Head of People - Retail

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Head of People - Retail to lead and shape the people agenda across the South of the UK, including the Midlands, London, South-East, and Norfolk. Reporting to the Head of People Operations, this role is responsible for driving the retail people agenda to support key commercial and operational objectives. You will play a key role in shaping culture, driving engagement, and strengthening leadership capability in a fast-paced retail environment. The role focuses on building inclusive, high-performing teams, managing employee relations, and advising senior leaders on risks while translating business priorities into clear, practical people solutions. Leading a team of People Business Partners, you will deliver end-to-end HR support across around 400 stores and 15,000 colleagues, working closely with Regional Operations Managers, the Senior Retail Leadership Team, Recruitment and L&D. This is a full-time role based in the South of the UK, with regular travel to support and coach regional leadership teams. The key accountabilities are:

• Lead and deliver the Retail people agenda across the South of the UK, aligned to commercial and operational objectives
• Lead, coach and develop a team of People Business Partners to deliver high-quality, consistent people support
• Be a visible and credible People leader across stores, building strong relationships with Retail Managers and Colleagues
• Translate retail challenges into practical people solutions that improve productivity, engagement, retention, safety and cost control
• Support the Employee Relations agenda and complex cases, building ER confidence and capability
• Ensure consistent application of employment law, company policies and people processes across the region
• Drive inclusion, wellbeing and engagement initiatives that support a positive and high-performing retail culture
• Working with the L&D team to lead and deliver the Retail learning and development agenda, with a strong focus on frontline and store leadership capability
• Embed effective performance management across stores, supporting managers to lead high-performing teams
• Set clear objectives and KPIs, driving accountability, delivery and continuous improvement
• Use people data and insight to identify trends, risks and opportunities and inform decision-making
• Contribute to wider People projects, change programmes and business transformation activity
  
  Significant senior HR/People leadership experience within a large, operational retail environment
• Proven experience leading and developing People teams in a multi-site, high-volume setting
• Strong Employee Relations experience, with the confidence to advise and challenge senior retail stakeholders
• Commercially minded, pragmatic and comfortable operating at pace
• Experience leading change initiatives such as culture change, restructures, growth, or transformation programmes
• A hands-on, credible leader with the ability to influence, coach and inspire at all levels
  
  We're excited to hear from experienced People leaders who are ready to make a difference. If this is you, apply today!
Why join us? We offer a competitive benefits package, including discounts in-store and with a wide range of retail and hospitality partners. Check out our full benefits here - https://careers.bmstores.co.uk/our-bm-benefits/ B&M Retail are an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse environment for all colleagues.