Deputy Director of People

The University of Greenwich is proud of its heritage, impact and mission to transform lives through education. With a diverse and vibrant community, and a growing reputation for research, enterprise and student success, we are on an exciting journey to become the best modern university in the UK by 2030.

To support this ambition, we are seeking an experienced and values-driven Deputy Director of People to help lead and shape the future of our People Directorate.

The Role

The Deputy Director of People will provide high-level operational and strategic leadership across key areas of the People Directorate. Reporting to the Executive Director of People, the postholder will hold direct line management responsibility for four Senior People Business Partners and the Head of Employee Relations, Change and Business Analytics.

The roleholder will be responsible for leading and enhancing the university’s approach to people management, supporting effective business partnering, driving forward change and transformation programmes, and ensuring robust employee relations frameworks are in place. The role will also have oversight of data-led insight and analytics to support informed decision-making across the institution.

As a key member of the People Directorate Senior Management Team, the Deputy Director will contribute to the development and delivery of our people strategy, support the continual improvement of directorate-wide services, and promote a culture of partnership, trust and service excellence.

About You

We are seeking an individual with significant senior HR leadership experience in a complex organisation, ideally within the public or higher education sector. The successful candidate will bring a proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, navigate organisational change, and build positive and productive relationships with senior stakeholders, including trade union representatives.

A sound knowledge of employment law, employee relations, strategic workforce planning and organisational development is essential. The role also requires excellent judgement, political awareness, and a collaborative, enabling leadership style aligned with our university’s values and ethos.

Why Greenwich?

You will be joining a People Directorate of around 54 passionate and committed professionals who serve staff across the university with a focus on excellence, partnership and care. Our teams include People Business Partnering, People Operations, Staff Visa Compliance, Organisational and People Development (OPD), and Employee Relations, Change and Business Analytics.

We foster a culture of collaboration, wellbeing and continuous improvement. From team meetings and away days to wellbeing initiatives, we take pride in supporting our people and celebrating their achievements.

If you are excited by the opportunity to help shape a people-focused, inclusive and impactful university, we would love to hear from you.

Further details of the fantastic benefits and what we offer can be found here: Our benefits - what we offer | Jobs and careers | University of Greenwich and information on the university’s working principles: Working Principles and Guidelines | Documents | University of Greenwich

For an informal discussion regarding this role, please contact our advising Research Associate, Edoardo Vachez (edoardo.vachez@perrettlaver.com). Should you have any recruitment related queries or should you require access to these documents in alternative formats, please contactour advising Principal Project Manager, Simon Epsley (simon.epsley@perrettlaver.com).

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