Dunelm
Head of Organisational Development
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Overview
People love Dunelm. That statement is true for the millions of Customers, the ‘savvy home lovers’ who love the broad range of quality, value for money homewares products, the unique in-store and online experience, and Dunelm’s distinctive local feel. It is also true for the 12,000 Colleagues who benefit from an ambitious, entrepreneurial, family-oriented culture and challenger-brand mentality which combine to create an environment that is conducive to making things happen fast. And it’s also true for Investors who have seen strong and consistent returns to date and are excited by the leadership team’s calibre and vision, and the strength of Dunelm’s multi-channel offering.
Department Overview
At Dunelm, our People & Communications function is a high‑impact, commercially focused strategic engine, turning organisational goals into people and communication plans that unlock performance, engagement and long‑term success, with colleagues and customers at the heart.
We work collaboratively to shape the conditions for Dunelm to thrive — attracting and developing exceptional talent, strengthening leadership capability, building future skills and fostering a culture where every colleague can do their best work.
Our work is varied and meaningful: partnering with business teams to enable organisational performance through people, and anticipating future workforce needs. Developing modern people policies and practices, championing wellbeing and inclusion, and aligning colleagues around our shared values.
What you'll be doing
Role Overview
The Head of Organisational Development will shape and deliver Dunelm’s approach to organisational effectiveness, leadership, culture, and people change across a fast-paced, customer-facing retail environment.
The role holder will ensure the business is structured, skilled, and enabled to deliver against the strategy. They will collaborate with the rest of the People & Communications team and partner closely with senior leaders to drive capability, optimise organisation design, and embed a high-performance, customer-centric culture.
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An experienced OD leader who understands the realities of a fast-paced retail environment. You combine strategic thinking with hands-on delivery and can translate organisational theory into practical solutions that work on the ‘shop floor’ as well as in the support centre.
Key Responsibilities
Organisation Design & Operating Model
- Lead organisation design activity as needed across all business areas
- Ensure the operating model supports delivery of strategic plan
- Optimise organisation efficiency through spans and layers, structures, clear accountabilities and governance frameworks and forums
- Embed clear roles, accountabilities, and decision-making across teams
Leadership Capability
- Define and deliver leadership capability strategy
- Embed consistent leadership expectations that drive performance, engagement, and customer outcomes
- Partner with HRBPs to identify capability gaps and design targeted interventions
- Collaborate with other People & Comms centres of expertise to reinforce and sustain leadership capability levels
Culture
- Shape and embed a customer obsessed, high-performance and inclusive culture
- Drive consistency of colleague experience across all locations
- Align behaviours with brand values and customer expectations
Change & Transformation
- Lead organisational and cultural aspects of transformation, ensuring people plans enable delivery of strategic outcomes
- Develop a single way of change and change tool kit that drives improved adoption and engagement
- Equip leaders to manage frequent operational change brilliantly
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Future Workforce Planning
- Lead strategic workforce planning to define the workforce of the future, considering future skills, org shape and size
- Ensure the organisation has the right people, in the right place, at the right time
- Improve productivity and workforce flexibility
Data, Insight & Performance
- Use people and operational data to drive decisions and identify trends to inform OD priorities
- Define metrics for organisational effectiveness and track impact
- Translate insight into practical, business-focused actions
Stakeholder Engagement
- Act as a trusted partner to leaders and Executive team, gaining their buy-in and commitment to change and initiatives
- Influence organisation design, capability, and culture decisions
- Work collaboratively across People and business leadership
What we'll look for in you
- Significant experience in organisational development/effectiveness within a multi-site or retail environment
- Proven track record of delivering organisation design and transformation at scale
- Strong understanding of retail operating models and frontline workforce challenges and opportunities
- Experience building leadership capability
- Data-driven with strong commercial acumen
- Ability to operate at pace and translate strategy into practical solutions
- Excellent stakeholder management across senior and operational leaders
Desirable Skills
- Experience in omnichannel or digital retail transformation
- Knowledge of workforce planning and labour modelling in retail
- Familiarity with change methodologies (e.g., ADKAR, agile transformation approaches)
- Background in large, complex or fast-growth retail organisations
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