Director of People

Job Title: Director of People

Company: Access Education Group

Salary: £100,000 - £110,000 per annum plus bonus opportunity

Location: UK, North West, hybrid working (2–3 days per week in Central Manchester)

This role is being recruited by Thomas on behalf of the Access Education Group.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the people agenda for an education group that’s creative, ambitious and genuinely purposeful.  Access Education Group brings together a portfolio of specialist education businesses delivering further education, higher education and apprenticeships across the UK. From creative and digital disciplines to sport and music, our work helps young people turn passion into skills, confidence and careers.  We’re now looking for an experienced Director of People to lead the next chapter of our people function.

Why this role matters:

Across the Group, around 450 colleagues work across multiple sites, disciplines and delivery models. They are teachers, coaches, practitioners and support teams who care deeply about the learners they work with and the industries they serve.

As the organisation continues to grow and evolve, we want our people practices to evolve with it. This role exists to make that happen.

Reporting directly to the CEO, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping culture, strengthening leadership capability and ensuring colleagues are supported by clear systems, strong safeguarding and professional people practices. You’ll be both a strategic partner and a hands-on leader, helping the business move forward with confidence and care.

What you’ll be part of:

You’ll work across a diverse education group that includes:

• Further education provision in creative and digital disciplines
• Sport-focused education, including football pathways
• Higher education in music performance and production
• Apprenticeships aligned to the creative industries

Each part of the Group has its own identity and leadership, which makes this role interesting, varied and influential. You’ll help create consistency where it matters, while respecting what makes each part of the organisation unique.

What you’ll be doing:

• Partnering closely with the CEO and senior leaders to shape and deliver a clear, people-centred strategy
• Leading the development of people systems, workflows and policies that are fit for purpose and easy to use
• Ensuring safeguarding and safer recruitment practices are robust, consistent and trusted
• Supporting leaders to manage performance with confidence, fairness and humanity
• Improving onboarding so new colleagues feel welcomed, supported and set up for success
• Strengthening communication, engagement and retention across a dispersed workforce
• Leading and developing a small people team so they can focus on proactive, high-quality support

Requirements

You’ll be a communicative, independent and emotionally resilient leader, comfortable working at pace in a role that will continue to evolve. You’ll thrive in complex, multi-site environments and bring calm judgement, credibility and a practical mindset to everything you do. You’ll have the confidence to influence at the highest level, balanced with the empathy to support people doing demanding, meaningful work. Experience in education, training or similarly regulated sectors is a strong advantage, as is experience improving HR systems and workflows. Above all, you’ll believe in the link between well-supported colleagues and great outcomes for learners. You will hold CIPD Level 5 or above, or equivalent.

If you’re looking for a director-level role where you can build strong foundations, support passionate people and help shape the future of creative education, we’d love to hear from you.

The recruitment process will include Thomas assessments, a screening interview and a panel interview. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The closing date for applicants is 12th March 2026.

Benefits

• 10% on target bonus depending on Group and Personal performance, details will be shared upon start
• 35 days annual leave plus UK bank holidays
• Hybrid working
• Employee discounts through internal benefits platform
• Health Cash Plan through Westfield Health
• Doctorline GP Service
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity benefits and Sick Pay
• Auto Enrolment Pension Scheme

DBS Checks: This post is subject to Enhanced DBS clearance. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory Enhanced DBS clearance, and all required references have been received and verified.