Director of HR and People​

Job description
This post is a new role within the theatre’s Senior Leadership Team to shape the culture and create a people strategy that develops our commitment to being an inclusive, diverse and nurturing environment. The Director of HR and People will drive change, inform strategic planning as well as administering the day-to-day HR function for the organisation. ​

Job Title: Director of HR and People​

Reporting to: Chief Executive​

Responsible for: No direct report​

Salary: £47,740​

Hours: 39 hours per week, worked flexibly in accordance with business needs. Occasional evening and weekend work will be required.​

Contract: Full time, permanent, subject to a 6-month probationary period.​

Period of Notice: 3 months, after probation period.​

Holiday: 20 days holiday pro-rata; rising to 25 days with length of service; plus, public holidays. ​

Main Responsibilities​:

Policies​
• Develop and regularly review all Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch systems, policies and procedures relating to the provision of a safe and inclusive working environment. ​
• Ensure people systems and processes are up to date and maintained in line with legislative standards. ​
• Develop the theatre’s Wellbeing policies, procedures and resources. ​
• Oversee the development of the staff handbook and welcome pack. ​
• Create a strategy and supporting policies for pathways into the organisation at all levels including internships, work experience, apprenticeships and volunteers. ​

Operational HR​
• Be the first point of contact for HR queries.​
• Manage and administer the day-to-day HR systems and processes. ​
• Maintain a working knowledge of the payroll system and process. ​
• Manage recruitment of all staff (salaried and freelance) including developing job descriptions, advertising, recruitment process, contracting and induction / on-boarding. ​
• Create a performance management framework which allows the theatre to recognise talent and align employee outputs to overall business strategy. ​
• Create a Professional Development strategy and framework which ensures people are fully trained, supported and nurtured to thrive in the workplace. ​
• Proactively seek out training opportunities and manage the annual training budget to develop the needs of both the staff team and the wider organisation. ​
• Deliver in-house training as appropriate to meet identified development and legislative needs. ​
• Manage all initial grievance / disciplinary processes. ​
• Act as a trustworthy and confidential counsel to staff of all levels as required. ​
• Act as HR counsel to the Board, Executive and SLT on all people related matters.​

Reporting
• ​Lead the collection, collation and interrogation of Equal Opportunities monitoring data and reporting to the relevant management / governance groups. ​
• Monitor and report on equality, diversity and inclusion data, setting targets for improvement year on year as part of the people strategy. ​
• Contribute HR and workforce data / narrative for reporting to funders as required. ​
• Ensure compliance with all relevant legal requirements. ​
• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of all relevant legislation & regulations. ​

Senior Leadership​
• Assume overall responsibility for all people-based activity within the organisation from both an operational and HR perspective. ​
• Play an active role within the theatre’s Senior Leadership Team, bringing alive the strategic aims of the organisation within the working culture. ​
• Contribute to the work of the theatre’s sub-committees including Health & Safety and Inclusivity & Relevance. ​
• Represent the theatre at external meetings and deputise for the Chief Executive in their absence (responsibility shared across the Senior Leadership Team).​
• Continually review organisational design to ensure it is effective, productive and fit for purpose. ​

General​
• Play a role in the life of the company and work across departments to develop a positive and engaged organisational culture. ​
• Take an active role in identifying and removing barriers in line with equality, diversity and inclusion policies, for example removing access barriers for anyone with access needs. ​
• Maintain a working knowledge of the theatre’s programme, strategy and business plan.​
• Attend staff meetings / training as required. ​
• Adhere to Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch policies & procedures and act as an ambassador for best practice. ​
• Always maintain confidentiality.​

The post-holder may be required to undertake other reasonably determined duties and responsibilities within the organisation which are appropriate with the level of the role without changing the general character of the post. ​

The post-holder may also be called upon to carry out duties that would not normally be associated with the post on a temporary basis where there is a strong organisational requirement for that to happen. The post-holder would be given appropriate training and equipment to carry out any duties of this kind. ​

Person Specification​

Essential: ​
• Demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.​

Able to engage with empathy across a workforce from multi-disciplines and at all levels.​
• Experience at senior level as a HR professional (CIPD qualification or significant demonstrable equivalent experience).​
• Experience of developing policies and implementing organisational change.​
• Experience of producing reports for Board or management/governance groups.​
• Experienced in leading and supporting recruitment activity up to Exec and board level.​
• Experience of supporting the development of people and a proven ability to work as part of a team.​
• A role model for organisational values and behaviours.​
• A desire to work within the arts and cultural sector.​
• Self-motivated, organised and self-sufficient.​
• Demonstrable commitment to personal growth and development.​
• Able to prioritise a complex workload with strong organisational skills.​

Desirable: ​
• Strong working knowledge of industry union agreements (UK Theatre BECTU / Equity and Musicians Union).​
• Experience in successful union negotiations. ​
• Substantial lived experience (and / or a heightened empathy) of working with underrepresented and underserved communities. ​
• A keen understanding of and / or interest in Outer East London and South Essex as a place. ​
• Experience of working within the charity sector. ​
• Interest in the performing arts. ​
• Experience in managing multiple projects. ​
• Empathetic, warm and engaging in style and a positive attitude. ​

​We fully recognise that you might not meet all the personal specification, this is an indicative list, and we encourage people with an equivalent level of experience to apply.  ​ ​

How to Apply​:

Application Deadline: ​Tuesday, 14th April 2025, 10 a.m. ​

Interviews: ​

First interview: Via Zoom on Thursday 17th April 2025.​

Second interview: In-person at QTH on Friday 25th April 2025.​

To submit your application: ​​

Fill in our Application form and an Equal Opportunities form at:​

www.queens-theatre.co.uk/about-us/qrecruit/ ​

(applications by CV cannot be considered)​.

Send completed forms to: recruitment@queens-theatre.co.uk​

For assistance, please email: recruitment@queens-theatre.co.uk​

We want to make all opportunities at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch accessible to anyone who wants to apply. ​

If submitting a written application is not the best way to tell us about your skills and experience, we will accept a video recorded application via ‘WeTransfer’.

We will send questions in advance of first and second round interviews to allow you time to prepare. We may ask for a task or presentation at second round interview.​

If you would like an informal conversation with James Watson, Acting Chief Executive, to find out more about the position, in advance of, or whilst you are considering making an application, please contact: recruitment@queens-theatre.co.uk to arrange a mutually convenient time.​

Please note for interviews we will reimburse travel expenses, provide BSL interpreters and language interpreters.​

Queens Theatre Hornchurch is Disability Confident Committed​.

Find out more about Disability Confident at: ​

www.gov.uk/disability-confident​