Job Title: Group People Director
Location: UK (multi-site, travel required)
Reports to: CEO / Group Managing Director
Direct Reports: HR Business Partners, Talent, L&D, Recruitment, HR Ops
Role Purpose
To build and lead a high-performing, scalable people function that supports rapid growth across a regulated Supported Living and Children’s Services group. You will ensure the workforce strategy enables safe, compliant, and high-quality care delivery under CQC and Ofsted frameworks—without slowing down growth.
This is not a “policy” role. It’s about execution, scaling teams fast, fixing workforce issues, and keeping regulators satisfied.
Key Responsibilities
1. People Strategy & Growth
- Design and execute a group-wide people strategy aligned to aggressive expansion plans (new homes, acquisitions, service lines).
- Lead workforce planning to ensure staffing keeps pace with occupancy and regulatory requirements.
- Build scalable hiring, onboarding, and retention systems across multiple regions.
2. Recruitment & Workforce Scaling
- Own end-to-end recruitment strategy for high-volume care roles and senior leadership.
- Reduce time-to-hire and agency dependency.
- Implement pipelines for Registered Managers, Deputy Managers, and frontline staff.
- Ensure safe recruitment practices (DBS, references, right to work).
3. Compliance (CQC & Ofsted)
- Ensure all HR practices meet regulatory standards and support inspection readiness.
- Partner with Operations to maintain compliant staffing levels, training, and supervision.
- Lead responses to workforce-related inspection findings.
- Maintain audit-ready documentation across all services.
4. Employee Relations & Culture
- Take control of complex ER cases (safeguarding, disciplinaries, whistleblowing).
- Drive a performance-led culture—deal with underperformance quickly.
- Reduce absence, turnover, and burnout across services.
- Embed values that align with quality care and accountability.
5. Learning & Development
- Build training frameworks aligned with CQC/Ofsted expectations (mandatory + developmental).
- Develop leadership capability across Registered Managers and senior teams.
- Implement clear progression pathways to improve retention.
6. HR Operations & Systems
- Standardise HR processes across the group (contracts, policies, payroll interface).
- Implement or optimise HRIS systems for scale and reporting.
- Ensure data accuracy across workforce metrics.
7. M&A and Integration
- Lead people due diligence on acquisitions.
- Integrate new services quickly without breaking compliance or culture.
- Align terms, policies, and workforce structures post-acquisition.
8. Leadership & Influence
- Act as a key member of the executive team.
- Challenge operational leaders when workforce practices risk compliance or quality.
- Provide clear, data-driven insight on workforce performance.
Key Metrics / KPIs
- Staff turnover rate
- Time-to-hire
- Agency usage reduction
- Compliance audit scores
- Training completion rates
- Employee engagement
- Inspection outcomes (people-related areas)
Experience Required
- Proven experience as a HR Director / People Director in a multi-site environment
- Strong background in Health & Social Care, Supported Living, or Children’s Services
- Deep understanding of CQC and/or Ofsted frameworks
- Experience scaling teams rapidly (organic growth or acquisitions)
- Track record of improving retention and stabilising workforce issues
- Experience managing complex employee relations cases
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