Ready for Your Next Big Career Move?
We're looking for an experienced and influential Head of People & Culture to join the West Midlands Growth Company and play a critical role in shaping the future of our organisation. If you're a strategic HR leader who thrives on driving organisational performance, developing culture, leading change, and partnering with senior stakeholders, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.
Who are we?
The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) is the region's economic development delivery organisation.
From April 2026, we will lead the delivery of regionally commissioned economic development activity aligned to the West Midlands Growth Plan, working in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority and local authorities.
We bring together the strengths of the public, private and academic sectors to attract investment, support business growth, create jobs and drive sustainable economic prosperity across the region.
This is an exciting time to join us. As we evolve into a new regional Economic Development Vehicle (EDV), you will play a key role in establishing and shaping a major new organisation, aligned to the region's ambitious growth agenda.
We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer that values diversity, fairness and respect.
The Role
As our new Head of People & Culture, you'll lead the People function and act as a trusted strategic partner to the Leadership Team and senior managers.
Working as part of the Finance & Operations Team, you will ensure that people strategy, organisational culture, workforce planning and organisational design are fully aligned to the Corporate Plan, the evolving EDV operating model and the organisation's planned growth to approximately 200 employees.
This is a highly influential leadership role with responsibility for driving organisational effectiveness, supporting transformation and growth, and ensuring WMGC remains a high-performing, inclusive and engaging place to work.
You'll be a trusted advisor on people, culture, leadership and organisational development, helping to shape the future of the organisation while ensuring strong governance, compliance and employee experience.
You'll Be Involved In
- Leading the development and delivery of WMGC's People & Culture strategy.
- Supporting the successful transition and growth of the new Economic Development Vehicle.
- Shaping organisational culture, values and leadership behaviours.
- Driving workforce planning, succession planning and talent development.
- Leading organisational design, restructuring and change programmes.
- Building leadership and management capability across the organisation.
- Supporting employee engagement, wellbeing and inclusion initiatives.
- Advising senior leaders on complex people, organisational and employment matters.
- Ensuring robust people governance, compliance and workforce reporting.
- Developing a high-performing and customer-focused People function.
What You'll Be Doing
Strategic People Leadership
- Develop and implement a People & Culture strategy aligned to the Corporate Plan and future operating model.
- Act as a trusted advisor to the Leadership Team and senior managers on all people, culture and organisational matters.
- Lead workforce planning, organisational design and restructuring initiatives.
- Provide people reporting, assurance and strategic advice to governance forums, including Leadership Team, Audit & Risk Committee (ARC) and Board.
- Ensure the People function supports organisational growth and maturity throughout the transition to the new EDV model.
Culture, Values and Organisational Development
- Lead the development and embedding of organisational culture, values and behavioural expectations.
- Define and promote high-performance standards, leadership expectations and management capability.
- Lead employee engagement initiatives and use insight to drive continuous improvement.
- Design and deliver organisational development and leadership programmes.
- Champion wellbeing, inclusion and positive employee experiences across the organisation.
Recruitment, Workforce Planning and Talent
- Oversee recruitment, onboarding and retention strategies across the organisation.
- Ensure recruitment activity aligns with organisational priorities, workforce plans and budget requirements.
- Lead succession planning and talent development initiatives.
- Ensure clear organisational structures, role profiles and accountabilities are in place.
- Monitor workforce growth, recruitment risks and future talent requirements.
Employee Relations, Policy and Compliance
- Lead complex employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, performance, absence and organisational change matters.
- Ensure fair, consistent and legally compliant application of policies and procedures.
- Maintain an effective and up-to-date employment policy framework.
- Manage employment risk and engage external legal support where required.
- Ensure compliance with employment legislation, right-to-work requirements and governance standards.
Performance, Reward and Governance
- Lead the development and implementation of performance management frameworks.
- Oversee reward, grading, benchmarking and remuneration activities.
- Work closely with Finance to ensure people-related decisions support affordability and long-term workforce plans.
- Develop meaningful people metrics and reporting, including headcount, vacancies, employee relations, absence, turnover, diversity and engagement data.
- Manage People function budgets, resources and external support arrangements.
Team Leadership
- Lead, mentor and develop the People & Culture team.
- Establish clear priorities, standards and ways of working.
- Ensure managers and employees receive consistent, credible and timely support.
- Build a People function that is both strategically focused and operationally excellent.
What You'll Bring
Essential
- CIPD Level 7 qualification or equivalent senior HR/People leadership experience.
- Significant experience in a senior HR or People leadership role.
- Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
- Experience leading organisational design, workforce planning, restructuring and transformation initiatives.
- Demonstrated experience building organisational culture, employee engagement and leadership capability.
- Experience leading and developing HR or People teams.
- Ability to align people strategy with organisational goals, delivery plans and financial constraints.
- Strong leadership presence, sound judgement and credibility with senior stakeholders.
- Experience coaching, influencing and constructively challenging senior leaders.
- Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to manage complex employee relations and organisational change matters.
- Strong understanding of governance, risk and organisational performance.
- Commitment to inclusion, wellbeing, fairness and high ethical standards.
Desirable
- Degree qualification or equivalent professional experience.
- Evidence of continued professional development in organisational development, change management, leadership or employment law.
- Experience of HR systems, people analytics or digital transformation initiatives.
- Experience of reward, grading or remuneration governance.
- Experience within publicly funded, membership, partnership, arm's-length or stakeholder-led organisations.
- Experience supporting Board, Committee or governance reporting processes.
Who You'll Work With
This role will involve building and maintaining strong relationships across a wide range of stakeholders, including:
- Leadership Team
- Senior Management Team
- Finance and Operations teams
- Governance colleagues
- Line managers and employees
- External HR and legal advisers
- Audit & Risk Committee (ARC)
- Board members and governance forums
What Success Looks Like
The successful candidate will deliver:
- A people strategy fully aligned to organisational growth and transformation objectives.
- A strong, inclusive and high-performing organisational culture.
- Effective workforce planning and talent management processes.
- Robust people governance, compliance and risk management.
- Increased employee engagement, leadership capability and organisational effectiveness.
- A professional, trusted and strategic People function that supports sustainable organisational growth.
Our Values
Trust - Trusted Delivery Partners
We do what we say we are going to do, collaborating with our stakeholders to deliver and achieve regional outcomes, leading the way for economic development through our knowledge and expertise.
Respect - Opinions Matter
We believe everyone has the right to be listened to and heard. We appreciate the impact of our actions and behave accordingly.
Leadership - We Lead by Example
We lead by example both externally as ambassadors for the organisation and internally for our workforce. We embrace innovation and creativity, empowering our teams to deliver high-quality, transformative outcomes.
Wellbeing - Health, Growth and Inclusivity
We support and promote wellbeing for everyone. We strive to create an inclusive and engaged workforce where people have a clear sense of purpose, confidence and opportunity. We encourage individuals to thrive, develop resilience and achieve success while fostering a healthy and positive working environment.
Why You'll Love Working Here
- Opportunity to shape a major new regional Economic Development Vehicle.
- Influence organisational strategy and culture at the highest level.
- Work alongside senior leaders and key regional stakeholders.
- Lead impactful people and organisational transformation initiatives.
- Help create a high-performing, inclusive and engaging workplace.
- Competitive benefits package including pension and flexible working arrangements.
- Opportunity to contribute directly to the economic growth and success of the West Midlands region.
