Head of HR

We are at the heart of Birmingham City Council’s most essential asset – its People. Playing a vital role in shaping the future of the city and ensuring that key services reach those who need them most. With a focus on aligning workforce needs with organisational goals, our team supports, engages, and motivates the workforce to deliver exceptional services to Birmingham's citizens.

Whether it’s managing accurate payroll, ensuring safe recruitment, fostering positive employee relations, or driving inclusive policies, every decision we make has a direct impact on both employees and the community. We’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive, guided by our core principles of being helpful, open-minded, and delivering positive outcomes.

By working collaboratively across service areas, we provide expert guidance and support to colleagues, empowering them to focus on delivering vital front-line services. If you’re passionate about making a difference, this role gives you the opportunity to contribute to a forward-thinking, diverse, and vibrant city, creating lasting impact for both our employees and citizens.

The Head of HR will provide strategic leadership across key people initiatives, supporting the achievement of Directorate objectives and the wider organisational strategy. Overseeing a workforce of approximately 2,000 employees, this role requires a leader who can drive change, collaborate across functions, and lead HR projects in areas such as Early Careers, Staff Networks, Wellbeing, Workforce Strategy, Talent Management, and Diversity & Inclusion.

Working closely with other Heads of Service, the position will focus on delivering data-driven solutions using HRIS systems and analytics to improve service delivery. The role involves shaping HR strategies to align with the Directorate’s and organisational goals, while fostering a positive culture, building trust, and driving employee satisfaction in a fast-paced environment.

• Lead and execute HR strategies aligned with organisational goals, driving employee engagement, well-being, and productivity to foster a high-performance culture.
• Oversee key HR portfolios, including Early Careers, Wellbeing, Talent Management, and Diversity & Inclusion, ensuring initiatives are effective and cross-cutting within BCC.
• Lead HR-driven transformation efforts, managing change processes, and ensuring a positive employee experience during organisational transitions.
• Manage cross-functional collaboration with HR leaders, ensuring consistent and effective HR service delivery, while prioritising strategic goals and resource optimisation.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, including senior leaders, unions, and external partners, ensuring alignment with HR practices and organisational objectives.

About You: An experienced and forward-thinking people leader with a strong background in driving large-scale workforce transformation and organisational change within complex environments. Skilled in developing people strategies and interventions that align with business goals, bringing deep expertise in organisational development, cultural change, and policy design.

A strategic partner with a proven ability to analyse performance data and workforce insights to shape evidence-based solutions. Experienced in working collaboratively across functions and with Trade Unions, contributing to the design and delivery of impactful, inclusive, and digitally enabled people initiatives that enhance employee experience and support long-term organisational success.

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities we serve. Our data tells us that for this level of role, ethnic minorities are underrepresented and therefore we will use positive action to support us to achieve diverse shortlists.

Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people. We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.