People Lead (12 months FTC)

White Stuff was established in 1985 through a simple idea. This idea grew and now we have shops and concessions in the UK and internationally, selling women’s and men’s clothing as well as beautiful accessories and homeware. Our original prints (all designed in house), intricate details and considered design touches reflect our personality and make us subtly distinctive.

Our people are at the heart of our brand, constantly moving and driving us forward. We’re sociable, talented and like minded and we’re not hierarchical or political in how we do business. We encourage entrepreneurial ideas and accountability at all levels.

Who you are:

Brief You’ll be an experienced People leader who combines strong operational judgement with a practical, collaborative and people-focused approach. You will be confident leading experienced People specialists, creating clarity and accountability, and improving how a People function works across Retail, Head Office, Distribution Centre and Contact Centre environments.

You’ll enjoy making things simpler and better. You will be comfortable balancing day-to-day delivery with change, systems, data and process improvement, while keeping colleague and stakeholder experience at the heart of decisions. You’ll build open and trusted relationships, coach others to succeed and bring energy, resilience and good judgement during a period of transformation

Primary objective of the job:

· Reporting to the Head of People & Culture, the People Operations Lead will provide day-to-day operational leadership across the People function, with responsibility for the People Business Partners and Recruitment Partner. The role will strengthen consistency, accountability and collaboration across the team.

· This is a 12-month fixed-term role with a clear transformation and delivery remit. It will maintain high-quality People support while leading process improvement, team capability and systems readiness

What you’ll be doing:

Operational Leadership and Team Development

· Providing clear day-to-day leadership, direction and support across the People Business Partnering and Recruitment teams.

· Creating a joined-up operating rhythm across the People function, with clear priorities, ownership, standards and escalation routes.

· Coaching and developing team members to build confidence, commercial judgement, technical capability and readiness for future ways of working.

· Working with the L&D Manager on a structured People team development plan, ensuring learning is translated into stronger day-to-day delivery.

· Managing team capacity and priorities during peak periods, vacancies and business change so that service remains responsive and consistent.

· Building a collaborative, accountable and supportive team culture where colleagues share knowledge, challenge constructively and solve problems together.

Business Partnering, Advice and Employee Relations

· Supporting the People Business Partners to build solid, open and dynamic relationships with leaders across Retail, Head Office, Distribution Centre and Contact Centre.

· Acting as a senior escalation point for complex or sensitive People matters, ensuring advice is practical, commercial, legally informed and in line with our values.

· Increasing the capability of the People team and line managers to manage employee relations matters effectively through coaching, training and clear tools.

· Reviewing themes and patterns across People activity and employee relations, using insight to identify root causes and develop proactive solutions.

· Ensuring a consistent approach across business areas by bringing the relevant People specialists together and maintaining clear ownership.

People Operations, Processes and Systems

· Leading the review, simplification and standardisation of core People processes across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, changes, annual People activity and offboarding.

· Preparing the function for greater automation and effective use of People systems, reducing unnecessary manual administration and duplication.

· Establishing clear controls, service standards and documentation so delivery is accurate, efficient, compliant and easy to understand.

· Working with Group HR as the operational contact for relevant systems, policies, processes and reporting, identifying opportunities to align and collaborate.

· Ensuring colleague data is handled accurately and responsibly, and that People records, processes and reporting support good governance and decision-making.

· Constantly reviewing why and how we do things to make sure they are current, fit for purpose, proportionate and in line with our company values.

Resourcing, Workforce Planning and Colleague Experience

· Providing leadership and challenge to the recruitment and resourcing agenda, helping the Recruitment Partner align activity with business priorities, capability needs and succession plans.

· Supporting a consistent and engaging candidate, onboarding and colleague experience across all locations.

· Working with the People Business Partners and Recruitment Partner to improve workforce planning, talent pipelines and internal mobility.

· Using operational insight to help leaders understand recruitment, retention, absence, employee relations and capability themes.

· Keeping engagement at the heart of delivery and ensuring changes and projects land collaboratively and brilliantly.

Change, Projects and Strategy Delivery

· Translating the People strategy into clear operational plans, priorities and measurable delivery across the function.

· Leading or coordinating People projects relating to process improvement, systems implementation, operating model changes and organisational transformation.

· Providing stability and continuity through change, protecting the quality of People support while the function modernises.

· Partnering with the Head of People & Culture on organisational change, workforce priorities and the implementation of strategic People initiatives.

· Working across the People team to ensure core processes such as pay review, bonus, appraisals, talent management and People planning are delivered brilliantly.

· Identifying operational risks, dependencies and opportunities early, bringing practical recommendations and following through to delivery.

Data, Reporting and Continuous Improvement

· Developing meaningful People operations measures and reporting to track service, workload, risk, progress and outcomes.

· Using data and insight to support prioritisation, improve decision-making and identify opportunities to simplify or strengthen delivery.

· Building clear ownership for actions and monitoring progress against agreed plans, standards and deadlines.

· Sharing learning and good practice across the team so improvements are embedded and sustained

What you’ll need:

· Minimum of 5 years' experience in a People Business Partner, Senior People Business Partner, HR Manager, or equivalent generalist HR role, with demonstrable experience leading operational people activity across a multi-site or complex organisation. Retail sector experience is highly desirable.

· Experience leading and developing experienced People professionals and specialist teams, creating clarity, accountability and high standards of delivery.

· Strong employee relations and employment law knowledge, with the judgement and confidence to support complex matters and coach others.

· A proven track record of improving People processes, service delivery and ways of working, including the effective use of HR systems, automation or digital tools.

· Experience translating strategy into practical plans and managing projects through to implementation.

· Strong relationship-building and influencing skills, with the ability to work credibly with senior leaders and across specialist teams.

· Confidence using People data and operational insight to identify priorities, manage risk and support decisions.

· Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with the resilience and adaptability to balance business-as-usual delivery with transformation.

· A values-led, collaborative and solutions-focused approach, together with authenticity and sound judgement.

· CIPD qualification or equivalent practical experience.

What we will offer you:

As a People Lead at White Stuff you will be entitled to an array of great benefits, some of which include:

• Hybrid working (3 days a week in the office)
• Annual bonus opportunity
• Up to 25 days holiday per annum, plus bank holidays
• 2 extra (paid!) days off per year to volunteer in the local community
• 50% discount
• Subsidised BUPA Dental Insurance
• Healthcare cash plan and Life Assurance
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Pension Contribution

We are committed to creating an environment where we can all be proud to work and be ourselves. Part of this commitment is being an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, and age.

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