Deputy Director (Talent, Performance & Culture)

About ARU:
ARU is a global university transforming lives through innovative, inclusive and entrepreneurial education and research. ARU holds a gold award for the quality of its education, awarded through the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). ARU’s research institutes and four faculties bridge scientific, technical and creative fields. We deliver impactful research which tackles pressing issues and makes a real difference to our communities. Our academic excellence has been recognised by the UK’s Higher Education funding bodies, with 16 of our research areas assessed as world leading. We are the largest provider of Nursing, Midwifery, Health and Social Care students in the East of England, and we are also among the UK’s leading universities for degree apprenticeship provision, working with hundreds of employers across the UK.

About the Role:
At ARU, excellence is personal, collaborative and purposeful. We are looking for an inspiring senior leader to shape the talent, performance and culture agenda that enables our people, students and University community to achieve more.

This is an opportunity to lead meaningful, institution-wide change. Working closely with the Chief People Officer, University Executive and senior leaders, you will build the capability, confidence and inclusive culture needed to deliver ARU’s ambitions.

You will lead a broad, high-profile portfolio spanning talent management, succession planning, leadership and career development, performance, equity and inclusion, organisational development, and employee experience. Your work will create clear pathways for colleagues to grow, strengthen leadership pipelines and embed a culture of continuous feedback, accountability and belonging.

You will:

• Develop a forward-looking talent and succession strategy that identifies and develops future leaders.
• Modernise performance management, making meaningful appraisal, feedback and development part of everyday practice.
• Lead leadership development, coaching, mentoring and high-potential programmes that build capability across ARU.
• Champion equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Shape organisational design, workforce planning and culture transformation in support of institutional priorities.
• Use workforce insight and analytics to turn evidence into measurable improvements in organisational effectiveness and colleague experience.
• Lead and develop specialist teams across equity and inclusion, learning and development, organisational development, and performance management.

You will be a credible, curious and influential senior leader with substantial experience of leading talent, culture, organisational development or transformation in a complex organisation. You will combine strategic thinking with the ability to turn ambitious plans into practical, engaging interventions.

Your strengths will include exceptional facilitation and coaching, a strong grasp of talent and performance practice, and a proven ability to bring people together around change. You will be passionate about inclusive leadership and creating an environment in which every colleague feels valued, supported and able to fulfil their potential.

Experience in higher education, or another regulated and knowledge-led environment, will be valuable, as will a relevant postgraduate qualification or equivalent professional experience. Chartered professional membership, such as CIPD, is desirable.

ARU is a university community that celebrates individuality, champions new ideas and inspires greatness. Here, you will have the platform to influence how people experience work, development and belonging across a multi-campus institution, while helping deliver a collective impact for students and the wider world.

For full vacancy details, including benefits, recruitment process, right to work and visa sponsorship, safeguarding, flexible working, diversity and inclusion, and contact details, please click 'Apply' to visit the ARU careers portal.

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