Strategic Lead - People and Culture
The next 10 years will be critical in determining what kind of world we will all live in. We need to urgently reverse the loss of wildlife and put nature into recovery at scale if we are to prevent climate and ecological disaster. This will require big, bold changes in the way we think and operate, and the development of a strong, collaborative culture. It will require an increase in collaboration and working together, underpinned by strong systems and data.
The Wildlife Trusts are on a mission to bring about a people-powered nature and climate recovery by empowering people to take meaningful action for nature, and to create an inclusive society where nature matters to everyone, everywhere. We are ambitious in our desire not just to slow, but to reverse the declines in nature. Together we have developed a bold, new collective strategy which outlines our vision and the actions we will take to restore nature over the next eight years.
About You
If you are a brilliant People and Culture professional looking for a new and exciting challenge with the opportunity to work for one of the UK’s best loved charities, then this could be the perfect role for you!
You will be supporting a strategy group and working with strategic people across the federation to ensure we invest in a high-skilled and diverse staff. You will be part of our strategic transformation team and you will foster a positive work environment, develop a strong organisational culture, and align HR Practices with the organisation’s objectives and values.
This is your chance to be a core part of driving our ambition to unlock the potential of our people through leading, cultural and HR best practice at RSWT and across the Wildlife Trust federation. We know The Wildlife Trusts is a great place to work and volunteer and with your help we can further embed this view across the sector.
You’ll work alongside the Strategic Lead on Learning and Development and the wider Wildlife Trust People team. As well as managing a small team of HR professionals, you will look to develop and deliver our people and culture strategy using innovative and creative talent solutions - building an environment where our people can continuously develop to be their best.
You will provide leadership and consulting support to the Senior Leadership Team on matters of cultivating culture, setting goals, developing policies, and implementing strategic objectives.
We are seeking a passionate Strategic People and Culture professional to join us, you will have a proven track record of taking a lead in driving forward organisational change around people and culture strategies in a complex organisation. Your role will be to evolve and deliver our People and Culture Strategy delivering resulting initiatives and plans, and you will have experience of working within a strategic HR role, ideally across different organisations. Excellent communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills are essential, with the ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams. You will be a natural influencer and you will be highly personable and able to build effective stakeholder relationships, internally and externally, at all levels.
You will support, lead and facilitate a number of working groups across The Wildlife Trusts looking to harmonise terms and conditions where appropriate and produce a suite of resources leading to great efficiencies.
You will enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, be organised and resourceful and be able to think strategically as well as having a great attention to detail. You will have a clear passion for our cause and have excellent listening, collaboration and facilitation skills to help bring everyone together to ensure that we deliver to the highest standards and achieve the best outcomes for nature.
To excel in this role, you should be highly motivated and detail-oriented with strong emotional intelligence and should enjoy social interaction. You will develop and execute people and culture strategies, collaborate with colleagues across the Trusts in joint initiatives, share best practice and provide professional support where appropriate.
A proven commitment to and understanding of the not-for-profit sector would be desirable but is not essential.
This is a new and ambitious role which will evolve following your appointment so you should be excited by the flexibility and opportunities to take an innovative approach.
This role may be subject to a DBS check.
The Wildlife Trusts value passion, respect, trust, integrity, pragmatic activism and strength in diversity. Whilst we are passionate in promoting our aims, we are not judgemental and are inclusive. We particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented within our sector, including people from minority backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities.
RSWT take our Safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously. Please click here to read our commitment statement.
The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk. For applicable roles, applicants must be willing to undergo checks with past employers and Disclosure and Barring Service checks at the eligible level.
As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to offering an interview to anyone with a disability that meets all the essential criteria for the post. Please let us know if you require any adjustments to make our recruitment process more accessible.
Please do not use artificial intelligence tools to assist you to complete the application form. We may not accept applications that have been completed utilising AI tools. If you would usually use tools such as these to assist you in filling in a form, please contact tash.stewart@iris.co.uk to discuss this further and understand other options.