Head of People Services

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Do you want to be an integral part of the GCA HR team and drive the success of the HR/People Strategy through its people.

Ready to turn strategy into impact? As our Head of People Services, you will lead a dynamic team to champion digital innovation, shape organisational culture, and drive the HR strategy that delivers value for the nation. Are you ready to lead the way?

Job Summary

The Head of People Services plays a central and pivotal role as member of the HR Senior Leadership Team (SLT), reporting directly to the Head of HR.

This role is critical in shaping the future of the GCA organisation and the HR profession

This role will be responsible for leading and line managing the Head of HR Operations, Head of HR Strategy, Reward and Policy, HR Data and Systems Lead and Head of Resourcing and Talent.

The post holder will also be responsible for leading the functional delivery of HR People Services; driving the people agenda, coaching senior leaders through complex people challenges, and supporting effective business delivery through the HR/People plan.

In addition to the above, the post holder will be responsible for the strategic oversight for developing and running the ERP, the Trade Union relationships/consultation, Strategic Workforce Planning and pay award. The role will lead a team of circa c15 FTE, with the majority of that team being based in Liverpool.

Key Accountabilities:

Strategic Leadership & Senior Stakeholder Interface

• Expert Advisory: Act as a key advisor to the Executive Committee (ExCo), HR Senior Leadership Team (SLT), and business leaders, providing data-driven insights, robust challenge, and strategic direction on all people-related matters.

• Stakeholder & Industry Influence: Build and maintain high-level relationships across the organisation, wider government, and industry to influence decision-making and align the People Strategy with enterprise priorities.

• Trade Union Relations: Act as the primary strategic interface with recognised Trade Unions; leading formal negotiations, collective consultations, and the annual pay award process to enable organizational transformation while mitigating risk.

Service Delivery, Operations & Digital Transformation

• Customer-Centric Operations: Lead the design and end-to-end delivery of HR services to employees and managers, ensuring operations meet defined quality, performance, and functional standards.

• Digital Roadmap: Own and champion the long-term HR Information Systems (HRIS) strategy and digital infrastructure to optimise data insights and deliver an excellent user experience.

• Financial Control: Oversee the HR functions budget, ensuring robust financial management, value for money, and the strategic allocation of resources across service lines.

Capability, Performance & Reward

• Workforce Capability: Drive coherent strategic workforce planning and lead the development of enterprise-wide talent attraction and resourcing initiatives.

• Performance Culture: Design and implement model policies that optimise employee performance, drive agility, and ensure continuous improvement in line with organisational outcomes.

• Total Reward: Design and evolve competitive reward and recognition packages that position the organisation as an Employer of Choice, ensuring strict alignment with Civil Service reward principles and wider industry benchmarks.

Governance, Culture & Team Leadership

• Risk & Compliance: Lead organisational people risk management; architecting mitigation strategies for systemic workforce risks and ensuring alignment with internal controls and cross-government functional standards.

• Cross-Government Consistency: Partner with HR Centres of Excellence to champion strategic change initiatives across inclusion and diversity, policy and reward and employee relations, maximising consistency with wider Civil Service objectives.

• People Leadership: Directly lead and manage team members, fostering a high-performance, collaborative culture through regular feedback, coaching, and proactive staff development.

Essential Criteria (to be assessed at application stage):

• The successful candidate will be required to be a Chartered Member of the CIPD or demonstrate equivalent Senior HR experience and professional qualifications

• Proven track record of successful leadership experience at Senior HR level and ability to lead strategic HR initiatives and transformational change programmes.

• Ability to interpret and use complex workforce data to inform strategic decisions.

• Proven ability to influence and build credible relationships with colleagues, external partners (including trade unions), and senior stakeholders with ability to influence at executive level.

• Evidence of delivering continuous improvement and digital transformation in HR services.

Assessment

Shortlisted candidates will complete Alternative Leadership Assessment. These assessments are not pass/fail; instead, they provide insights to help the panel explore specific areas during your interview. For more information, read the gatenby sanderson assessment types.