Assistant Director of HR – Strategy, Change and Transformation

Join our team at Queen Mary, as the Assistant Director of HR - Strategy, Change and Transformation, where you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our workforce.

In this critical leadership position, you'll report directly to the Director of HR and working closely the HR leadership team drive strategic initiatives and ensure the delivery of a highly effective HR service that supports managers to develop a people-oriented, high-performance culture that emphasises engagement, productivity and quality and is aligned with the University Strategy 2030.

The Post holder will lead and oversee the following specific services:

• Employee Relations and Policy – Providing expertise on effective ER casework management, policy development and review, policy implementation support and coaching of managers on policy implementation, partnership working and engagement with trade unions.
• Change and Transformation Team - Providing advice and support on organisational design and the development and implementation of cross cutting/organisation wide change and transformation initiatives.
• Strategic HR Business Partners – senior HR colleagues aligned to a Faculty / Professional Services Directorate, supporting translation of HR strategy across the University, acting as a strategic advisor to leaders, aligning HR initiatives with overall University objectives to drive organizational success. The Strategic Partners focus on workforce planning, talent management, and fostering a positive work environment. 

The post holder will be a member of the HR Leadership team (HRLT) and a member of the Senior Professional Services Group, working with other senior colleagues across Professional Services.

The Post holder will ensure that the services they lead:

• Deliver, facilitate, support and embed effective and joined up people management practices across the University,
• Provide strategic HR advice and guidance to enable Queen Mary to meet its strategic priorities and key objectives,
• Build management capabilities supporting a positive working environment

What we are looking for

• A strategic HR leader with significant HR leadership experience in a large, complex organisation and a track record of delivering people-focused change.
• Proven ability to lead, inspire and develop high-performing HR teams, with a collaborative and empowering approach.
• Flexible and agile, adapting to changing and complex situations
• Able to influence at the highest level
• Customer-focused mindset, with a service improvement focus, using data and feed back to develop services and positive impact
• Significant expertise in employee relations, partnership working and trade union negotiations, workforce planning, organisational design, change management, talent management and succession planning
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation, HR best practices and emerging trends, with the ability to turn insight into action.
• The successful candidate will be educated to degree level in a relevant subject area (or equivalent experience) and be a Chartered Fellow or Member of the CIPD (or equivalent through professional HR experience.

About the Department

The HR Function sits within Professional Services and is part of the Chief Operations Officers remit.

About Queen Mary

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

Benefits

We offer competitive salaries, access to a generous pension scheme, 30 days’ leave per annum (pro-rata for part-time/fixed-term), a season ticket loan scheme and access to a comprehensive range of personal and professional development opportunities. In addition, we offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, inclusive employment policies, campus facilities and flexible working arrangements.

The post is based at Department W (Whitechapel). It is full time, permanent appointment role, with an expected start date of October 2025. The starting salary will be in the range of £76,952 - £84,329 per annum.

Queen Mary’s commitment to our diverse and inclusive community is embedded in our appointments processes. Reasonable adjustments will be made at each stage of the recruitment process for any candidate with a disability. We are open to considering applications from candidates wishing to work flexibly.

Informal enquiries should be addressed to:

HR Director, Louise Lester at l.lester@qmul.ac.uk

To further details and to apply for the role, please click the ‘Apply’ button above.

The closing date for applications is Monday 14^th July 2025

Interviews are expected to be held w/c 28^th July 2025 or shortly thereafter.

Valuing Diversity & Committed to Equality