Assistant Director HR

Salary details: £ - £

Do you believe great organisations start with great people?

Join us in leading a modern, customer-focused HR service that puts people at the heart of everything we do. You’ll refresh our People Strategy, strengthen workforce resilience, and embed a culture of inclusion and wellbeing, ensuring our teams feel supported, valued, and empowered to deliver outstanding services for Derbyshire’s communities.

About the role
As Assistant Director of HR, you will:
•    Lead and continually improve a council wide HR function that is consistent, responsive and aligned to strategic priorities.
•    Refresh and deliver the People Strategy, aligning to our future vision, outcomes and target operating model.
•    Drive strategic workforce planning and organisation wide change to secure future workforce resilience and capability.
•    Act as the senior escalation point for complex people matters, advising Executive Directors and Elected Members.
•    Champion a performance culture across HR, streamlining processes, assuring quality, and delivering value for money.
•    Build positive employee relations, engaging effectively with Trade Unions and employee representatives.
•    Identify and deliver efficiency savings within HR without compromising service quality.

About you
You will bring:
•    Extensive senior HR leadership experience in a large, complex organisation.
•    A strong track record in organisational change, workforce strategy and service redesign.
•    Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills (including with Elected Members and Trade Unions).
•    Deep knowledge of HR service models, employment legislation and best practice.
•    Qualifications: CIPD Level 7 (or equivalent). Leadership qualification desirable.

Our Benefits & Values
At Derbyshire County Council, we’re committed to making this a great place to work. 

Here’s what you can expect:
•    Generous annual leave – 34 days.
•    Local Government Pension Scheme – secure, defined benefits with employer contributions.
•    Flexible & hybrid working – supporting work-life balance.
•    Family-friendly policies – including maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave.
•    Employee discounts & rewards – through Our Derbyshire Rewards platform, including savings on shopping, travel, leisure and more.
•    Health & wellbeing support – including Employee Assistance Programme, occupational health and mental health resources.
•    Learning & development opportunities – to support your professional growth.
•    Salary sacrifice schemes – including childcare vouchers, shared cost AVCs, Cycle to Work & Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme.
•    A chance to shape the future of public service delivery in Derbyshire
•    A supportive and forward-thinking leadership environment

📅 Application Deadline: Sunday 26th October 2025
📨 How to Apply: Please register and upload your CV & Supporting Statement (Two A4 Pages).

Provisional Interview Date: Week Commencing 3rd November 2025

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Julie Etheridge Julie.Etheridge@derbyshire.gov.uk 

We really look forward to hearing from you!

💼 Total Reward Package Includes:

• 💰 Competitive Salary: £71,202 – £77,495 per annum
• 🏦 Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS): Employer contribution of 20.8%—worth between £14,812 and £16,121 annually
• 🏖️ Annual Leave: 34 days paid leave (including bank holidays), valued at £9,311 – £10,101
• 📈 Total Package Value: Combined salary, pension, and leave worth £95,325 – £103,717 per annum, reflecting our commitment to rewarding leadership and public service excellence

Apply now and take the first step towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click here

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This role currently offers hybrid working options which will be to subject service needs, there'll be an opportunity to discuss working arrangements for this position at interview.

Important: Derbyshire County Council holds a sponsorship licence, but this role does not offer visa sponsorship. Please apply only if you already have the right to work in the UK without sponsorship, as applications that do not meet this requirement will be rejected.

We welcome applications from individuals who share our values — being Collaborative, Innovative, Empowered and Accountable. These values describe who we are and what we stand for as a council. They help shape our culture, encourage consistent behaviour and guide how we work together to make a positive difference for both our employees and the residents we serve.