HR Director

Job summary

The HR Director role in the Department for Business and Trade is a critical leadership position at the heart of delivering the department’s strategic ambition. As a global organisation whose success depends on the capability, engagement and performance of its people, DBT needs outstanding leadership of its people and place agenda to drive impact at scale. This role offers the opportunity to shape organisational direction at the most senior levels, working closely with the Permanent Secretary and Executive Committee to influence culture, capability and performance across a diverse, international workforce. The role is also responsible for the Place agenda, including the estates and locations strategy, wellbeing and health and safety. ​

We are ambitious for DBT to be one of the best places to work in the Civil Service—an organisation where people can thrive, enabling the department to deliver its critical mission of driving economic growth and opportunity across the UK. Achieving this will require strong leadership across all elements of the people agenda, alongside the delivery of high‑quality, modern and digitally enabled services that are simple to use and support our people to perform at their best.​

For candidates passionate about delivering lasting organisational impact, championing inclusive, high-performing cultures, this is a uniquely rewarding and high-profile opportunity.

Candidate Information Call

​The hiring manager for this position; Becky Woodward, will be hosting a virtual call for any interested applicants to discuss the role and answer any questions. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process and the session will not be recorded. ​
​This will be held via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 9th June at 10:00-10:45am (UK time).

​Please click here for the meeting link.​

​If you would like to join without your full name being displayed in the meeting, please ensure you access the link on a personal device and select 'Join without signing in'.

Job description

Key Responsibilties

• Leadership and management of the department’s HR function: responsibility for around 200 HR Estates and Project Delivery professionals providing People and Place strategy and services to the department – across both the UK and rest of the world (in partnership with FCDO). ​
• Head of Profession for Human Resources, ensuring functional standards are met, promoting professional and career development for HR staff, contributing to the wider Civil Service HR leadership. ​
• Delivery of DBT’s People Strategy through its four strategic pillars: Attraction and Careers; Skills and Development; Values and Belonging; Getting the Basics Right. To develop the skills the department needs and create an environment in which staff across the globe can fulfil their potential. This role will also build the next stage of our People Strategy and service offer.​
• Leadership of Estates, Health and Safety and Wellbeing and the delivery of DBT’s Location Strategy. Ensuring the department meets the targets to increase DBT’s presence outside of London. ​
• Partnering with the Transformation Director to design and embed the changes needed to build a high‑performing department, as part of our Future DBT portfolio. We are ambitious to be at the forefront of the Future Civil Service programme.​
• Business partnering the department’s Permanent Secretary on people matters for the senior leadership team and notably Performance Management of the senior team; Senior Civil Service (SCS) capability and succession; SCS Resourcing and SCS pay and reward, as well as holding trade union relationships across the Department. ​
• Managing budgets, resources, and expenditure proposals ensuring value for money for the areas of direct accountability (c.£44m) and as a member of the department’s senior leadership team. ​
• Building constructive relationships with the wider Civil Service, recognised trade unions and staff networks to ensure DBT’s business is delivered especially through periods of change.​
• Leading the people and place elements of DBT’s shared services programme, as part of a cluster with other government departments.​

Person specification

We are looking for an individual with clear evidence of deep professional HR expertise and a commitment to professional standards. You must be a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), or working towards Fellowship (or equivalent) and have experience across the following criteria which must be shown in your application:​

• Senior leadership: An inclusive, values led and people-centred senior leader with significant experience operating at senior leadership level within HR, with accountability for whole‑function delivery or major portfolios. ​
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• Collaboration & influence: Builds strong, credible relationships and influences at the most senior levels across organisations and externally including; arm’s‑length bodies and trade unions. Engages confidently with Boards, Executive Committees and Ministers, providing clear, authoritative advice on complex workforce issues. ​
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• Proven Delivery in complex and major change environments: A strong and sustained track record of leading large‑scale, multi‑disciplinary HR services in complex organisational settings, delivering through transformation at pace, whilst maintaining high standards of quality and value for money.​
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• Deep HR Expertise and Strategic Insight: Comprehensive understanding of the full HR lifecycle, including workforce planning, employee relations and casework, reward, resourcing, talent and succession, capability development, and people analytics. Demonstrated ability to translate strategic people priorities into clear operational delivery and measurable impact.​
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• Innovation and Continuous Improvement Approach: Demonstrates a track record of leading innovation across HR services through modern operating models, digital tools, and data‑driven approaches that improve outcomes, enhance user experience, and build future‑ready capability, with a strong emphasis on continuous improvement and learning.​​

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £100,000, Department for Business and Trade contributes £28,970 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Please follow the online instructions on the Civil Service Jobs website to apply for this role. Applications must be submitted no later than 23:55 on 21/06/2026. ​

You will be asked to upload the two documents outlined below. It is essential you add your full name to both documents:​​

1. A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. Please provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years.​​​
2. A Supporting Statement of around two pages of A4, providing examples of how your experience meets the essential criteria.​​​

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. ​​

DBT now host Senior Civil Service (SCS) Candidate Support sessions for those wanting to learn more about the application and recruitment processes for SCS roles within DBT, if you are interested, please register for a session here - Candidate Support Session

If you encounter any issues or are unable to apply online please contact SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk in the first instance​.​

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SCS Recruitment Team
• Email : scsrecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scsrecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email at SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Civil Service Commission Complaints​

Attachments

Candidate Pack - HR Director Opens in new window (pdf, 7182kB)HR Director Domestic Accessible Candidate Pack Opens in new window (docx, 150kB)