Interim People Director

Xperience helps SMEs unlock the full potential of their business using Digital Solutions, built with Xperience. Our industry experts get to know our client’s business inside and out, exploring processes, pain points and people, to build tailored technology across Cloud & IT Services, Cyber Security, CRM, and ERP. With solutions designed around client operations, we provide the freedom to be more productive and focus on what is important for your business – without getting sidetracked by administration. At Xperience, we create digital solutions with the power to improve and protect your business, both now and in the future.

Our people are what make us different. They are the primary reason our clients recommend us. Their unique skills and infectious energy help our clients focus on what matters most. Our people actively engage with clients using a collaborative style that prioritises teamwork and trust. As a rapidly growing business, we look for people who share our values (of integrity, collaboration, ambition and success) to come on our growth journey with us and create an amazing career #BuiltwithXperience.

About The Role

The Interim People Director plays a critical role in ensuring the successful attraction, recruitment, ongoing engagement and retention of the best talent for our rapidly growing organisation.

As a seasoned people professional you will provide professional, strategic advice to the C-suite/Board and wider Leadership Team on best practice in relation to all matters People, whilst leading a team of three people professionals, and supporting over 250 employees in a multi-site, multi-jurisdiction environment across the UK.

You’ll have the ability to confidently communicate and implement the vision for the department and the wider employee experience, gaining buy-in and alignment from key stakeholders to the mission. You’ll bring the drive, dedication and passion to deliver multiple people change projects simultaneously and at pace.

As a strategic thinker yet hands on leader with the ability to challenge and see beyond the status quo, you’ll balance the strategic and operational on a daily basis.

As Xperience is an investor backed business with a UK footprint, this role will suit someone coming from a professional services background, ideally within a PE backed environment.

What you’ll be getting up to on a day-to-day basis

Strategic Leadership

• Oversee and support a scalable and agile operating model that drives value creation

Performance Management

• Implement and drive a robust performance management process that integrates technology, best practice in people management, with data and analytics

Reward Management and Harmonisation

• Implement an Annual Performance Related Reward Process that takes job evaluation, market benchmarking, pay structures, policy and process into account

People Operations and Compliance

Oversee all core BAU People functions and processes in line with local employment law ensuring consistency and compliance

Systems and Reporting

• Optimize of our HCM system (HiBob) through automation and user adoption
• Contribute to monthly Board reporting
• Own the annual People budget
• Oversee the monthly payroll processes

Talent Acquisition

• Support ‘out of the norm’ strategic sourcing efforts and continually evaluate our recruitment and selection process to drive efficiencies

M&A

• Support the due diligence and post-acquisition integration on all people aspects of M&A

ESG & Employee Engagement

• In partnership with the COO, design and deliver upon the ESG Strategy taking the lead on DE&I strategies and mandatory reporting
• Build and continuously evolve the Employee Value Proposition
• Design and deliver upon the Internal Comms Strategy

Organisational Development

• Guide senior leaders in navigating organisational change and building leadership capability
• Supporting restructuring initiatives across Redundancy and TUPE

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with business leaders to ensure alignment on people priorities
• Build strong relationships with C-suite and private equity stakeholders

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

• Proven and wide-ranging generalist experience as the Lead People Professional, within a fast-paced, high-growth, professional services organisation (over 200+ employees and £35 mil turnover)
• Demonstrable expertise in driving organisational change initiatives simultaneously across at least three of the following:
• Performance Management
• Reward
• M&A
• HR systems
• ESG
• Demonstrable current knowledge of GB and NI employment law
• Skilled in using technology and data analytics to support decision-making
• Strong business and commercial acumen with experience in managing budgets
• Ability to analyse risks and implement mitigation strategies effectively and at pace
• Ability to execute at both strategic and operational levels in complex, fast-paced, ambiguous environments, adapting to shifting priorities and deadlines
• Collaborative and influential communicator with strong stakeholder management skills
• Culturally intelligent with multi-site experience and a willingness to travel regularly throughout the UK
• Demonstrates high levels of integrity and professional standards
• Chartered Membership of the CIPD

Desirable Criteria:

• Degree level qualification (in Business / HR)
• Chartered Fellowship of the CIPD
• Previously experience within the IT MSP space

Competencies

Building Relationships and influencing

Effectively influences key stakeholders to take positive action that will advance business goals. Presents themselves with self-assurance, has presence. Demonstrates consistency between words and behaviours. Lives and promotes the values of the organisation and encourages others to do so. Provides direction, inspires and motivates without relying on status or position. Understands others, complex or underlying needs, motivations, emotions or concerns and adjust communication effectively. Treats employees fairly by applying consistent management principles.

Teamwork & Collaboration

Creates and supports an environment that allows people to work collaboratively to deliver results. Builds positive and collaborative working relationships with peer groups to achieve common goals. Resolves conflict among team members sensitively and fairly. Appropriately involves others in decisions and plans that affect them. Encourages team members to understand other departments' perspectives and constraints removing barriers to cross departmental collaboration.

Judgement and decision making

Takes calculated risks, weighing up pros and cons of decisions. Able to articulate business risk, impact and mitigation for resolution. Knows when to stand firm and when to accommodate. Makes quality business decisions based on data and facts, not emotion, and weighs up alternative solutions. Considers impact of decisions made on other departments. Makes the right decisions, not taking the easy option.