Job Description

Director of People & Organisational DevelopmentSalary c. £125,000

Manchester is a thriving, modern city with a global reputation for culture, leisure and sporting success. Not only one of the fastest-growing cities in Europe, and a vital engine of economic growth for the north west and the UK, we’re also a pioneer in public service reform, reshaping services in ways that influence thinking far beyond our boundaries. There’s no better place to bring your talents than one of the country’s most dynamic public service organisations in one of Europe’s most progressive cities.

We have an ambitious City Plan.  To deliver this the council must be a great place to work, with a culture we can be proud of and an absolute commitment to the highest standards of performance and conduct. That’s what this job is all about: you’ll lead one of the biggest, busiest, most complicated and most rewarding core city People functions in the country, from inclusive recruitment to talent management and building great career pathways to supporting all our people to feel valued at work.

We’re proud of our successes such as our award-winning approach to employee engagement setting a new benchmark in organisational development and our new EDI plan furthering the work started in our race review.  We are also clear-eyed about where we need to do more or think differently.

As one of the fastest growing and most diverse local labour markets in the country, our priorities include the continuous improvement of workforce representation at all levels, strengthening equality, pay, and fairness, supported by the implementation of our new HR & Finance system. We are also pursuing a renewed focus on culture and behaviours and an integrated talent strategy developing world-class leaders.

We want to meet people with a sophisticated mix of expertise, experience and leadership skills, who can immediately establish a strong, credible reputation and momentum for change. Your communication, negotiation and influencing ability will be exceptional, and you must bring a track record of consolidating and strengthening large, complex organisations.

You’ll be joining a strong, well-respected, politically and financially stable city, with highly valued partnerships. The professional opportunity to deliver a high performing service and lead an exceptional team shouldn’t be missed. We know this job will be a major enabling factor in us achieving our vision for Manchester, and we’re really looking forward to meeting experienced, optimistic leaders who can make it all happen. xbpsjku

To find out more, please visit arrange a confidential conversation with colleagues at our recruitment partners Faerfield, Dawn Faulkner and Zara Bruton, please call

Closing date: Monday 6th April 2026 at midnight.