The City of Liverpool College
Head of Organisational Development
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Application Deadline: 9 October 2026
Department: Human Resources
Location: Liverpool
Compensation: £50,241 / year
Description
Job Title: Head of Organisational Development
Department: Human Resources
Salary: £50,241 per year
Job Type: Permanent, 35 hours per week
The role leads on driving organisational development and employee experience initiatives, leading recruitment strategies, and overseeing learning and development programs to build capability and talent across the organisation.
The Head of Organisational Development (OD) has line management responsibility for the Recruitment Manager and the HR People Professional Apprentice.
Key Responsibilities
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Organisational Development and Cultural Change
- Design and deliver OD programmes that support organisational priorities and workforce development.
- Evaluate the impact of interventions and recommend improvements based on outcomes and feedback.
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Modernise and Transform People Systems and Processes
- Support the continuous modernisation of people systems, processes and practices, ensuring they are efficient, scalable and aligned to organisational priorities.
- Champion innovation and external best practice to deliver continuous improvement across the people function.
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Develop and Embed the People Strategy and Organisational Development Framework
- Assist the HR Director to shape, implement and evaluate the College's People Strategy and Organisational Development Framework.
- Ensure strategic priorities are translated into measurable outcomes and embedded across the organisation, supporting organisational effectiveness, cultural development and long-term success.
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Strategic Workforce Planning, Talent and Succession Management
- Lead the strategic approach to workforce planning, talent management and succession, working closely with the Recruitment Manager and HRBPs to understand and inform current and future workforce requirements and ensure a structured and strategic partnering approach is adopted to ensure recruitment, workforce planning, and succession planning is embedded.
- Provide strategic oversight of approaches to address skills shortages, strengthen organisational capability and attract, develop and retain a high-performing workforce, with the Recruitment Manager responsible for operational implementation and delivery.
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Employee Experience and Organisational Culture
- Champion a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture that enhances employee engagement, wellbeing and retention.
- Oversee the development and implementation of engagement, employee listening initiatives and organisational culture programmes, using insight and evidence to drive continuous improvement and support organisational performance.
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Leadership and Management Development
- Develop and deliver a leadership and management development framework that strengthens organisational capability and supports the achievement of College objectives.
- Ensure leaders and managers are equipped to deliver high performance, lead change effectively and foster a positive and inclusive working environment.
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Recruitment, Attraction and Onboarding Strategy
- Provide oversight of recruitment, attraction and onboarding activities, ensuring they contribute to the College’s position as an employer of choice and promote a positive employer brand and candidate experience, enabling the attraction and retention of diverse, high-quality talent.
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Learning Compliance and Workforce Development
- Provide oversight of mandatory training, compliance and workforce development activities, ensuring statutory, regulatory and organisational requirements are met.
- Promote a culture of continuous learning and development that supports organisational capability and performance.
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Employee Communications and Engagement Strategy
- Develop and oversee comprehensive employee communications that strengthen organisational alignment, supports change and enhances employee understanding of College priorities, values and objectives.
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Safer Recruitment and Employment Compliance
- Act as the organisational lead for safer recruitment, ensuring full compliance with statutory, regulatory and safeguarding requirements.
- Provide assurance to senior leaders through effective governance, training, policy development and continuous monitoring of legislative and best practice developments.
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Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Strategy
- Embed inclusive practices within all people and organisational development activities, drive measurable improvements in workforce diversity and inclusion, and lead initiatives that enhance employee wellbeing, belonging and organisational culture.
Professional Practice and Values
- Contribute fully to the mission and values statement of the College Group ensuring its effective implementation in all aspects of College life.
- Take a proactive approach and responsibility for personal professional development, Health & Safety, and meeting other regulatory compliances (e.g. GDPR, Safeguarding), thereby enabling safe and professional working practices to be observed at all times.
- Support cross college activities as required in particular the key enrolment and invigilation periods.
- Carry out any other relevant and appropriate duties as determined by the needs of the service and as appropriate to the grade.
