Head of People Services and Systems - #1796938

Location: Leeds, York or Manchester

Salary: £85,000 to £90,000

Role type: Permanent or Fixed Term Contract considered

Safety Critical: No

Drive change, lead transformation, and make a real impact.

We’re on the lookout for an exceptional leader to join Northern as Head of People Services and Systems – a critical role driving forward service excellence, digital optimisation and data-led decision-making across our People function.

We’re open to both permanent and fixed-term applicants. The timing couldn’t be more important – we’re in the middle of modernising how we work, and this role is central to our journey.

Why join us?

If you're motivated by the opportunity to make a lasting impact, you’ll thrive here. You’ll shape the future of people services in a complex, unionised, and fast-evolving industry – with direct access to senior leadership and the ability to influence what great looks like in the future of rail.

What’s the job about?

People Services is the engine room of our People function – the team colleagues interact with most frequently. It's where reliable support, smarter processes, and data-driven insights make a real difference to how we serve the business. As Head of People Services and Systems, you’ll:

• Lead and modernise our Shared Services function – embedding a performance- and customer-focused culture
• Drive excellence in service delivery – defining SLAs, improving responsiveness, and championing colleague experience
• Own the people data and analytics agenda – turning insights into action that influences business decisions
• Oversee our people systems optimisation – including supporting the implementation of Workday and collaborating closely with IT
• Lead strategic continuous improvement – re-engineering end-to-end process to drive efficiencies in service and ways of working
• Shape our future shared services model – playing a key role in contributing to the evolving Great British Railways (GBR) shared services strategy
• Oversee the programme management of our people strategy – collaborating with the People Leadership team to deliver our plan
  
  
  

You’ll manage two direct reports and have influence across a wider team of around 15. The scope is broad, the pace is high, and your ability to cut through complexity will be key.

What kind of person are we looking for?

We want someone who brings fresh thinking and a clear sense of direction. You’ll be a proactive and credible people leader, capable of influencing senior stakeholders and balancing pace with thoughtful, strategic delivery.

You’ll need:

• Experience leading people shared services or customer-facing operations in a complex, fast-paced organisation
• A strong track record in service transformation, HR systems (ideally including implementation or optimisation), and data-led decision making
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills – calm, focused and confident in navigating competing priorities
• A practical, customer-first mindset with the ability to connect insight to action
• Resilience, curiosity, and the drive to challenge the status quo in a traditional industry
  
  
  

Exposure to unionised environments and public sector or politically influenced settings would be a bonus, but not essential.

What does success look like in the first 6 months?

• Clear SLAs are defined, embedded and monitored, with visible improvements in service
• Efficiencies are realised through re-engineering of priority end to end employee lifecycle processes
• Strong support is provided to the systems, data and reporting team sharing your vision and expertise
• Meaningful metrics and KPIs are embedded – helping the People function make better, faster decisions
• A performance-focused culture is taking root across the shared services team
• Visible leadership is shown in active involvement in contributing to industry working groups to shape the future shared services model under GBR
  
  
  

Why now?

You’ll join a People Leadership Team that’s united, focused and ambitious – with a shared vision and genuine collaboration at its core. There’s no shortage of complexity, but if you enjoy solving problems, influencing outcomes, and making a measurable difference, you’ll feel right at home.

Future opportunities? They’re here too.

This role offers real progression for someone ready to step into broader leadership. It’s a fantastic platform to build your credentials, contribute strategically, and grow towards senior roles – including potential succession to Director-level posts in the future.

Ready to lead with purpose and impact?

Apply today and shape the future of People Services at Northern.

Why Northern?

We’re more than just a train operator. We’re the heartbeat of the North - connecting communities, creating opportunities, and driving sustainable growth. With 2,500 trains running daily, we’re on a mission to improve rail travel and enhance the customer experience while protecting the environment.

Back in 1825, the first passenger train set off in the North of England, after which rail quickly spread across the globe - and this year, we’re celebrating 200 years of the modern railway. As we look back on the historic events that led us here, we also look towards the future as we move into the era of Great British Rail. Join us at this pivotal moment in rail history and play your part in our journey.

A place for everyone

The best journeys happen when everyone feels welcome on board.

At Northern, we don’t just move people from A to B - we’re building a team where everyone feels they belong. Our talent team can make reasonable adjustments to the process if that’s something you need. We're also a Level 2 Disability Confident employer, so if you meet the minimum criteria for the role, we’ll always offer an interview.

We automate parts of our screening process to remove any unconscious bias and to make sure every application is treated fairly. All successful offers will be subject to a DBS check and a medical assessment.

No matter your background, experience, or whether you call it a bap, barm, or cob… there’s a place for you here in the railway.