Head of People

Right across infrastructure, there’s a requirement to not only maintain, but also renew and reimagine. Whatever stage you’re at in your career, with us you’ll have an opportunity to grow and develop. Delivering essential infrastructure services for life, while being safety first, and client and customer centric in a friendly, fun and respectful environment where you are encouraged to thrive.

Where will you be working?

We help our clients safeguard the water supply, improve environmental performance and manage demand for future generations. We enhance and extend asset life, ensuring compliance with water quality and environmental standards. We’re problem solvers with over 140 years of combined experience in engineering and infrastructure.

Reporting to the Divisional People Director, the Head of People will shape and lead the people strategy for the business. This senior leadership role ensures the organisation attracts the right talent at the right time, builds a culture where people can thrive, and supports long‑term retention and development.

The role will coach leadership teams on all people matters and deliver strategies that enable divisional growth, optimise value, and ensure organisational structures effectively support business objectives.

What will you be doing?

Working in close partnership with the People Director, Managing Directors and Centres of Expertise (CoEs), the role ensures:

• The organisation is designed to deliver short‑ and long‑term objectives, with structural change managed effectively.
• A committed, future‑ready workforce is in place to achieve strategic ambitions Insight, thought leadership and guidance are provided on capability building, cultural initiatives and change activities.
• Active advocacy of the People function and strong collaboration with CoEs, while role‑modelling M Group behaviours and values.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership to create and deliver divisional people plans that support business priorities, contribute commercial value, and align with the Group People Strategy.
• Own the capacity and capability plan, working with the business and CoEs to ensure steps are taken to deliver against future resource requirements
• Ensure divisional alignment with group-wide CoE initiatives (Talent Acquisition, Leadership, Learning & Talent, ER, Reward, Shared Services) and oversee creation and delivery of the annual people calendar
• Lead talent management and development planning, improving leadership capability, strengthening succession pipelines and supporting high‑potential development in partnership with the Group LLT team
• Identify and promote People best practice to drive continuous improvement
• Apply HR expertise to influence key areas such as organisational change, employee engagement and talent/data analytics
• Support annual planning and budgeting, ensuring people initiatives are planned ahead and the right resources are secured
• Use insight to identify people opportunities, priorities and risks, creating mitigation and optimisation plans that enhance long‑term business performance and reputation
• Contribute to, or where responsible, define, policies and processes that support M Group and Group People Strategy objectives
• Coach and build leadership capability, helping teams anticipate and address organisational issues.
• Align performance management and reward strategies to foster a culture of excellence, innovation and accountability across the division.

Line Management Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop direct reports and the wider divisional People Team.
• Ensure all areas of accountability comply with relevant laws, regulations, governance standards, and Group behaviours and values. Address any gaps through appropriate action planning.
• Build and maintain succession plans and talent pools within the function, working closely with CoEs.

Performance Indicators

• Delivery of key milestones within the people plan
• Functional organisational effectiveness
• Attrition and engagement levels
• Quality of stakeholder feedback

Desired Experience

• Background in manufacturing, construction, or MEICA environments
• Experience working with Trade Unions
• TUPE (inbound and outbound) expertise
• Leading organisational change programmes

This role offers;

• Contributory pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Online GP service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Executive Health Screening
• Income protection
• Employee assistance programme
• My Rewards portal, access to 1000’s of retail discounts
• Cycle to work, salary finance and give as you earn schemes
• Enhanced maternity, paternity leave and adoption leave
• Reward and recognition scheme
• Recommend a Friend- Get rewarded for introducing people to us!

In addition, this role offers;

• Company car and fuel card with a range of EV and hybrid vehicles to choose from
• My Car Choice our salary sacrifice EV/ Hybrid car scheme
• Health Care Cash Plan, giving you and your family the ability to claim back medical expenses for things like dental, eyecare and physiotherapy and much more!
• Private Healthcare - family cover
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Discretionary bonus scheme
  

About us

We want to be an employer of choice and a great place to work, attracting diverse and talented people, who join us and make a difference. We are one of the Top 100 UK companies actively supporting and recruiting army veterans. Our ENABLE inclusion networks bring together people who have a shared passion, to help create an environment where everyone belongs.

Our values help to shape our culture and how we work with one another. We recruit with these values in mind, to ensure your aspirations, and ways of working, align with ours.

• We’re responsible and go further for our people, clients, communities and the planet
• We’re open and seek new and better ways of exceeding expectations
• We’re together and as one team; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts
• We’re ambitious and embrace opportunity, to lead essential infrastructure services for life

Whether you’re a trainee, apprentice or graduate, or progressing through your career, our people benefit from industry recognised programmes, training and development.

It’s an exceptional time to be a part of M Group.

Please note: Occasionally, job adverts might be closed before the stated closing date. Do apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.

For certain roles, successful candidates will be subject to 3rd party background checks as part of the hiring process. Some roles require drug and alcohol testing as part of induction and onboarding.

#MGroupW INDNAT