Please Note
This role may close earlier than the advertised deadline if we receive sufficient applications. Early submission is strongly encouraged.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
Essential Criteria
- Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience in Human Resources or Organisational Development.
- Significant senior HR leadership experience within a complex organisation.
- Proven track record in organisational development and cultural change initiatives.
- Experience in modernising HR systems and processes, including technology integration.
- Strong background in strategic workforce planning, talent management, and succession planning.
- Experience in developing and delivering leadership and management development programmes.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans.
- Excellent leadership and people management skills.
- Strong influencing and negotiation skills.
- Champion of equality, diversity, and inclusion, embedding these principles in all HR practices.
- Integrity and discretion, maintaining confidentiality and professionalism at all times.
- Ability to analyse data and use insights to inform decision-making.
- Proactive and solutions-focused, with a commitment to continuous improvement.
- Resilient, adaptable, and able to manage change effectively.
- Innovative and forward-thinking approach to HR and OD.
- Strong networking skills and ability to build partnerships internally and externally.
Benefits
Why Join The City of Liverpool College?
As a valued member of our College community, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive range of benefits, dedicated wellbeing support, and meaningful opportunities for professional growth and development.
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Here are some of the benefits available to you:
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Generous holiday allowance
- Up to 30 days annual holiday allowance, plus 1 wellbeing day.
- You’ll also benefit from 5 to 7 days statutory closure and 2 further days closure at Easter.
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Pension Scheme
- You'll be part of the Aviva pension scheme, with contributions of up to 10%.
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Employee Benefits Platform
- As part of your role, you’ll have access to the COLC Employee Benefits Platform, a one-stop hub for a wide range of perks designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance, and everyday savings.
- You’ll be able to access discounts at major supermarkets, fashion and lifestyle retailers, tech stores, travel providers, and more.
- You’ll also benefit from the Cycle to Work Scheme, cinema and leisure discounts and tech and home appliance discounts, with the option of spreading the cost through salary sacrifice.
- The platform is part of our commitment to supporting you in every aspect of your working life – and beyond.
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Health and Wellbeing
- As part of our commitment to supporting your health and wellbeing, all employees have access to the Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – a completely confidential support service available 24/7, 365 days a year.
- Whether you’re facing personal challenges, looking for advice, or simply need someone to talk to, Health Assured is here to help.
- Through Health Assured, you can access a 24/7 confidential helpline, face to face, online or telephone counselling, as well as structured support for a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, relationships, bereavement, legal and financial concerns.
- You'll also have access to the online wellbeing portal, a secure, user-friendly platform offering a wide range of self-help resources, health assessments, articles, and guidance covering emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing, and to the Wisdom App, which offers mood trackers and wellbeing tools, meditation guides, fitness videos, and self-help modules as well as daily wellbeing tips.
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Medicash Scheme
- Access to Medicash health plans – supporting you and your family with enhanced access to treatment, wellbeing services, and expert care whenever you need it.
- We also offer free flu vaccinations to help keep you feeling your best all year round.
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Life Assurance
- We offer life assurance to give you and your family added peace of mind — with a benefit of up to three times your annual salary payable in the event of death in service.
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Travel
- We offer interest-free loans to help you buy annual travel passes from Merseytravel and Merseyrail.
- That means you can enjoy the savings of up to two months' free travel—without having to cover the full cost upfront.
- It’s all about making your commute more affordable and less stressful.
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Flexible Working
- We offer flexible working options depending on business need to support our employee's work-life balance.
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Professional Development
- We’re passionate about helping you thrive, offering a mix of formal and informal professional development opportunities—designed to sharpen your skills, expand your knowledge, and accelerate your career.
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College Benefits
- Our excellent sports and fitness facilities can be used free of charge by staff.
- You can also access a range of discounted hair and beauty treatments at our Academy and Graduate Hair & Beauty Salons, and a staff discount at our Academy Restaurant.
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