Head of People

The Role

Head of People
Bishopbriggs, Scotland | Full-time | Hybrid (initially onsite)
Salary: £47,000 – £50,000 (dependent on experience)

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join St Mary’s Kenmure (SMK) as Head of People, a newly established leadership role created to modernise and strengthen the organisation’s people function during a significant period of strategic development.

We are delighted to support SMK in appointing a values-driven HR leader who will play a central role in shaping workforce culture, strengthening leadership capability and delivering excellence in workforce development.

The Organisation

St Mary’s Kenmure is one of Scotland’s national secure care providers, delivering trauma-informed care, education and support for vulnerable and high-risk children and young people. The organisation operates within a highly regulated environment and is recognised for its commitment to rights-based, nurturing and therapeutic practice.

SMK is entering an important phase of organisational development, underpinned by a renewed strategic vision and a strong commitment to workforce excellence. Guided by its values of nurture, connection, stability and opportunity to thrive, the organisation is focused on ensuring its people feel valued, supported and empowered to deliver exceptional outcomes.

The Opportunity

The Head of People will act as SMK’s lead HR professional, providing authoritative advice to the Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees while delivering a proactive, strategically aligned and values-driven HR service.

This role will lead the modernisation of HR operations and play a critical role in delivering the organisation’s 2025–30 strategic commitment to Excellence in Workforce Development and Leadership.

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and delivering a comprehensive People Strategy aligned to organisational priorities
• Leading workforce improvement initiatives focused on engagement, retention, absence and leadership capability
• Providing expert advice on complex employee relations matters and organisational risk
• Leading organisational development, change and continuous improvement programmes
• Modernising HR systems, policies and processes to ensure efficiency and compliance
• Building leadership capability across the organisation
• Strengthening workforce culture and employee experience
• Leading and developing the HR Business Support Team

The successful candidate will operate at both strategic and operational levels, ensuring HR contributes directly to organisational performance and service quality.

The Person

SMK is seeking a credible, collaborative and strategically minded HR leader with experience operating in complex, values-led environments.

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Chartered CIPD membership or equivalent senior HR leadership experience
• Proven experience leading HR strategy and organisational change
• Strong knowledge of employment law and best practice HR management
• Experience advising senior leaders and working with Boards or Trustees
• Strong analytical capability and experience using workforce data to drive improvement
• Experience of workforce development, engagement and cultural transformation
• The ability to balance strategic insight with hands-on operational delivery

Experience within care, health or similarly regulated service environments would be advantageous.

The Impact

This is a pivotal appointment offering the opportunity to shape workforce culture within a nationally significant organisation. The Head of People will play a defining role in creating an environment where staff feel supported, inspired and able to thrive, enabling the highest quality of care and outcomes for the children and young people supported by SMK.