Head of People

Morgan Law are delighted to now be partnering exclusively with The Association of Commonwealth Universities in the search for their new Head of People.

The Association of Commonwealth Universities is an international organisation dedicated to building a better world through higher education. The ACU believe that international collaboration is central to this ambition. By bringing universities together from around the world and crucially the people who study and work within them, The ACU’s mission is to help advance knowledge, promote understanding, broaden minds, and improve lives.

The ACU champion higher education as a cornerstone of stronger societies, supporting its members, partners, and stakeholders as they adapt to a changing world.

As Head of People, reporting to the People Director, you will be responsible for the development and delivery of the ACU’s People strategy and operational People plan through the leadership of the People team. As a key advisor to the Senior Leadership Team, you’ll actively lead in the delivery of a business partnering approach across the ACU that enables a learning and performance driven culture, through the development of strong relationships and the implementation of effective People systems, policies, and processes. 

This exciting role requires an experienced People/HR Generalist with a strong track record of managing and building the capacity of People teams and leading, empowering, and motivating teams to promote a high-performance culture. As a strategic thinker with experience of business planning, shaping strategies and developing and leading people activities and projects with a pan-organisational perspective, the ideal candidate will also enjoy being operationally hands-on and will demonstrate a genuine interest in the ACU’s mission and in contributing to a supportive, inclusive and values led organisation that has social impact and makes a difference.

To be considered you will also require:

• Degree level education and Chartered MCIPD (or equivalent) or significant senior level People experience
• A demonstrable understanding of change management and the ability to implement and manage change involving culture, people, systems, and processes 
• Experience of working at a senior level, with demonstrable and broad knowledge of current people and culture thinking, policy, employment law, business partnering and best practice
• Demonstrable experience of managing complex employee relations and conflict management cases
• Significant project management experience 
• Previous experience of developing and implementing learning and development strategies and activities would be ideal
• Proven financial skills, with knowledge and experience of budget development, financial monitoring and reporting
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, influencing and negotiating skills

In return you can look forward to building your career through extensive training and development opportunities in a highly values driven and inclusive environment, where a positive, supportive and flexible working culture and health and wellbeing are priorities.  

Please note, interviews will be conducted on an ongoing rolling basis, so if you are interested please apply ASAP.