Director of People

Salary: £100,993 – £119,532

Location: Crewe / Macclesfield (hybrid, with borough‑wide travel)

The Opportunity

This is a core leadership role at the heart of Cheshire East’s transformation. As Director of People, you will lead the council’s workforce strategy and organisational development, shaping a modern, high-performing organisation capable of delivering for residents and communities. Reporting to the Executive Director of Resources, you will have a core role in enabling the council’s wider transformation and future operating model.

This is a role defined by change. You will build and redefine the People function: clarifying purpose, modernising its operating model and ensuring it delivers real value to the organisation, putting its people at the heart of your work. You will lead major workforce transformation programmes, including organisational redesign, workforce planning, and significant change initiatives, while embedding a culture that is inclusive, high-performing and focused on outcomes. For an experienced leader, this is a career-defining opportunity to shape culture, capability and performance at scale.

The Organisation

Cheshire East Council is entering a significant period of transformation and renewal. The council has recently embarked on a programme of organisational change aimed at strengthening leadership stability, modernising services and ensuring long-term financial resilience. At the same time, Cheshire East is preparing to work closely with the emerging Combined Authority, creating new opportunities to shape regional growth and collaboration.

The council is committed to building a cohesive and resilient senior leadership team capable of delivering sustainable improvement and delivering lasting impact for residents, communities and businesses across the borough.

Candidates

We are seeking an experienced HR and Organisational Development leader with a track record of delivering large-scale transformation within complex, ideally public sector organisations. You will bring deep expertise across workforce strategy, organisational design, employee relations and culture change, alongside experience of leading high-performing HR and OD functions.

You will be a resilient, pragmatic and values-driven leader, with the credibility and political awareness required to operate effectively at senior levels. You will be comfortable leading significant change, including workforce restructuring and modernisation, while maintaining strong engagement and trust across the organisation. Above all, you will bring the clarity, energy and leadership required to rebuild the People function and enable the council to deliver its ambitions.

For a confidential discussion, please contact our retained consultants at Penna:

Closing date: 23:59pm on Sunday 24th May 2026.

Apply for Director of People Director of People Job Description

"Choose Challenge.
Choose Change.
Choose Cheshire East."

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