Director of Human Resources
Anglia Ruskin is a progressive university, breaking into the top 350 educational institutions in the world in 2017, and maintaining its place ever since.
At ARU London, we pride ourselves first and foremost on the experiences and development of our both our teams and students. We try to enhance experiences and development through our support and teaching.
With a great location and access to facilities; situated in the heart of the Docklands in East London, the offices and environment support high performing teams and create a culture of belonging and engagement.
Director of Human Resources
Working hours: Monday to Friday 9-5.30 pm, with an unpaid one-hour break, (on occasion there may be additional hours as required by your role).
Responsible to: Secretary for ARU London
Responsible for: HR Business Partner and HR Administrator
Internal Relationships: Members of staff across ARU London and ARU
External Relationships: External stakeholders including Employment law advisers, regulatory bodies, recruitment partners, learning providers, professional bodies, pension providers and other external stakeholders.
Purpose: The Director of Human Resources provides strategic leadership for the University's people agenda, ensuring that our people, culture and organisational capability support the delivery of ARU London's strategic objectives.
Leading the development and implementation of a modern, people-first HR function that champions inclusion, accountability, wellbeing, compliance and high performance. They will ensure that HR policies, systems and processes are effective, legally compliant and aligned with organisational priorities whilst creating an exceptional employee experience throughout the entire employee lifecycle.
The Director of Human Resources will act as a trusted advisor to the senior Leadership Team, providing strategic workforce insight, leading organisational change and fostering a culture where colleagues are engaged, empowered, developed and recognised.
Key Responsibilities Include:
HR Strategic Leadership
- Develop and deliver the University's People Strategy aligned to organisational objectives.
- Lead the development of a positive, inclusive and values-driven organisational culture.
- Provide strategic HR advice and coaching to the Leadership and Management Teams.
- Build organisational capability through effective workforce planning, succession planning and talent management.
- Lead organisational design initiatives to ensure structures support future growth and operational effectiveness.
- Promote continuous improvement across all people practices and HR service delivery.
People, Culture and Employee Experience
- Champion a people-first culture that promotes trust, collaboration, respect and accountability.
- Lead initiatives that improve employee engagement, wellbeing and belonging.
- Develop strategies to attract, retain and develop exceptional talent.
- Foster a culture of continuous feedback, learning and professional development.
- Ensure equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility are embedded across all people policies and organisational practices.
- Act as executive sponsor for employee wellbeing and engagement initiatives.
HR Operations and People Processes
- Provide strategic oversight of all HR operations and employee lifecycle processes.
- Ensure HR policies, procedures and systems are efficient, consistent and legally compliant.
- Drive the digital transformation of HR processes to improve efficiency and employee experience.
- Ensure accurate HR data management, reporting and workforce analytics.
- Lead continuous improvement programmes to simplify and modernise HR processes.
Employee Relations
- Lead on complex employee relations matters, providing expert advice to senior leaders.
- Ensure fair, consistent and legally compliant application of disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence management and organisational change procedures.
- Build management capability through coaching and guidance on people management.
- Promote early intervention and constructive resolution of workplace issues.
Organisational Development and Performance
- Lead the University's organisational development strategy.
- Develop leadership capability across all levels of the organisation.
- Oversee performance management frameworks that encourage accountability, development and high performance.
- Lead learning and development strategies that build future capability.
- Support organisational transformation and change programmes.
Recruitment, Talent and Workforce Planning
- Develop innovative recruitment and employer branding strategies.
- Ensure recruitment processes promote diversity, fairness and an excellent candidate experience and that the HR Team are effective in this area.
- Lead strategic workforce planning aligned with organisational growth.
- Develop succession planning and talent pipelines for key roles.
- Ensure onboarding supports rapid integration and engagement.
Compliance, Governance and Risk
- Ensure compliance with UK employment legislation and regulatory requirements.
- Lead HR governance, policy development and internal audit activity.
- Ensure compliance with GDPR and all data protection requirements and have HR SOP.
- Manage employment-related risk and provide assurance to the Executive Team.
- Monitor developments in employment law and implement organisational changes where required.
- Ensure consistent application of HR policies and procedures across the university
- Support probation, appraisal, and contract renewal processes
- Ensure compliance with employment legislation and internal policies
- Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of HR processes
Leadership and Financial Management
- Lead, inspire and develop the HR team.
- Establish clear objectives, performance expectations and development plans.
- Manage the HR budget and ensure value for money.
- Build strong partnerships across academic and professional service teams.
- Develop collaborative relationships with external partners and stakeholders.
- Working with the secretary to ensure fair and equitable pay systems.
Additional Duties
- Undertake project work as requested and within reason.
- This description is a broad outline of the role, and it is expected that key tasks will vary with demand and any change in business requirements or method of operation.
Key Performance Indicators
- Delivery of the University's People Strategy.
- Employee engagement and wellbeing measures.
- Recruitment, retention and turnover performance.
- Diversity and inclusion outcomes.
- Compliance with employment legislation and internal governance.
- Performance management completion and effectiveness.
- Leadership capability development.
- HR service performance measures and satisfaction/feedback rates.
- Delivery of agreed organisational change programmes.
- Achievement of annual strategic HR objectives.
Compliance & Governance
- Maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and professional integrity.
- Ensure compliance with all employment legislation and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure HR records and systems remain accurate, secure and GDPR compliant.
- Promote ethical leadership and good governance across the organisation.
Other Responsibilities
- Contribute as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
- Lead strategic projects that support institutional priorities.
- Represent HR internally and externally.
- Build a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
- Undertake any other duties appropriate to the seniority of the role.
Health and Safety
- Ensure compliance with all University Health and Safety policies.
- Promote safe working practices throughout the organisation.
- Report and manage health and safety risks appropriately.
- Support the development of a healthy and safe working environment.
Essential Requirements
- Chartered MCIPD or FCIPD qualified.
- Significant senior HR leadership experience within a complex organisation.
- Experience of developing and implementing organisational people strategies.
- Proven ability to lead organisational change and culture transformation.
- Extensive knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
- Demonstrable success in employee relations, organisational development and workforce planning.
- Experience of leading HR teams.
- Strong commercial awareness and strategic thinking.
- Excellent influencing, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
- Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.
- Experience of developing inclusive workplaces and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Strong analytical skills with experience of using HR metrics to inform decision making.
Preferred Requirements
- Experience within Higher Education.
- Experience working within a regulated environment.
- Experience supporting organisational growth and transformation.
- Experience implementing HR systems and digital transformation.
- Knowledge of governance and compliance within the education sector.
- Experience presenting to Boards or Executive Committees.
This description is an outline of the role, non-exhaustive and it is expected that key tasks will vary with demand and any change in business requirements or method of operation.
