Head of People & Culture

Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our mission is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland and we currently have over 3000 Care Experienced members.   

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced children and young people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory opportunity for Care Experienced young people across Scotland; we work alongside corporate parents and communities of all sorts to broaden understanding; we work with policy makers, leaders and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy and practice on the basis of all that can be learnt from the voices of those with experience of care – working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.  

About the role 

Who Cares? Scotland is looking for an experienced and committed Head of People & Culture to lead and deliver our People & Culture function.  

This is a hands-on, generalist HR leadership role with responsibility for the full employee lifecycle and the continuous improvement of people practices across the organisation. Reporting to the Chief Executive and managing the People & Culture Officer, you will provide practical advice and support to managers and colleagues while ensuring our people policies, processes and systems are effective, consistent, inclusive and legally compliant.  

You will be the first point of contact for managers on a wide range of people matters and will play a key role in building management capability across the organisation. The role covers recruitment and onboarding, employee relations, performance and absence management, learning and development, wellbeing, equality and inclusion, payroll coordination, people data and reporting, and day-to-day HR operations. 

You will also identify opportunities to improve how we work, enhance employee engagement and ensure our approach to People & Culture continues to reflect the values, purpose and ambitions of Who Cares? Scotland.  

About you 

You will be an experienced HR professional with substantial generalist experience and a practical understanding of the full range of people issues that arise within an organisation. 

You will have a confident understanding of UK employment legislation and experience advising managers on employee relations matters, performance management, recruitment, policy development and workplace wellbeing. You will be comfortable managing sensitive and sometimes challenging situations, providing clear, balanced and pragmatic advice.  

You will be highly organised, solutions-focused and able to manage competing priorities while maintaining accuracy, professionalism and confidentiality. Most importantly, you will be approachable and capable of building trusted relationships with colleagues at every level of the organisation. 

Why join us? 

This is an opportunity to lead a People & Culture function within an organisation with a clear social purpose. You will have the opportunity to make a tangible difference to the working lives of colleagues across Who Cares? Scotland, while ensuring managers have the advice and support they need to lead their teams effectively.  

The role offers variety, responsibility, autonomy and the opportunity to shape and continuously improve how we support our people.  

How to apply 

Please submit your CV and supporting statement to jobs@whocaresscotland.org explaining your interest in the role and how your experience meets the requirements of the role.

We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of care and from groups currently underrepresented within our organisation. Who Cares? Scotland is committed to making our recruitment process accessible and inclusive. If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know.