Interim Chief People Officer (12 month FTC)

 enterprise‑level CPO role at a pivotal inflection point

At a pivotal point in its organisational journey,  Interim Chief People Officer to join the Executive Leadership Team and play a critical role in strengthening organisational culture, performance, leadership capability, and long-term organisational health.

• An opportunity to shape culture and performance at a national charity
As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Interim Chief People Officer will lead the People and Organisational Development Directorate, shaping and delivering a people strategy that enables  to operate with agility, resilience, and impact as the organisation evolves.

The role requires a whole‑system, organisation‑first approach, with strong cross‑organisational influence and the ability to translate strategy into sustained people outcomes.

Key responsibilities include:
• Working collaboratively with the Executive Leadership Team to define, plan, and embed  organisational strategy, delivering people outcomes that support long-term organisational health and strategic ambitions.
• Leading and role‑modelling  cultural evolution; acting as a critical accountability partner to the CEO and Executive Team on leadership behaviours, culture, and the creation of a psychologically safe, high‑trust environment.
• Developing and leading the People Directorate in alignment with purpose and strategy, driving improvements in colleague engagement and progressing the digitisation of the end‑to‑end people experience.
• Leading, coaching, and motivating a high‑performing People Directorate team, fostering collaboration, accountability, and performance.
• Partnering with the CEO and Executive Team on organisational design, leadership capability development, succession planning, and workforce planning.
• Championing and embedding people‑centred transformation and change programmes, ensuring they are sustainable and widely adopted.
• Using internal and external insights to shape future thinking around organisational design, operating models, and culture, enhancing  long‑term resilience.
• Taking responsibility for the financial stewardship of the People function, including budgeting, expenditure control, and disciplined resource deployment.
• Working closely with the CEO to embed Enterprise Leadership principles across executive and senior leadership levels.

The Successful Applicant

The successful candidate will be an accomplished executive‑level people leader with a strong track record of delivering sustained organisational change in complex environments.

You will bring:
• An organisation‑first mindset, with proven executive leadership experience delivering transformation in a complex and/or regulated environment within a similarly sized or larger organisation.
• Demonstrable experience of digitising the people experience and increasing people data maturity.
• A track record as an inspirational leader who develops high‑performing teams and delivers measurable outcomes at senior and executive level.
• Evidence of successfully building and sustaining positive organisational cultures during periods of significant change.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to contribute meaningfully to enterprise‑level decision‑making.
• Deep expertise in organisational change, transformation, and contemporary people best practice.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with credibility at Board and Executive level.
• A collaborative leadership style, balancing support and challenge, with high personal accountability and a commitment to equity, continuous learning, and improvement.
• Clear evidence of advocating for and delivering specific organisational changes, supported by strong communication and influencing capability.
• Experience of managing and controlling significant budgets.

What’s on Offer
• A high‑profile interim executive role within a purpose‑driven national charity.
• The opportunity to shape organisational culture, leadership capability, and people strategy at a pivotal moment in  journey.

• Hybrid working with regular travel to Cambridge and central London.

REF 3335