Director of People and Culture

People & Culture DirectorLocation: London (Hybrid – 3 days in the office)
Salary: £95,000–£110,000 depending on experience

The Opportunity We are delighted to be partnering with a Housing Association in London to recruit a People & Culture Director to lead and deliver its people strategy, drive organisational effectiveness and shape the future of its HR function.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for an experienced HR professional with a strong background in the Housing Association sector, combining strategic vision with expertise across employee relations, workforce planning, recruitment and HR transformation.

You will lead an established senior team, with the Head of People, ER Lead and Senior HR BP reporting directly into you. You will play a pivotal role in ensuring the organisation remains compliant with evolving employment legislation, including the Employment Rights Act (ERA), while embracing AI and technology to modernise People processes and improve organisational effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

• People Strategy: Design and deliver a comprehensive People & Culture strategy aligned with organisational objectives, driving engagement, performance and workforce effectiveness.

• Leadership & Team Development: Lead and develop a senior HR team comprising the Head of People, ER Lead and Head of Business Partnering, ensuring clear accountability, effective collaboration and high-quality service delivery.

• Employment Legislation: Ensure compliance with employment law, including the Employment Rights Act (ERA), providing expert guidance on legislative changes and their impact on the organisation.

• Recruitment & Talent: Oversee recruitment and talent acquisition, ensuring effective processes are in place to attract, recruit and retain high-quality talent.

• AI & Innovation: Identify opportunities to adopt AI and digital solutions across People processes, improving efficiency, automation and the employee experience.

• HRIS Transformation: Lead the selection of a new HR Information System (HRIS), ensuring the chosen solution meets the organisation's current and future needs.

• Employee Relations: Provide strategic oversight of complex employee relations casework, including disciplinary, grievance, performance and other sensitive employment matters. Experience representing an organisation at Employment Tribunals would be advantageous.

• Workforce Planning: Lead workforce planning and organisational design, ensuring the organisation has the capability and structure required to deliver its objectives.

• HR Team Restructuring: Review and reshape the HR function where required, ensuring the team is appropriately structured, resourced and equipped to deliver against organisational priorities.

• Leadership & Stakeholder Management: As a member of the SLT, work with key stakeholders to influence decision-making, manage organisational change and embed a positive, inclusive workplace culture.

Skills & Experience

• Essential: Significant HR leadership experience within the Housing Association sector.

• Essential: Proven leadership and people management experience, including leading senior HR professionals and managing a multi-disciplinary HR function.

• Essential: CIPD Level 5 qualification or above.

• Essential: Proven experience designing and delivering a People & Culture strategy.

• Experience overseeing recruitment and talent acquisition.

• Strong knowledge of employment legislation, including the Employment Rights Act (ERA), and the ability to translate legislative changes into practical action.

• Experience adopting AI and technology to improve HR processes.

• Experience leading the selection of a new HRIS, ideally including implementation and change management.

• Extensive experience managing complex employee relations casework; Employment Tribunal experience would be advantageous.

• Proven experience in workforce planning, organisational design and restructuring an HR team.

• Strong leadership, stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to balance strategic priorities with operational delivery.

• Desirable: CIPD Level 7 qualification.

Working Arrangements & Salary

• Salary: £95,000–£110,000 depending on experience.

• Location: London.

• Working pattern: Hybrid, with three days per week in the office.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced People & Culture leader to make a significant impact within a Housing Association, leading a senior HR team, shaping the people agenda and modernising HR processes to support the organisation's future ambitions.

If you are interested in this role and have the essential experience, please reach out to my email address at