Role outline and purpose

The Director of People and Inclusion is responsible for developing and directing all aspects of the Trussell Trust’s People and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion strategies, supporting and equipping our diverse people audiences - staff, volunteers, and people with lived experience of poverty, across all 4 nations, to achieve our vision to end the need for food banks in the UK.

The Director of People and Inclusion leads on the implementation of inclusive, transparent, and representative people and governance policies which reflect Trussell Trust’s values and promotes the psychological safety and wellbeing of our people audiences.

Role responsibilities

• Proactive and effective contribution to the Senior Leadership Group towards the achievement of our organisational strategy, identifying and shaping solutions for the people and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion challenges that emerge from strategic delivery and implementation.

• Advise the Senior Leadership Group, People and Governance Sub-committee, and the Board of Trustees on people risk mitigation, and employment and equality legislation and objectives as appropriate, protecting the organisation’s interests and reputation.

• Direct all aspects of Safeguarding, Quality and Data Protection within Trussell Trust and the wider foodbank network (c. 280 central staff, 425 safeguarding and data protection leads overseeing approximately 1400 food bank centres).

• Direct and develop programmes and tools to ensure that equity, diversity and inclusion sits at the heart of our work to advocate for people locked in poverty, our people and underpins our campaign to challenge structural economic issues and alleviate the cycles of inequality 

• Lead and develop a high-performing team of specialists to ensure the development, implementation and evaluation of business partnering, recruitment and HR strategies

• Direct and develop  measurable learning and development interventions including talent management and skills development to secure our position as an employer of choice, and ensuring our food banks are empowered and equipped to access and utilise these tools to develop their response to our strategy through circa 40,000 volunteers and team members across all 4 nations

Person Specification

Technical skills and minimum knowledge:

• High level technical and professional expertise in relation to E,D&I legislation, theory and practice. Fluent in concepts such as power, privilege, unconscious bias and intersectional injustice, and alert to the impact of broader external developments on these issues. 

• Experience of leading cultural and process change programmes and embedding new people initiatives.

• Sound knowledge of HR practice, UK employment legislation; confident in applying the principles to complex real-world scenarios.

• Sound knowledge of safeguarding principles, practice, and data protection legislation.

• Confident in strategic planning, leadership, budget management and decision making.

• Minimum level 7 qualification in people management, L&D, E,D & I, organisational development or related field or equivalent experience.

Behaviours and competencies:

• Demonstrate a commitment to the values of the Trussell Trust. 

• Demonstrates empathy and is an active ally for people from disadvantaged, marginalised or socially- excluded backgrounds. 

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced and high-performing organisation, combining problem-solving with collaborative interpersonal skills.

• Strong communication skills: persuasive and influential; diplomatic; effectively builds rapport with individuals and groups; presents information accessibly and in a format appropriate to the audience.

• Committed to continual improvement and professional development for all our people audiences.

• Strong team orientation using collaboration to encourage diverse perspectives, and a genuine valuing of difference.  

• Strategic role model and responsible for inclusive behaviour, values and leadership