Head of People Services

Head of People Services Salary: £75,191 to £88,460 (dependent on experience) Contract type: Permanent Hours: Full Time Location: Poole, Dorset, England Location description: Hybrid between home and Poole. There will be a requirement for the successful candidate to work in the Poole office a minimum of 3 days per week. Interview date: 1st interviews - Friday 16th January Closing date: 04-01-2026 Reference: 20841 Do you have the drive and passion to lead, inspire, and support our People Services Team in delivering a first-class ‘people through lifecycle’ service to the RNLI? About us We are looking for an inspirational and collaborative leader to join us in the new role of Head of People Services, leading our People Services teams in supporting our frontline lifesavers and fundraisers. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference. You will be coming into this new role at an interesting time, as we shape the organisation to take on the challenges of the future with the delivery of our 5-Year Plan (2026 to 2030) in support of our overall RNLI Strategy 2040. The RNLI is a charity with the purpose to save lives at sea with a vision to save everyone. The RNLI provides a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service, lifeguards, fundraising, and drowning prevention. Our frontline lifesavers and fundraisers need a dedicated, professional, and talented team behind them, and that is where you come in. This is your chance to join that team and help save lives every day. Some of the benefits - Salary of £75,191 to £88,460 (dependent on experience) - Flexible working - 26 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays - Competitive pension scheme - Life assurance - Health and dental cashplan option Your Role As a member of our People Leadership Team, our new Head of People Services will deliver a first-class, service-led, ‘people through lifecycle’ service to the RNLI through a trusted, customer-focused, highly professional People Services team. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you will be responsible for the line management of each of the “people through lifecycle” service managers, with teams including our People Partnering and Advisor service, Reward, Occupational Health, and our HR Shared Service, which encompasses People Administration, Recruitment, and HR MI. This is a key role for our People Department, and priorities will include developing our HR strategy and workforce management capability, as well as leading on departmental digital transformation as we transition to a single HR platform. As the Head of People Services, we are looking for someone who can: - Develop HR strategies aligned to the RNLI strategy and overall charitable purpose, working in collaboration with learning and development, volunteer experience and inclusion departments. - Develop strategic workforce management, informed by the capabilities required to achieve the RNLI strategy. - Inspire, empower, and develop your direct reports to ensure their career development and personal succession plans. - Effectively communicate with multiple stakeholders and ensure a consistent people practice with the wider organisation. - Lead the transition to a single HR platform (likely Workday), including functionality and integration, enhancing self-service, automation, and artificial intelligence. - Drive innovation through AI, automation, and smarter workflows. - Ensure data accuracy and governance, delivering meaningful reporting and insights. - Maintain compliance in line with regulations and legislation across multiple jurisdictions and manage risks and audit requirements. This is a hybrid role, working between home and our Support Centre in Poole – the successful candidate will be required to work a minimum of 3 days per week in the office. About you We are looking for someone who is able to inspire and create confidence and fairness in people's practice within a complex organisation, and build relationships with stakeholders at all levels, both staff and volunteers. To be our new Head of People Services, you will have: - CIPD membership, preferably at MCIPD level. - Experience working within a multi-disciplinary HR team, both transactional and advisory, servicing both staff and volunteers. - Strong employment law knowledge and proven experience of applying this to make sound decisions. - Experience of leading, managing, developing, and/or motivating multi-disciplinary teams and collaborating across a variety of stakeholders. - The ability to work with and deliver against fast-paced operational needs with a practical approach. - Experience implementing/familiar with working with an HCM, ideally Workday. - Experience of working in the not-for-profit sector or a volunteer environment at a senior management level, with relevant function experience (desirable). If this sounds like you, and you are an experienced and influential leader who is not only confident and knowledgeable in the HR space but also has the passion and values that align with those of the RNLI, apply today! Safeguarding The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out, dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process). Diversity at the RNLI Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills, and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One