Director of HR

Director of HR — Detailed Job Description (Voluntary)

Status: Voluntary (expenses reimbursed)
Reports to: Managing Director
Liaises with: Director of Compliance, Company Secretary, Head of Programmes, Sales & Partnerships Lead
Direct reports: None initially; matrix influence over associate facilitators and hiring managers
Location: Hybrid (South of England preferred) with occasional travel
Time commitment: c. 6–8 hours per month; peaks during recruitment rounds and policy refreshes

Role Purpose

To design and steward the organisation’s people strategy, systems, and policies so that ThriveSpark recruits, develops, and retains a safe, capable, and inclusive workforce. The Director of HR ensures that employment practice is compliant with UK law and sector standards, integrates safeguarding and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) into everyday operations, and provides the Board with independent, high-quality advice on culture, workforce risk, and organisational design as the charity and CIC scale.

Key Responsibilities

1) People Strategy & Governance

• Develop a light-touch but robust HR framework aligned to organisational strategy, values, and risk appetite.

• Advise the Board on workforce planning (staff vs. associates), role design, and succession; maintain an annual HR plan and KPIs.

• Ensure all HR policies are current, accessible, and applied consistently; schedule an annual policy review cycle.

2) Safer Recruitment & Onboarding

• Establish safer recruitment procedures (role profiles, adverts, shortlisting criteria, structured interview packs).

• Oversee right-to-work and enhanced DBS checks where appropriate; ensure references are verified and recorded.

• Design an onboarding pathway covering safeguarding, data protection (UK GDPR), H&S, code of conduct, and role-specific induction.

3) Performance, Supervision & Development

• Implement supervision and appraisal frameworks with clear objectives, feedback cycles, and development plans.

• Introduce role-appropriate learning pathways (safeguarding refreshers, EDI, delivery quality, leadership skills).

• Promote reflective practice and coaching for associate facilitators and line managers.

4) Employee Relations, Culture & Wellbeing

• Provide early, proportionate advice on capability, conduct, grievance, and whistleblowing; ensure fair and timely resolution.

• Champion an inclusive, psychologically safe culture; lead pulse surveys and action plans on engagement and wellbeing.

• Embed reasonable adjustments processes and guidance for neuro-inclusive practice across teams.

5) Pay, Contracts & Working Practices

• Advise on contracts for employment and associate agreements (with legal support where necessary).

• Set and maintain clear Delegations of Authority for HR decisions; document version control and audit trails.

• Provide pragmatic guidance on flexible working, TUPE (if applicable), volunteering, and use of contractors.

6) Compliance & Risk

• Ensure HR practice complies with UK employment law, charity/CIC regulation, and sector safeguarding standards.

• Maintain accurate, secure personnel records; ensure privacy notices, retention schedules, and DPIAs are in place for HR systems.

• Contribute to the risk register; report workforce risks, incidents, and mitigations to the Board each quarter.

7) Collaboration & Advisory

• Work closely with the Director of Compliance on safeguarding training coverage, incident learning, and policy alignment.

• Support the Head of Programmes on capacity planning, supervision cadence, and quality assurance for delivery staff.

• Partner with Finance on workforce budgeting, recruitment costs, and any contingent liabilities.

Success Measures (Illustrative)

• All statutory and safeguarding checks completed and evidenced for 100% of staff/associates before start.

• Induction completion ≥ 95% within 30 days; mandatory training (safeguarding, UK GDPR, EDI) ≥ 95% within 60 days.

• Supervision/appraisal completion ≥ 90% on cycle; documented development plans in place for all staff.

• Recruitment SLAs met (time-to-hire within target, diverse shortlists monitored), with candidate experience ≥ agreed threshold.

• Pulse survey participation ≥ 70% and positive movement on inclusion and wellbeing indicators.

• Zero missed HR compliance deadlines; personnel records and retention schedules audit-ready.

Person Specification

Essential

• Senior experience in HR/People Operations within education, health, social impact, or professional services.

• Demonstrable track record establishing HR policies and implementing safer recruitment and induction at pace.

• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law, safeguarding responsibilities, and UK GDPR in HR contexts.

• Skilled in employee relations with balanced, evidence-led judgement and clear written/oral communication.

• Commitment to EDI and neuro-inclusive practice; able to turn principles into workable, proportionate processes.

• High integrity, discretion, and independence of mind; comfortable advising a Board/Chair.

Desirable

• Experience supporting a mixed workforce (staff plus associates/contractors/volunteers).

• Exposure to TUPE, restructuring, or scaling organisations.

• Credential(s) such as CIPD (Level 5/7) or equivalent experience.

• Familiarity with lean policy design, HRIS selection, and light-touch analytics for KPIs.

Safeguarding, Data Protection & Health and Safety

This role is subject to enhanced DBS (depending on access to beneficiaries) and ongoing safeguarding refreshers. All activity must comply with ThriveSpark’s policies (Safeguarding, Data Protection/UK GDPR, Health & Safety, EDI, Code of Conduct). The Director of HR is accountable for ensuring safer recruitment is applied consistently and that HR data processing is lawful, minimised, secure, and time-limited.

Terms of Appointment

This is a voluntary position during the initial phase. Expenses reasonably incurred in the course of duties will be reimbursed in line with policy. As the organisation scales, the Board will review the HR leadership structure and may consider a remunerated appointment subject to resources and need.