Stephens Bakery - Head of People
Full description
Head of People
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday)
Start/Finish: 08:00/09:00 - 16:00/17:00
Pay: competitive, dependent on experience
Location: Rosyth, Stephens Bakery - onsite
Reports to: Joint Managing Director
Leadership: Full member of the Senior Leadership Team
About the Role
We have a clear vision for where we are taking the business, and we are seeking an experienced, people-focused and talented Head of People to help us achieve it. As a member of our Senior Leadership Team, you will help shape and deliver our highly prioritised people agenda while remaining closely involved in the day-to-day HR needs of the business. This is a hands-on role with one direct report, our HR & Recruitment Assistant, combining day-to-day HR leadership with responsibility for shaping and delivering our people agenda.
Reporting to the Joint Managing Directors, you will be a full member of our Senior Leadership Team and share accountability for the overall direction, performance and long-term health of Stephens.
You will own our people strategy and lead the People function, ensuring our structure, leadership, culture and people practices support our business goals. You will bring clear thinking, sound judgement and constructive challenge, while remaining close enough to the business to turn strategy into action.
What You’ll Do
As a strategic and hands-on people leader, you will:
Play an active role as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to company strategy, key decisions and the delivery of our long-term vision
Develop and deliver a clear people strategy covering organisational design, culture, engagement, talent, succession and leadership capability
Coach managers and supervisors to strengthen leadership, accountability and performance
Lead and continuously improve performance management, development reviews, succession planning and management development
Oversee recruitment, onboarding and retention, ensuring we attract and develop people who share our values and can help us achieve our ambitions
Take the lead on employee relations, absence, disciplinary, grievance and organisational change matters, managing cases directly to ensure fair, consistent and legally compliant outcomes, while coaching and developing the HR Assistant to build their knowledge and capability.
Ensure our people policies, processes, HR systems and records are practical, effective, compliant and fit for the future
Shape learning and development across the business, including our Stephens Hub, onboarding and leadership development
Alongside the SLT, embed our values and gold standards throughout the business so we can achieve our goal of ‘inspiring pride in every team member’
What You’ll Need
Significant senior-level experience as a Head of People, Head of HR, People Director or equivalent
Preferred experience operating as a credible member of a Senior Leadership Team and contributing to wider business strategy
A strong track record of developing and delivering people strategies in a multi-site, operational or similarly fast-paced environment
Broad generalist HR expertise, including strong knowledge of employment law and experience leading complex employee relations matters
Experience of organisational change, talent development, succession planning and building leadership capability
Commercial judgement, with the ability to balance the needs of our people and the business
Confidence to coach, influence and constructively challenge leaders at all levels
Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the credibility to build trust across a multi-site business
MCIPD or CIPD Level 7 qualification preferred
Most importantly, a values-led, hands-on and solution-focused approach, with the ambition to help Stephens reach gold-standard performance
Responsibilities and requirements outlined above are not exhaustive and may change in line with business needs.
The Perks
We love our people as much as we love our bridies (and that’s saying something). Here’s how we show it:
29 days holiday per year
Life assurance x4 salary
Unlimited remote GP appointments, 8x remote physiotherapy sessions per year, 6x each of 121 Lifestyle Coaching, Physical Training and Nutrition sessions per year
Free meal / products on shift
Special gifts at milestones like Christmas, weddings, baby & length of service
Refer a friend and earn up to £150 each
20% staff discount in all our shops
Free counselling for mental health, financial, legal or work matters
Discounts at 1,000+ retailers including Asda, Aldi, cinemas & holidays
About Us
Stephens Bakery is a fourth-generation family business with over 153 years of baking heritage - but we have never stood still. At Stephens, everything we do is guided by our 3 values: Customer First, Can Do Attitude, Stronger Together.
We have always taken a Can Do Attitude to innovation. We were the first bakery to partner with convenience stores, the first to mobilise a bakery Jiffy Van and the first to open a stand-alone bakery drive-thru in the UK. Today, we operate 16 retail shops alongside strong partnerships with Co-op, Scotmid, Morrisons and independent retailers.
While we continue to innovate, we remain committed to traditional baking methods and sourcing the finest local ingredients. That is why we have been recognised as Scottish Craft Bakery of the Year and UK Craft Bakery Business of the Year - and why we are home to Scotland’s favourite Morning Roll, Steak Bridie and Double Biscuit.
If you are ready to join our Senior Leadership Team and shape the future of our people and our business, we would love to hear from you.
Grow your career with Stephens.