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Purpose of the role

• Reporting to the Group CEO, develop and implement People and OD strategies that places The Horizon Care and Education Group at the leading edge of good employment practices in our sector.

• As a member of the Horizon Leadership Team (HLT) make a major contribution to the strategic thinking and development of the Group and the achievement of corporate objectives.

• The production and analysis of management information and business data relating to the people and culture function to enable robust and timely decision making and strategic planning activity within the HLT.

• Leading the People team and working closely with support functions and operational delivery to drive the people agenda across the group.

• Developing and executing a lifecycle approach to people management focused on forecasting, staffing, development, on-­‐boarding, performance management, retention, succession planning, ED&I, talent movement, and leveraging workforce insights and analytics.

• Driving organisational development, focussing on creating and sustaining a culture of continuous improvement, effectiveness and efficiency linked to staff engagement, equality, diversity and inclusion, and excellence in leadership.

 Main Duties and Responsibilities

 • Propose and implement the people strategies for the group to cover such priorities as: recruitment, motivation and retention of staff, ED&I, appraisals and succession planning, staff development, wellbeing, and education, employer value proposition and employer branding.

• Directly manage the People function and oversee all group people activities across the business ensuring that these reflect and contribute to the group strategy.

• Provide clear strategic vision and direction for the performance and delivery of people services; ensuring the team is proactive and influential in contributing to the Group’s strategic and operational planning processes.

• Develop the People function and structure to best serve the Group, reflecting and adapting to the changing needs of the business.

• Ensure the People function delivers its KPIs and meets its budget.

• Lead on staff engagement plans for the Group to ensure staff feel informed, involved, and valued, and understand their contribution to overall performance of the business.

• Develop a culture of talent management that recognises, develops, and retains valued talent in the Group.

• Oversee the design of strategies to attract, develop and retain the workforce required to achieve the organisation’s objectives.

• Ensure the continuous improvement of workforce information systems and analytics to support identification of trends, opportunities and risks and put in place appropriate interventions.

• Develop modern, flexible, and supportive employment policies and practices to deliver the Group’s strategic aspirations.

• Identify and consider the potential implications of changes in employment legislation and statutory requirements.

• Oversee the development of appropriate policies to ensure the Group is not just compliant but is at the forefront of best practice in the sector.

• Providing leadership, mentoring, and coaching to direct line reports and other members of the People team.

• Provide leadership and advice to the HLT on HR matters. Highlighting any areas of sensitivity using appropriate discretion and candour. Guiding on complex people and organisational change issues.

• Champion workforce diversity and inclusion, leading the ED&I strategy and monitoring its positive impact, role modelling and embedding ED&I best practice into the culture of the Group.

• Serve as a coach and consultant to the business’s departmental heads and managers as well as other employees on key organisational and management matters.

Knowledge, Skills, Attributes and Experience

• Degree educated or have an equivalent level of experience.

• Member of the CIPD.

• Very experienced leader with significant experience of leading a People/HR function at director level within an organisation of comparable scale and complexity.

• Evidence of a commercial mind set. Demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge of recruitment and retention strategies, learning and development, compensation and benefits, employee relations, wellbeing, and employee communications and how these contribute to achieving business objectives.

• Experience of delivering organisational change programmes with a demonstrable ROI.

• Strong communication and influencing skills. Able to present ideas to very senior colleagues and key stakeholders with clarity and impact.

• Used to representing the business at industry forums and working with industry bodies at a senior level. Able to comment and contribute to strategic issues facing the industry.

• An engaging, inclusive, and resilient style of leadership.

• A willingness to raise and tackle complex issues in a proactive and purposeful manner.

• Ambition to provide a best-in-class quality service and be provider of choice.

• Strong presence and leadership skills, winning the respect of colleagues and staff at all levels.

• Independence of mind and confident in decision making.

• Organised and structured in day-to-day operations.

• A participative and listening management style with good mentoring and coaching skills.