priorities and accountability, ensuring delivery aligns with strategic direction set by the Director.
  • Maintain full oversight of team activity and output across all People functions, providing guidance, quality control and escalation management where required.
  • Develop team capability across employee relations, stakeholder management and pragmatic problem-solving, balancing effective delegation with hands-on support where necessary.

(Please note this is not an exhaustive list of duties and you may be required to perform additional duties to fulfil the requirements of the role)

PROFILE & KEY SKILLS

• 5+ years in a senior generalist HR/People role within a complex or multi-disciplinary organisation.
• Proven capability leading complex employee relations matters, organisational change, and People risk.
• Strong experience overseeing the full employee lifecycle, HR operations, and People governance.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing HR/People teams, including delegation, coaching, and quality assurance.
• Highly effective communicator, able to influence, challenge, and provide clear, pragmatic advice to senior stakeholders and managers.
• Adaptable and resilient, with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities and respond effectively to changing business needs.
• Solid working knowledge of UK employment legislation and HR best practice.
• Experience overseeing reward, payroll, benefits, and performance frameworks, with appropriate governance and controls.
• Exposure to immigration, right-to-work, and sponsorship processes.
• Confident stakeholder manager with experience partnering senior leaders across functions and geographies.
• Comfortable working with People data, systems, and reporting to inform decisions and improve capability.

BENEFITS

• Staff discounts
• Health & Wellbeing support (includes Private Medical Health Insurance, EAP, Gym Discounts, Access to Financial Planning Service, etc.)
• Perkbox Discounts and Wellness Hub
• Cycle to work scheme
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Pension Scheme
• Training and hands-on experience
• Opportunities to build new skills and gain valuable industry knowledge

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis, so we recommend applying early to avoid missing out.

Vivienne Westwood is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by local government laws.