A rare opportunity for an experienced Human Resources and Organisational Development leader to build a bold, agile function ensuring the council has the capability, culture and capacity to deliver its priorities.

You’ll lead the people strategy for a complex organisation creating a modern, inclusive and high-performing culture. You will have the autonomy, visibility and influence to work at the heart of the council’s leadership, shaping workforce strategy, organisational design, development and long-term capability.

This is a role with real impact creating an organisation that truly delivers for its people and partners with teams to enable them to deliver their services for the residents of Newcastle.

Role Purpose
The Head of Strategic HR & OD leads the council’s corporate workforce strategy, shaping the long-term workforce agenda for a diverse organisation of approximately 6,000 colleagues. The role provides strategic leadership across Performance and Reward, Organisational Development and Culture, Workforce Planning, Resourcing and Talent, ensuring the council has the capability, culture and capacity to deliver its priorities.

The postholder acts as the council’s senior strategic HR&OD lead, working closely with the senior leadership team, colleagues in employability, change and innovation, performance, EDI, HR operations and elected members to design and deliver a modern, diverse and inclusive and high-performing workforce.

Reports to: AD Strategy, Inclusion and Corporate Affairs

Responsible for: OD Manager, 2 x Lead OD Specialists covering Org Development & Culture, Performance & Reward, Workforce Planning, Resourcing & Talent.

Main Duties
1. Strategic Workforce Leadership

Lead the senior OD team and be accountable for the development and delivery of the council’s People Workforce Strategy, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities, financial plans and service transformation. The Head of Strategic HR&OD will integrate HR Leads into their team to ensure joined up commissioning of HR&OD strategy and agreed outcomes.
Provide strategic advice to senior leaders and Members on workforce trends, risks, opportunities and future capability needs.
Shape long-term workforce planning, ensuring the council has the right skills, roles and structures for the future.

2. Performance, Reward & Recognition

Lead the council’s approach to team and individual performance management, ensuring frameworks drive accountability, development and high performance.
Oversee the design and governance of total reward, benefits and recognition approaches, ensuring fairness, transparency and alignment with organisational values.
Provide strategic oversight of pay policy, market benchmarking, allowances and reward innovation.

3. Organisational Development & Culture

Oversee and be accountable for the council’s organisational development (OD) agenda, including leadership development, culture change, employee engagement and capability building.
Oversee the design and delivery of programmes that strengthen leadership behaviours, collaboration, innovation and customer-focused service delivery.
Oversee the council’s learning and development strategy, ensuring modern, accessible and impactful development pathways.

4. Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)

Provide strategic leadership to ensure the people workforce strategy incorporates the EDI agenda, ensuring compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty and delivery of ambitious diversity and inclusion culture and outcomes.
Lead the development of wellbeing strategies, action plans as part of our total reward strategy.

5. Workforce Planning, Resourcing & Talent

Lead the council’s approach to resourcing, ensuring effective recruitment, employer branding, onboarding and retention strategies. This approach will include HR end to end service delivery and strategic capability working alongside OD practitioners and specialists as one cohesive team.
Oversee talent management, succession planning and early careers pathways (e.g. apprenticeships, graduates, internships).
Ensure the council attracts, develops and retains diverse talent, addressing hard-to-fill roles and future skills gaps. Work closely with employability team as part of resourcing plan and approach and creating NCC as an employer of choice.

6. Strategic Insight & Workforce Intelligence

Lead the development of workforce analytics, insight and forecasting to inform strategic decision-making working closely with HR Leads, the HR improvement and Employee Services team.
Provide high-quality workforce reports to senior leadership, Members and corporate boards.
Use data to identify trends, risks and opportunities across the workforce.

7. Change Leadership & Transformation

Act as a strategic partner in major transformation, change and innovation programmes, ensuring workforce implications are understood and managed. Work closely with the transformation, change and innovation and digital teams to maximise alignment and joined up impact delivering agreed outcomes.
Lead culture and capability elements of organisational change, ensuring people-centred approaches and strong engagement.
Work collaboratively with the Service Manager of Operational HR to ensure seamless delivery between strategic and operational HR functions.

8. Stakeholder & Trade Union Engagement

Build strong, constructive relationships with trade unions, ensuring effective consultation on strategic workforce matters.
Work closely with senior leaders, Members and external partners to shape the council’s workforce agenda.
Work in partnership with internal comms senior lead and people and policy team to establish programme for engagement and communications with colleagues and developing employer brand and language register.

9. Governance, Policy & Compliance

Provide assurance on workforce governance, risk management and compliance with statutory duties.

10. Leadership & Management

Lead and develop a multi-disciplinary strategic team, fostering innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement.
Manage budgets, resources and programmes effectively, ensuring value for money and measurable impact.

Salary - £83,663 – £88,633

Office Location: Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH - Hybrid - 2 days per week in the office

Closing Date: 5th July 2026

For more information and a confidential discussion about the role please contact one of our consultants:

Email - Newcastlecc@osbornethomas.org

Telephone - 020 3280 3671

How to apply:
Apply online at www.northeastjobs.org.uk, select 'Apply Now' and complete our online application form. Before completing the form please ensure you read the supporting documents.

Any communication sent to you regarding your application will be sent to the email address you have set up on your Northeast Jobs account, so you will need to ensure that you check your inbox.