Interim Director of People and Culture

We are currently recruiting an Interim Director of People and Culture for an 18-month Fixed term contract. 
This role is hybrid, both working from home and in our London hub.

We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly between home and the hub to suit their needs and preferences, in line with our hybrid working policy.
Colleagues are able to work their hours flexibly, in line with core business hours and requirements. We also offer formalised flexible working agreements.  

The salary is circa £135,000.

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter to HRsupport@actuaries.org.uk by the closing date of mid-day on 15 December 2025. 
Interviews will take place in early January 2026.

Purpose of the job

The Interim Director of People and Culture will be responsible for providing strategic HR leadership across the organisation, working with partners and colleagues to develop and deliver the IFoA’s people strategy, ensuring we recruit and retain a highly skilled workforce, and embedding our culture across the organisation. 

Dimensions

Successful delivery of our 2026-29 business strategy, and forthcoming 2026/27 Corporate Plan, requires enabling and supporting high performing teams. You will be accountable for shaping and delivering the people strategy, policies and practices to support a values-based culture, leadership excellence, and the development of future talent. 

In all aspects of People, Culture and OD, you will lead the organisation through a period of significant organisational design change, ensuring the successful delivery of a future looking operating model. 

You will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer, working closely with the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Membership Officer and Director of Business Transformation. You will also be a member of Executive Leadership Team. 

Principal accountabilities

• Develop and ensure delivery of IFoA’s people strategy, to prepare the organisation for its future resourcing needs, as well as ensuring our current workforce has the necessary skills, capabilities, structures and policies in place to perform and feel valued.
• Working with the Senior Transformation Consultant, lead the people and culture change components of our organisational design planning and implementation, in line with our 2026/27 Corporate Plan objectives.
• Working with the Director of Business Transformation and Senior Transformation Consultant, drive and embed cultural change across the organisation. Through this work, build a high performing organisation based on best practice, encourage continual improvement, and enable everyone to contribute to the delivery of our strategy. 
• Lead our HR team to ensure it is able to meet the organisation’s needs, and individual HR team members are properly developed, managed and supported. 
• Work across the organisation with colleagues to understand, plan and manage our changing workforce requirements, and ensure our HR policies, practices, systems and structures are sufficiently robust and agile to respond to any changes. 
• Develop and deliver a plan to ensure we can demonstrate best practice in workforce wellbeing and our employees are equipped to thrive in their role.
• Identify and respond to possible resourcing risks and opportunities, whether through turnover, recruitment challenges, pay inflation or other, and work with colleagues and external agencies to effectively mitigate and manage these. 
• Work as an active part of the executive leadership team to recognise and respond to emerging strategic issues and lead our response across the organisation. 
• Ensure that all reward policies and practices are supportive of the organisation’s needs.
• Report to the Remuneration and People Committee progress against our people strategy as well as updates on organisational people risk factors. 
• Lead the development and delivery of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy. 

Main contacts

Internal:

• CEO
• COO
• Director of Business Transformation
• Senior Transformation Consultant
• Chief Membership Officer
• Director of Regulation, Policy and Risk
• SLT 
• Finance and payroll team

External:

• Remuneration and People Committee
• Board 
• Third party suppliers recruitment, training, occupational health, HR system, insurances.

Impact

This role has a high level of impact across the whole organisation. The successful delivery of our 2026+ strategy depends upon the implementation of our new target operating model and associated capabilities to deliver a high-performing and supportive organisational culture. This change is set against the backdrop of an increasingly uncertain operating environment and challenging legacy.  

Knowledge and experience

Essential:

• Strategic thinking and vision: Ability to analyse complex business situations and develop transformational people strategies and change initiatives to ensure seamless transitions.
• Organisational Design and Development Expertise: Proven track record in planning and implementing people strategies to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of organisations - at all levels - fostering a positive culture, aligned with broader organisational goals.
• People management expertise: In-depth knowledge and expertise of people management practices, including complex case management, talent acquisition, performance management, reward systems and employee relations. 
• Leadership Skills: Demonstrable ability to lead, inspire and motivate teams, fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment.
• Substantial people and culture experience: including change management, culture development, and policy creation and implementation.
• Commercial understanding: Ability to align people management strategies with the broader organisational and financial objectives, ensuring practices contribute to the overall efficiency and value for money goals and the economic and commercial context.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Expertise: High level experience of developing and implementing the strategy and associated policies to ensure compliance with relevant legislation, whilst promoting equity and equality, and fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Ability to use HR analytics and data to inform decision-making, improve processes, and measure the impact of people management initiatives. 
• Strong communication skills and experience of engaging an organisation’s people in change processes 

Desirable:

• Relevant professional qualification (e.g. MCIPD) or relevant experience
• Experience of delivering significant and sustainable people change programmes 
• Experience of working in the professional body/not for profit sector.
• Experience in job evaluation principles and benchmarking procedures.

Additional information

This is a fixed-term contract to drive a period of significant organisational design change.  The role is hybrid, but travel may be required to any of the IFoA’s UK office locations.

IFoA’s values

The role holder must be an ambassador for and demonstrate the IFoA Values in all aspects of their work.

• Member-focused: We put members at the heart of everything we do
• Action-oriented: We work hard, we work smart, and we take pride in getting things done, valuing action over perfection
• Forward- and outward-looking: We’re always looking to be bold and improve, innovate and take the next step
• Team-driven: We work in partnership, advancing together as one IFoA

Alternative format and adjustments

Please email the HR Team if you require:

• any information regarding our vacancies in an alternative format
• any adjustments to support you to fully participate in any part of the application and recruitment process

Any information shared will be used only to enable us to make reasonable adjustments to support candidates to participate in the recruitment process. It will not inform selection decisions.

You can reach us at HRsupport@actuaries.org.uk.

The HR team is based in Oxford, but the majority of Leadership Team meetings are either in London or online.