Director of People

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!

We are looking for a Director of People

Salary: From £70,000

Location: Hammersmith

Contract: Permanent

Hours p/w: 35 hours (up to 2 days WFH)

This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to Police Vetting.

About us

Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse, and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending. We are a women's organisation, delivering systems change and trauma and gender-informed community-based support for women and girls affected by domestic abuse, including those in contact with the criminal justice system.

We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community.

We are a community-based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women's centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies.

Our vision is a world where women and girls lead safe, just, and equal lives.

We work nationally through our innovative, best-practice approaches and systems change initiatives. We deliver wraparound frontline services across the South and East of England, including Greater London. Our expertise lies in decades of providing specialist support by women and for women and girls, to achieve safety, justice, and equality at the intersection of domestic abuse and the criminal justice system.

We are a value led organisation and our core values which are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability is at the heart of our six founding principles.

About the role:

The Director of People will lead the People department, with the strategic aims of informing, driving, and supporting ongoing organisational change and improvement. This is aligned with our Strategy, and strategic priorities of putting learning and innovation, collaboration, and inclusion at the heart of our culture, and to provide responsive and impactful person-centric advocacy, support services and systems change.

As the organisation grows, the Director of People with the support of the people team will lead the transformation of the people landscape to ensure that those working for and with Advance are supported to be leaders, change makers and advocates for women and girls. This role and the People team are vitally important in driving and supporting continual transformation across the charity to deliver its strategy and plans.

About You:

You are a seasoned HR professional with a proven strategic leadership and operational excellence record. With extensive experience in human resources management, you will have a deep understanding of HR best practices, employment law, and organisational development. You are adept at driving change, fostering a positive workplace culture, and aligning HR initiatives with business objectives.

Your exceptional interpersonal and communication skills enable you to build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels. You are a strategic thinker with the ability to influence and inspire others, and you have a passion for developing and mentoring your team. You are results-oriented, with a focus on continuous improvement and innovation in HR practices.

If you are a dynamic and forward-thinking HR leader ready to make a significant impact, we hope you will consider making an application.

Core Behaviours identified for the role (which all candidates will be considered alongside) are:

Leadership

• Leads by example - with Advance values, culture and behaviourally.
• Develops their people, promoting personal and professional growth, succession, and career opportunity.

Planning and organising

• Actively plans work aligning to the strategic plans of the organisation and sector - daily, weekly, quarterly, monthly, annually.
• Considers alternative scenarios for the future based on informed projections and predictions.

Influence and Negotiation

• Builds and maintains effective networks both internally and externally to achieve the organisations objectives.

Results Orientation

• Defines challenging objectives that have an impact on the performance of other people or departments.

Emotional intelligence

• Demonstrates composure even in high-tension situations.

Communication

• Effectively communicates organisational goals, vision, values, and strategy so people are compelled to work towards the same end.

Relationship Building and Networking

• Inspires others to follow through compelling communication and vision.

Problem Solving

• Works with other leaders in the charity to provide both physical and time-based space for people to get creative in the organisation.

Interviews are taking place on: 22 nd January 2025, with a second stage to follow.

Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate.

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

A 35-hour working week

An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!)

Additional days off to celebrate International Women's Day, and for religious observance and moving home.

Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more.

Pension scheme

Enhanced maternity/adoption provision

Access to our Employee Assistance Programme

Employee eye-care scheme

Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles

Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation

Organisation wide away days

Thorough induction and training

Career development pathways

Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email the Talent Acquisition Team via the Advance website and will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits.

Safeguarding

Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe. We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks. We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.