Director of People Services

Already a leading People Services professional? We will give you the opportunity to do more.

A very significant role to ensure that people development is at the heart of enhanced academic and corporate performance.

We are offering the opportunity to a top tier professional in People Services to be instrumental in shaping how the College Group develops and grows. This re-defined post is crucial to the continued success of the organization. We make no assumptions about current or previous background of applicants, other than that the experience gained will be relevant to our challenges and that the individual appointed will add value to the College Group and enhance our culture of achievement.

The person appointed will be outstanding in the fields of People Services, and will be expected to make distinctive and highly effective contributions to the broader corporate development of the organization. Therefore, at the very least, vision and strategic foresight should sit comfortably alongside professional expertise. Our expectation is that the capacity to engage with our planning function will be balanced by being comfortable with accountability around delivery and outcomes.

We wish to continue to be an employer of choice and to sustain our reputation as a progressive people development organization.

The Context

Bradford College Group is a highly visible and effective organization (Annual Revenue £54m; 800 fte staff; 17000 students in FE and 3000 students in HE). Above all, it is committed to changing the profile of education and skills in Bradford. The College Group is regarded as an anchor institution in its locality and region. By continuously improving its performance and impact, the College Group acts as a catalyst and shifts the aspirations and outcomes of students while anticipating and meeting the expectations of employers. We change lives and communities.

The scale of the College Group reflects its distinctive mixed economy of Further Education, Higher Education and Employer Responsiveness. It is one of the largest organisations of this type in the UK and expects to sustain this profile as the policy emphasis shifts further to employer demand, skills and apprenticeships.

The Role

The College Group recognizes that people are its primary resource. The College Group is committed to ensure their development and enhanced contributions, at all levels, to meet the diverse challenges set by, for example, shifting government policy, heightened competition, enlarged employer expectations, and the drive of Widening Participation.

This is one of the most high profile People Services roles in the Colleges’ sector, given further prominence by the policy and market changes and the related performance challenges facing colleges. Leading the PS Team, the Director will ensure that pro-active People Services will change the culture and performance of the organization. The intention is to have a PS function which continuously informs, challenges and develops the organization and its people, setting out an agenda for transformation. Mere compliance will be insufficient for our purposes.

The College Group is looking to attract accomplished and experienced candidates from a range of backgrounds, and who feel that they have the knowledge and confidence to influence the leadership of the College Group across all its operations, and add value to its decision-taking. The recognition and expectation of all staff are fundamental issues, including the processes by which these functions are engaged and heighten institutional performance.

Our expectation is that the Director will be a person who sees the necessity for change around people processes and can lead its design, implementation.

The Person

Whatever the current background, we expect the person to be in an industry-leading role. The ability to understand, rather than to have experienced, the policy and political environment in which the College Group exists will be vital.

The successful candidate will be someone who realizes the importance of people services to the success of the organization and aligns this to a demonstration of awareness of the processes, implications and consequences of introducing change.

We expect the person to have demonstrated the capacity to present change in both quantitative and qualitative dimensions, alongside an informed and robust approach to risk management.

Awareness of the complexities and sensitivities of negotiating change will be combined with shrewd judgement on the necessity, force and pace of change.

A personal commitment to the success of the organization and a culture of shared values will underwrite a determination to share in the corporate and commercial development of the organization.

Commitment to an open style of negotiation will be important. Anticipation and flexibility will be key personal and professional attributes.  Personal attributes will include confidence, outstanding communication skills and resilience.

The Director of People will report to the Group Chief Executive.

Interested candidates for the post are invited to have an informal discussion with Prof Bill Wardle of WAW Consulting on bill@billwardle.com or  07777642100 OR the Group Chief Executive, Andy Welsh, via Zosia Lipka on Z.Lipka@bradfordcollege.ac.uk or 01274 433000.