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Head of People and Organisational Development
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City of Wolverhampton College
Purpose and Role
Provide strategic leadership for people and organisational development, ensuring the College attracts, develops, and retains a skilled, agile workforce aligned to current and future curriculum and organisational priorities.
Shape and embed a positive, values-driven culture that promotes engagement, inclusion, wellbeing, and professional growth, ensuring staff feel supported, motivated, and able to deliver an exceptional learner experience.
Design and deliver development, leadership, and change programmes that strengthen capability, build leadership excellence, and enable staff to adapt confidently to evolving systems, structures, and strategic ambitions.
Oversee high-quality, compliant people practices, including policy development, safeguarding, employment standards, and workforce planning, ensuring the College meets all statutory, regulatory, and audit requirements while operating as an employer of choice.
Act as a trusted advisor to the Principal and Chief Executive, Governors, and senior managers on all people-related matters.
Being part of the College Leadership Team
Contribute to the development and implementation of the College Strategy and role model a visible, values-driven leadership that promotes trust, accountability, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
Prepare and present clear, timely papers and reports to support effective and informed decision-making. Sharing information where requested and appropriate for other key stakeholders such as the DfE.
Manage budgets proactively in line with financial regulations, ensuring value for money and contributing to income generation and capital investment, where appropriate.
Deputise for Executive Management Team members, attending meetings and representing the College in key activities as required.
Participating fully in Human Resources procedures including the Annual Performance Review process; Return to Work/Managing Attendance Policy and Quality and Performance Management policies.
Main Duties And Responsibilities
Provide strategic leadership and direction for all Human Resources and payroll operations, ensuring the function supports strategic objectives and delivers a high-quality, customer-focused service.
Provide strategic leadership, a people-first workforce plan, ensuring the College has the skills, capacity, and flexibility needed to meet curriculum and operational priorities. Lead talent management, succession planning, recruitment, and selection to support long-term workforce sustainability.
Lead the design and delivery of a comprehensive staff induction and onboarding programme, supporting new starters to integrate quickly and effectively. Oversee early-career support, including mentoring, probation processes, and development pathways for new teachers and industry entrants.
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Oversee workforce development systems and analyse workforce data to ensure accurate reporting, robust insights, and evidence-based decision-making. Provide regular analysis and impact evaluations to senior leaders, governors, and auditors relating to workforce development, mandatory training, and CPD.
Lead on the effective development, application, and oversight of the College’s conduct, disciplinary, and grievance policies. This includes ensuring all cases are managed fairly, consistently, and in accordance with statutory requirements. Provide leadership and guidance on complex employee relations matters to maintain high standards of professionalism and compliance.
Anticipate future skills needs and lead organisational design, role profiling, career pathway development, and leadership development to ensure an effective workforce structure aligned to current and emerging curriculum priorities.
Promote a college-wide learning culture, ensuring curiosity, professional growth, and shared practice are embedded. Develop and oversee the professional development strategy, including CPD frameworks, mandatory training, and leadership programmes. Work collaboratively with managers to understand team-level development needs and design tailored solutions that support performance and continuous improvement.
Lead the development and delivery of the College’s culture and engagement strategy. Advise senior leaders on organisational climate, engagement trends, and cultural insights, and coordinate recognition initiatives that celebrate staff contributions.
Lead staff wellbeing initiatives, promoting mental health, workload balance, reasonable adjustments, resilience, and staff support. Maintain key wellbeing partnerships and work with occupational health and managers to identify wellbeing trends and interventions.
Strengthen internal communication and staff engagement, ensuring transparent, timely communication and leading cross-College engagement activities such as staff briefings, networks, and community building initiatives.
Develop leadership capability, including coaching, action-learning, and culture-focused programmes. Support managers to embed constructive performance conversations and positive team environments.
Lead and support organisational change programmes, designing and delivering development interventions that help staff adapt to new systems, processes, or structures.
Own and maintain all payroll policies, procedures, and controls, ensuring they are up to date, legally compliant, and aligned with sector best practice.
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Drive continuous improvement across processes, systems, and service delivery to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and internal controls, whilst also overseeing the efficient processing, reconciliation, and analysis of data.
Support the planning and delivery of the College’s EDI Strategy, coordinating campaigns, awareness events, and training that promote inclusion, belonging, and respect. Monitor compliance with EDI statutory duties and contribute to inclusive policy development.
Oversee the development, review, and implementation of HR policies, ensuring they are modern, fair, inclusive, and aligned to best practice. Ensure the College meets all statutory, regulatory, and audit requirements relating to employment, safeguarding (single central register), and workforce compliance.
Lead employee relations, building constructive partnerships with recognised trade unions and managing escalated or complex cases where required.
Build strong working relationships with curriculum and support managers, staff forums, trade unions, and external organisations. Engage in sector networks to share best practice and bring innovation into the College.
Other Duties And Responsibilities
Ensure staff as well as visitors and contractors understand and consistently apply Safeguarding and Equality and Diversity measures to ensure a healthy, sustainable, and productive learning environment is consistently maintained.
To carry out any other duties as directed by your Line Manager.
Our Values
Our values are the foundation of everything we do. They reflect our commitment and shape our college, ensuring that every interaction makes a meaningful impact:
- We work Collaboratively
- We take Ownership
- We are Welcoming
- We show Commitment
Safeguarding
The College is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of learners and expects all who work with or on behalf of the College to share this commitment. All roles within the College therefore are subject to DBS regulations.
The College considers that the job holder for this role should have a DBS Enhanced CHILD.
Equality and Diversity
We are committed to the promotion of equality of opportunity in all of our activities and to encouraging access to our College from all groups irrespective of race, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
We are working to create an environment in which cultural diversity and individual difference are positively valued in an atmosphere free from harassment and discrimination. We take our legal and moral obligations with respect to equal opportunities seriously and welcome dialogue with groups and individuals on ways in which our equal opportunities policies and practice can be enhanced.
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