Interim Head of People & Transformation

1. Playing a pivotal role in shaping the cultural and digital landscape of the organisation, this is a unique & exciting, HR troubleshooting opportunity.
2. You'll be working with the Executive Team you will lead the people function which includes HR, wellbeing, H&S, Payroll, whilst overseeing wide scale cultural and transformational change.
3. This is an interim role – up to 9m FTC (perm post in structure).

Purpose of the role:

To lead and implement the people and digital strategy. Work with the executive team to shape the company’s vision, values and create supporting documents for cultural change. To create and implement a people plan which harmonises policies, standardise processes which is underpinned by technology that supports the digital future of the organisation. Engage change management skills with the leadership team to embed a flexible and adaptive culture

Scope:

The Head of People & Transformation will play a pivotal role in shaping the Company’s cultural and digital landscape. A new organisational structure has been implemented which you will ensure the IT (Digital) transformation, alongside process and cultural change is embedded and led by effective leadership. You will lead the change programme that supports the new organisational design, embedding vital behaviours such as matrix working, accountability, empowerment and respect for colleagues.

You will lead the people function which includes HR, wellbeing, H&S, Payroll, whilst overseeing cultural and transformational change. You will be part of the leadership team and hold your colleagues accountable to agreed project deliverables, ensuring KPI of the programme are delivered. Through the change and transformation programme you will drive engagement in digital, data, process and policy improvements, working with internal and external stakeholders. You will work with the chair of the board change subcommittee to deliver monthly reports on progress, risks, and implementations. You will review the draft change management framework and embed this with relevant governance. Working closely with the head of finance to align governance and procurement frameworks to the change programme. Ensuring the programme has budgetary/financial controls.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive people and digital strategy that aligns seamlessly with our transformation programme and artistic plans, to ensure the company is sustainable in the future.
• Collaborate with the executive and leadership team to plan, lead, and execute people and culture related activities across the company.
• Foster a high-performance and development culture, overseeing quality performance conversations and promoting excellence.
• Drive effective succession planning and cultivate a well-resourced talent pipeline and digital landscape to meet current and future business needs.
• Ensure processes and procedures enable best practice in team working and business delivery; this includes bringing formality to the corporate planning and decision-making process which promotes the efficient and effective use of resources.
• Responsible for developing and maintaining an overall centralised monitoring and reporting mechanism that identifies the interdependencies, prioritisation and constraints that exist across the transformation programme and wider change initiatives.  
• Lead on the company’s programme and project management capabilities; ensuring that our key change programme and projects and the processes that underpin them, link effectively with the strategic planning framework and relevant services. 
• Work with executive and leadership team to ensure digital systems, data and performance information are suitable for business needs and aid effective decision making.
• Responsible for ensuring that the right risk management approach is in place for the transformation programme, to include risk level assessments, mitigation processes and reporting to leadership team and the board.
• Ensure the board change sub-committee is functioning well by providing timely and accurate reports on the transformation programme and the Board is appropriately appraised of their activities.
• Responsible for ensuring that data is protected and managed in accordance with the law and act as the company’s data protection officer and where appropriate the right policies, guidance and training is in place.
• Work with the Head of Finance to ensure budget setting and tracking is linked to people and transformation plans, reporting and the overall strategy
• Establish the company’s brand as an employer of choice, utilising innovative methods to attract and retain top-tier talent.
• Champion employee engagement by evaluating, identifying, and addressing engagement trends, and measuring the successful implementation of initiatives.
• Responsible for working with colleagues in the communication team to ensure that appropriate communication and engagement delivery plans are in place for the people and transformation programme and wider artistic activities or company initiatives. 
• Provide expert guidance on various people and digital matters to leadership, colleagues and board.
• To proactively engage with and support the implementation of the organisation’s diversity, equality and inclusion commitment.
• Represent the company and build networks at national and local levels, continually monitoring, planning, and responding to the changing operating environment. 
• Ensure your actions and behaviors promote the company positively and enhance its reputation, maintaining a professional image at all times.
• Promote the values of the company, making sure that all activities put colleagues and customers at the heart of everything we do.
• Additional, reasonable duties as required.

Skills, knowledge, and experience:

• Strong HR knowledge and experience
• Experience in a senior executive/management role and advising senior colleagues and decision makers
• Experience in organisational design and development
• Experience of technical and cultural change
• Evidence of working with and advising senior colleagues and decision makers in a complex and challenging environment
• Lead and develop data protection and data governance strategy
• Ensure data compliance and training in line with GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018
• Previous experience of embedding and implementing EDI and environmental Strategies
• Lead cultural change
• Excellent understanding of the role of IT systems in underpinning effective business processes and communications, and experience of implementing systems change and improving data quality
• Assess and escalate functional risks and issues to SLT & Change Committee to support the programme in understanding dependencies and risks
• Acts as a role model and key face of the change
• Ensure senior leadership and the People teams are actively engaged with the programme, understand its impact and are proactively communicating its outcomes
• Ensure stakeholder assessment and engagement, change impact assessment
• A high level of drive, enthusiasm and passion for managing and improving people and digital services
• Highly organised with excellent planning and co-ordination ability gained from working in a high-pressure environment with conflicting priorities
• Excellent written/oral communication skills for reports and presentations
• Ability to competently mediate disagreements and negotiate agreeable resolutions
• Resilience and ability to work under pressure and at pace with confidence to overcome obstacles
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and understanding of how this applies to own role, audiences and culture of the company
• Ability to work flexibly, travel and work at times outside normal office hours
• Welsh language speaker/writer 
• A good level of understanding of digital communications
• Knowledge of the opera industry and the arts sector in general