Head of People

Interim Head of People

6-month fixed-term contract | £75,000 - £80,000 | 35 hours per week | Hybrid (Wimbledon office / home)

Empowering people. Empowering change.

Cranstoun is a social justice and harm reduction charity that has been making a difference for over 50 years. Every year we support more than 46,000 people across substance use, domestic abuse, housing, criminal justice, young people's and harm reduction services — going beyond the immediate issue to help people rebuild their lives.

Our vision is to be a world-class leader in rebuilding lives, and our purpose is to inspire and empower people to live healthier and safer lives. Everything we do is guided by our values: ambitious, creative, compassionate, collaborative and respectful.

We're now looking for an experienced people leader to join us on an interim basis and provide strategic leadership to our People & Culture function during an important period for the organisation.

The role

Reporting directly to the CEO, you will lead Cranstoun's people, workforce, organisational development and workforce assurance functions. Your job is to make sure we have the workforce capability, leadership capacity, infrastructure and assurance arrangements we need to deliver services that are safe, effective, well-led and financially sustainable.

As an interim appointment, this is a role for someone who can hit the ground running, bringing pace, credibility and a steady hand to complex people matters from day one.

What you'll be doing:

- Leading the People & Culture function and ensuring efficient, high-quality delivery across all people services, with clear standards, performance measures and measurable organisational value.

- Providing senior leadership on complex employee relations including senior disciplinary, grievance and capability matters, whistleblowing, investigations and the organisational learning that follows.

- Leading consultation and restructuring programmes, and providing expert leadership on TUPE transfers, workforce mobilisation and demobilisation arising from contract awards, retenders and service redesign.

- Shaping workforce strategy including workforce planning, succession planning, talent management and organisational design that supports both strategic priorities and affordability.

- Strengthening workforce assurance and governance, with robust oversight of safer recruitment, DBS compliance, mandatory training, supervision and performance reviews, supported by clear workforce dashboards and reporting to the Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees.

- Working alongside the CEO and Senior Leadership Team to strengthen organisational culture, leadership behaviours and cross-organisational collaboration.

- Managing People and Organisational Development budgets, ensuring value for money and workforce affordability.

The team

You'll lead a multidisciplinary People & Culture team. Your direct reports include two People Partners who, with the People Advisory and administration team, deliver operational HR across the organisation and the Head of Learning & Development, who leads training and volunteer development. You'll also work closely with the CEO, the wider Senior Leadership Team and the Board of Trustees.

Who we're looking for

Essential:

- Chartered MCIPD, FCIPD or equivalent senior executive experience, alongside a degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.

- Significant leadership experience within a complex, multi-site organisation.

- A track record of leading organisational transformation, workforce change and organisational development initiatives.

- Experience developing workforce strategies aligned to organisational objectives, and working within workforce assurance and governance frameworks.

- Strong experience of complex employee relations, investigations and organisational risk management.

- In-depth knowledge of employment law and HR best practice, TUPE legislation and consultation requirements, workforce planning, organisational design and equality, diversity and inclusion.

- Excellent influencing and relationship-building skills, the ability to challenge constructively, and the confidence to lead through ambiguity and change while balancing strategic thinking with operational delivery.

Desirable:

- Experience within health, social care, housing, criminal justice, domestic abuse, homelessness or commissioned service environments.

- Experience working with charities or not-for-profit organisations.

- Experience supporting organisations through periods of significant change and improvement.

The details

- Contract: 6-month fixed-term

- Salary: £75,000 - £80,000

- Hours: 35 per week

- Location: Hybrid - Wimbledon office and home

- Closing date: 28 August 2026

How to apply

To apply, please send your CV and a supporting statement setting out why you're the right person for the role to [email protected]

Cranstoun is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and we welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities.