Head of People Jobs
Staffing of a business has been revolutionized over the past 10–15 years as companies recognize and capitalize on the advantages of having a happy, satisfied and fulfilled workforce. It’s all about ensuring the human factor is a part of human resources. While perks and bonuses have long played a part in the equation, with a modern recognition that it’s a more complex and finely tuned process, HR departments are now employing heads of people to oversee and refine the workplace processes to help with satisfaction and therefore retention and attractiveness to talent.
The head of people typically looks after a team or a department, often reporting to a people manager or director. Those members of staff have direct contact with the board and have access to the funds and the strategic information required to put people-focused initiatives into action. The head of people is normally required to understand and interpret plans and implement them at team level, often as one of several heads of people in a company.
The skills required
A background in delivering bonuses and benefits to teams is a key asset in this role. That can often mean basing benefits on individual assessments to create focused, personalized schemes, or it could be a generalized task over complete teams. You are expected to implement strategies and initiatives that drive cultural change throughout the business, as dictated by the board and your line managers. Whether they go into detail on how these are implemented or you are expected to interpret them into actions depends on the policy of the company.
Experience within the industry the company operates in is useful as employees in different sectors have different expectations and motivations. You must be able to demonstrate that you can implement complex initiatives that have been possibly decided without your input.
Head of People Jobs in Northampton
Situated in the East Midlands on the banks of the River Nene, Northampton is a market town with a history dating back to the 6th century. By the end of the 11th century, the community had grown significantly and the Domesday Book records it as having a population of around 1,500 inhabitants.
During the 19th century, the city experienced further expansion thanks to the construction of the Grand Union Canal, which connected London and Birmingham with each other, as well as cities like Leicester, Slough and Northampton. Railways also arrived at the city around this time, further simplifying trade with the rest of the country.
Northampton was best known for producing shoes and other leather goods during the 1800s and a few companies that were established during this period still provide specialist, high-end items today - including Edward Green Shoes, Trickers, Church's and Crockett & Jones.
Over the years, most of the other footwear factories have been converted to offices or residential buildings and, although the shoe industry has declined, a number of other sectors have taken its place, including distribution, finance and manufacturing. So those seeking Head of People roles in the area will have an array of employers to consider.
Just some of the well-known companies that have offices, factories or headquarters in Northampton include Coca Cola, Schweppes, Carlsberg, Texas Instruments, Avon Products, Blacks Leisure Group and Panasonic.
Meanwhile, Nationwide Building Society, Barclay Card, the University of Northampton and St Andrew's Healthcare are all major employers.
Popular locations
Find Head of People Jobs with Cast UK
At Cast UK we pride ourselves on our ability to match top HR jobs with excellent candidates, which is why companies come back to us time and time again to fill their positions. We have an incredible reach, too, filling positions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but also further afield when needed.
Our recruitment consultants are always dealing with companies looking for a head of people, so if you are such a person, there’s nothing to lose by leaving your details with us so we can get the ball rolling next time an appropriate position becomes available. Call us today on 0333 121 3345.
Contact us