Head of Human Resources and Facilities

Head of Human Resources and Facilities

Location: Hybrid

Salary: £57,000 per annum plus £312 Home Worker Allowance per annum

Hours: 35 hours per week

Vacancy Type: Permanent

Sands are the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity. We are here to support everyone touched by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby. Always.

We’re creating a community of compassionate and lifesaving changemakers, whose voices inspire change and turn understanding into action.

For more than 40 years, Sands has provided a safe, understanding and caring community for anyone touched by pregnancy or baby loss. We can help, whether your loss happened recently or long ago.

Sands offer many types of support, including our free, confidential telephone helpline, email support, and online group sessions. We have a UK-wide network of local groups offering peer-support in the community, social media groups helping people connect wherever they are, and free resources for partners, siblings, grandparents, and wider family and friends.

The Role

Our Human Resources and Facilities team are responsible for providing a high standard of support to our staff, who are based throughout the UK.

This exciting and high-profile role is responsible for leading on all operational HR & Facilities activity within the charity. This includes ensuring that this activity aligns with Sands’ strategic objectives and meets KPI’s set by the Board. This is a key role which will help us to promote Sands’ vision; a world where fewer babies die and when a baby dies those affected receive the best care and support for as long as they need.

The areas that the team covers include staff learning & development, organisational change management, EEDI, implementation and development of HR policies and procedures, staff wellbeing, recruitment, employee reward and recognition, employment relations, development of HR IT systems and management of our property portfolio.

With significant experience in a Head of HR role, you will have a good understanding of UK employment law and be able to apply this in everyday situations.

You will be confident in advising senior managers in HR best practice, including leading on change management processes.

Experience of developing employee benefit and wellbeing packages, HR policies and information systems is essential. Additionally, you will have demonstrable experience of developing HR strategies including budgets and be able to confidently present to groups of staff and managers.

An excellent influencer and communicator, you will be able to build effective working relationships with staff and managers across the organisation as well as external stakeholders.

With a good knowledge and understanding of employment law and HR best practice, you will be able to manage several work streams simultaneously and meet deadlines under pressure. Excellent organisational and time-management skills are therefore essential for this role. You will also need to be highly numerate and demonstrate good problem-solving ability.

Skills and Qualifications

• CIPD qualification at Level 7 (MCIPD) or equivalent
• Significant experience of working in a Head of HR / People role
• Proven track record of developing and delivering HR strategies, policies, and reports aligned with organisational objectives
• Experience in organisational development, staff learning and training design, and delivery
• Demonstrated experience of introducing and embedding Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) initiatives
• Experience in HR policy development, implementation, and review
• In-depth knowledge of UK employment law and its practical application
• Experience of managing complex employee relations cases including grievance, disciplinary, and capability matters
• Significant experience of leading organisation-wide change management and transformation projects
• Experience in developing and implementing reward and recognition initiatives
• Experience of introducing and promoting staff health and wellbeing programmes
• Strong working knowledge of HR Information Systems (HRIS), ideally Sage HR or equivalent platform
• Experience of managing departmental budgets and reporting on financial performance
• Proven experience of leading, motivating, and developing a team of HR professionals
• Excellent influencing and communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively at all levels of the organisation
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships across departments and with external stakeholders
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy in all aspects of work
• Ability to manage a demanding workload, prioritise effectively, and meet tight deadlines
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Sound knowledge of data protection and GDPR legislation as it relates to HR practice
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a pragmatic approach to complex issues
• Confident, assertive, and able to make sound judgements and decisions when required
• Experience of, or an interest in, facilities management
• Understanding of maternity, neonatal, and healthcare policy and practice across the UK
• Empathy with Sands’ vision, mission, and values

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Sands, please do not hesitate to apply.