Executive Director of People and Communications
Base Location: Tolvaddon / Exeter or Weston Super Mare (with hybrid working)

About Us

LiveWest is a leading social housing provider for the South West, owning and managing over 40,000 homes, as well as a major regional employer with approximately 1,750 talented colleagues.

From Cornwall to Gloucestershire, we are making a real difference for people and communities, including providing support services to over 80,000 customers. The next decade will be a critical time for us as we look to invest over £2b in the South West economy and build a further 10,000 houses.

We are now 2 years into our corporate strategy that was approved in 2021, aiming to provide and invest in high-quality, safe, secure and environmentally sustainable homes throughout the South West. For customers who rent, we aim to offer rent that is below market level and, for customers looking to buy, we offer shared ownership opportunities, enabling those who are otherwise not able to achieve their long-term housing aspirations at an acceptable quality or cost.

To support our forward-thinking ambitions and strategies, we are now looking for an Executive Director of People and Communications to join us and play a critical role at the highest levels of our organisation. Experience within the sector is not essential, what is crucial is that your values align with ours and that you want to be part of an organisation where how we do things is as important as the results we achieve.

This is a rare, complex and exciting challenge for a senior level human resources professional with preferably experience of leading a communications function, together with significant change management experience to support the strategic direction of our market-leading organisation.  From a communication perspective you will have the knowledge and understanding of promoting and managing organisational brand and reputation.

The Role

The Executive Director of People and Communications is a new role that operates as part of the Executive team and takes responsibility for all aspects of our people and communications services, as well as sharing collegiate responsibility for leading the business.

Making a significant and proactive contribution to our organisation, you will play a key role in delivering our strategic vision, ensuring that our people and communications services reflect this and are embedded within our culture.

Working with the Executive team, the Board and the wider business, you will be a vital component in achieving our desired culture through effective people, communication, L&D and organisational development processes, practices and strategies. Within this activity, you will ensure that every member of our team is informed about our strategic ambitions and understands the role they play in achieving this.

As part of our Executive team, you will jointly develop and deliver our vision, operating model, strategic plan, customer service offer and business plan, supporting services that are customer-focused, aligned to business requirements and demonstrate a commitment to excellence in performance and customer service.

The position will also involve:

- Overseeing communications that support our reputation, growth and development
- Providing strategic, corporate, operational, professional business and specialist advice
- Leading the development of appropriate and adaptable business systems
- Identifying and managing risk
- Contributing to corporate governance
- Providing relevant, timely and accurate management information, discussion, guidance and reports

About You

To be considered for the role of Executive Director of People and Communications, you will need:

- To demonstrate an outstanding track record of senior leadership in a customer-facing organisation
- A successful track record in leading and managing change, creating a culture of continuous improvement, inspirational leadership and successful performance management
- A degree (or equivalent) and an appropriate professional qualification such as Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (FCIPD)

You will also need significant skills in the following areas:

- Collaborative and distributed leadership
- Leading complex change
- Leading culture and embodying the values
- Building sector credibility
- Corporate teamwork
- Corporate governance including performance and risk management
- Identifying strategic opportunities and setting direction
- Communication

Other organisations may call this role HR Executive Director, Human Resources Director, HRD, Executive Director of HR Services, or Executive Director of People Services.

Webrecruit and LiveWest are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment.

So, if you are eager to continue your career track and take on a fresh challenge as our Executive Director of People and Communications, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.

The Benefits

- Salary of £175,000
- £9,000 car allowance per annum
- Private Health Care (50% contribution)
- Defined contribution pension scheme – employer contribution of 6% - 9%
- Discretionary Bonus Scheme
- Death in Service benefit (3 x salary)
- 26 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays with a service-related increase to your entitlement up to 30 days plus an option to purchase extra annual leave
- Family Friendly policies
- Health Cash Plan including dental and optical cover (worth up to £1,100 per annum).
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Health and Wellbeing programme which includes enhanced sick pay, monthly campaigns, training and yearly flu jabs
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Car Benefit scheme
- Learning and Development including coaching and professional qualification support
- Volunteering days
- Onsite café, a car share scheme and free parking