Director of People - Cheshire East Council

Director of People

Salary: £100,993 – £119,532

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

Choose Challenge. Choose Change. Choose Cheshire East.

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 more information on the role please visit https://wearecheshireeast.co.uk/

If you have any questions or would like confidential discussion, please contact our retained consultants at Penna:

·       Rachael Morris – 07840 711217 or rachael.morris@penna.com

·       Kelly Ridley - 07709 512415 or Kelly.ridley@penna.com

·       Julie Towers – 07764 791736 or julie.towers@penna.com

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

How to Apply

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com to inform the Penna team.