Ref Number
C14-00236
Professional Expertise
HR and Wellbeing
Department
Human Resources Division (C14)
Location
London
Working Pattern
Full time
Salary
£77,000+
Contract Type
Permanent
Working Type
Hybrid
Available for Secondment
Yes
Closing Date
12-Jul-2026
UCL HR is a service driven function of approximately 140 HR professionals, working closely alongside our eleven academic faculties and our nine professional services divisions and the President and Provost’s Offices to understand and collaborate on their priorities, opportunities and challenges. Our culture and interactions with each other are underpinned by our values, and we seek out innovative ways to demonstrate our commitment to equality and diversity by removing barriers and actively promoting the diversity of our community.
The HR People Partnering Team supports the development and implementation of people strategies to over 17,500 staff across faculties, professional Services Divisions and Vice Provost/Presidents’ Offices, comprising academic, clinical, research, teaching and faculty/central professional services staff.
The Associate Director role may support a portfolio of faculties, the central professional services departments and VP offices, as well as lead a People Partnering Team.
This is a highly influential senior HR leadership role at the heart of delivering UCL's People Strategy. Partnering with Vice Presidents, Deans and other senior leaders, you will play a critical role in shaping the people agenda across your portfolio, ensuring that our approach to attracting, developing, engaging and retaining talent supports the achievement of UCL's strategic ambitions.
As a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders, you will lead the development and implementation of local people strategies aligned to both divisional priorities and the wider UCL People Strategy. You will provide strategic leadership across a broad range of people matters, using workforce insights and data to inform decision-making and drive organisational performance.
Working closely with leaders across your portfolio, you will champion talent management and succession planning, ensuring strong and diverse talent pipelines for both current and future organisational needs. You will support the recruitment of senior appointments, partnering with leaders to design and deliver effective attraction and selection strategies that secure exceptional talent.
A key aspect of the role will be driving initiatives that enhance employee engagement, wellbeing, inclusion and organisational effectiveness. You will work in partnership with specialist colleagues across Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Organisational Development and Workplace Health to embed best practice and deliver meaningful improvements in the employee experience.
The role also plays a pivotal part in supporting organisational change, helping leaders navigate complex challenges and implement change programmes successfully. You will provide expert guidance on complex people issues, balancing organisational priorities with a positive and inclusive employee experience.
As a senior leader within the People function, you will lead and develop a team of HR professionals, including direct management of Senior HR People Partners. You will foster a high-performing, collaborative culture, providing coaching, support and professional development to enable the team to deliver an outstanding service to stakeholders across UCL.
This is an exciting opportunity to shape strategic people outcomes within one of the world's leading universities, influencing decisions at the highest levels and making a significant contribution to UCL's future success.
You will be a highly credible and experienced HR leader with a track record of delivering strategic people solutions within large, complex organisations. Comfortable operating at senior levels, you will bring the confidence, judgement and resilience needed to influence decision-making and drive organisational change.
You will have significant experience of developing and implementing people strategies that deliver measurable impact, including workforce planning, succession planning, talent management, engagement and retention. You will be able to demonstrate how your work has strengthened organisational capability, improved the employee experience and supported the achievement of wider business objectives.
A strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is essential. You will have experience of developing and implementing initiatives that create more inclusive workplaces and improve outcomes for diverse communities.
Relationship-building will be one of your key strengths. You will be skilled at establishing trusted partnerships with senior leaders, colleagues and stakeholders, providing expert advice and constructive challenge on complex people matters. You will be an effective coach, able to support leaders through organisational change, ambiguity and difficult decisions.
You will have a proven track record of leading and developing high-performing teams, creating an environment of trust, accountability and continuous improvement. You will lead with emotional intelligence, empowering others whilst maintaining a clear focus on delivery and results.
To succeed in this role, you will be a collaborative and pragmatic problem-solver, capable of navigating complexity and balancing risk with sound judgement. You will be an excellent communicator, able to present complex issues clearly and influence a wide range of audiences.
- A postgraduate HR qualification and/or Chartered Membership or Fellowship of the CIPD.
- Experience of working within a matrix-managed organisation.
- Expertise gained within a specialist HR discipline such as organisational development, equality, diversity and inclusion, employee relations or talent management.
- For Life and Medical Sciences appointments, a strong understanding of terms and conditions relating to clinical staff, gained within the NHS, a medical school or a similar environment.
- Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex workforce data and translate insights into practical actions.
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
On-Site nursery
On-site gym
Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
Discounted medical insurance
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.
We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.
These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.
You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/
