Head of Organisational Development
This is a {Advertised Permanent / Temporary}, {Advertised Full Time / Part Time} vacancy that will close in {x} days at {xx:xx} BST.
The Vacancy
We are recruiting for an experienced and values-led Head of Organisational Development (OD) to join our HR Leadership Team, led by our Chief People Officer, and lead a broad, high-impact portfolio covering colleague experience, engagement, culture, leadership development, talent, learning and development, performance management and equality, diversity and inclusion.
Shape the colleague experience at Cafcass
At Cafcass, our work supports children and families at some of the most important and difficult moments in their lives, and the experience, capability and engagement of our colleagues is central to how well we deliver that purpose.
This is a senior organisational development role with significant autonomy, influence and accountability. You will play a key part in shaping how Cafcass supports, develops and retains colleagues, helping to build an inclusive, agile and high-performing organisation that enables exceptional experiences for the children and families we work with.
About the role
As Head of Organisational Development, you will lead the development and delivery of strategic and practical OD initiatives that strengthen colleague experience, organisational culture, leadership capability and talent development across Cafcass.
You will work closely with the Chief People Officer, Corporate Management Team, HR Leadership Team, operational and corporate leaders, trade unions, external partners and colleagues across the organisation. You will bring specialist expertise, credible senior leadership and a strong continuous improvement mindset, ensuring OD provision is responsive, evidence-based and aligned to Cafcass’ values, culture and transformation priorities.
The role will lead and develop the Organisational Development Team, ensuring the function delivers high-quality, relevant and measurable support to leaders and colleagues across a national, multi-site organisation.
What you will be doing
You will:
- Lead Cafcass’ approach to colleague experience, working collaboratively across HR to develop meaningful, values-driven solutions that support engagement, retention and organisational effectiveness.
- Further develop our approach to colleague engagement and recognition, including the colleague survey, feedback mechanisms and interventions that respond to what colleagues tell us.
- Lead the design and delivery of leadership development and talent initiatives, helping to strengthen the pipeline for key roles and embed effective succession planning.
- Develop and improve Cafcass’ approach to performance management, aligned to the organisation’s accountability framework and wider organisational priorities.
- Lead the organisation’s learning and development provision in collaboration with internal colleagues, ensuring it is fit for purpose, supports transformation and provides clear learning pathways.
- Champion and facilitate our equality, diversity and inclusion priorities, ensuring inclusion is embedded across our priorities and colleague experience.
- Use HR management information, data and insight to shape evidence-based decisions, identify retention factors and assess the impact of OD interventions.
- Lead the commissioning and management of external OD, learning or development solutions where required, ensuring quality, value for money and compliance.
- Provide professional leadership to a diverse and multi-sited team, supporting a proactive, customer-focused and continuously improving service.
- Act as a senior HR leader and ambassador for Cafcass, contributing to cross-functional organisational projects and supporting the wider HR Leadership Team.
About you
We are seeking a confident and credible senior HR or OD professional who can operate strategically while also ensuring effective delivery.
You will bring:
- A strong track record of leading HR, organisational development, learning and development or people-focused teams in a large or complex organisation.
- Significant experience of developing and delivering organisational development, leadership, talent, colleague experience or culture initiatives.
- Strong knowledge of organisational development, colleague engagement, organisational culture and inclusive people practice.
- Experience of leading continuous improvement and delivering measurable impact through people, culture and organisational effectiveness work.
- The ability to influence, advise and challenge senior stakeholders, including executive and operational leaders.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage, inspire and bring people with you.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with confidence using HR data and insight to shape priorities and solutions.
- Experience of budget management, external commissioning and delivering value for money.
- A collaborative, inclusive and values-led leadership style, with a clear commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and safeguarding.
- CIPD membership, or an equivalent graduate or postgraduate management qualification, together with a strong understanding of HR practice, employment legislation and safeguarding compliance.
Why join Cafcass?
This is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in a national organisation with a unique and important purpose. You will be joining Cafcass at a time when colleague experience, leadership capability, talent development and organisational culture are central to how we deliver for children and families.
In return, you will be part of an organisation that offers:
- A role with genuine strategic influence and organisational impact.
- The opportunity to lead a broad and ambitious organisational development portfolio.
- A supportive, values-led HR Leadership Team.
- A strong commitment to inclusion, wellbeing and colleague voice.
- Access to the West Yorkshire Pension Fund, a Local Government Pension Scheme.
- 28 days’ annual leave, rising to 33 days after five years’ continuous service, plus bank/public holidays.
Your location
We offer flexible and hybrid working but reflecting the seniority of the role and that Cafcass is a national organisation, it is reasonable to assume there will be regular travel across England.
Safeguarding and inclusion
Cafcass is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment.
We are also committed to creating an inclusive and diverse working environment where colleagues feel valued, respected and able to do their best work. We welcome applications from people with a range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
Recruitment timeline and selection process
Interviews are likely to take place at either our Derby or London Office (TBC) on Wednesday 12th August.
As part of the selection process, shortlisted candidates will be asked to prepare a presentation in advance. Further details, including the presentation topic and submission requirements, will be provided to shortlisted candidates ahead of interview.
If you would like to discuss the opportunity before applying, please contact hrresourcing@cafcass.gov.uk and we will forward your email - in which you might want to include your CV and contact details - to the relevant colleague.
However, please note emailing your CV will not constitute an application and we will only accept applications submitted through our recruitment system. Similarly, in waiting for any response to your email, please don't miss the closing date to apply, which is 22/07/2026 22:00.
n anticipation of your successful application, we encourage you to review our offer and pre-employment checks process. You are welcome to raise any questions or concerns about these checks during your application, with the assurance that this information will remain confidential.
Successful applicants will undergo various pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In line with the DBS code of practice and our policy, if a criminal offence is declared, an individual assessment will be conducted. For further details regarding this assessment, please refer to the Cafcass DBS policy.
Be Their Voice
We are Cafcass – the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service – and we represent children in family court cases in England.
Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 130,0000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard.
Watch our video to find out we don’t just listen to children’s voices but we can be their voice.
If our purpose resonates with you, and you share our ambitions for children - exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time - then if you join us, you will work alongside like-minded people in a diverse, inclusive and supportive organisation.
You will be trusted to work flexibly and independently using outstanding technology (e.g. touchscreen laptops, iPhone, all with first class support, including IT Trainers) with access to substantial resources (e.g. Cafcass Library has over 27,000 resources on social work, child protection and related topics). You will also have opportunities to develop, whatever team you join, wherever you are in the country and at whatever stage you are at in your career.
Whether you join us in one of our social work roles that work directly with children and families or our corporate and business services teams who provide technology, support and expertise, you will have the chance to make a difference for children and families. You can also find out more at www.cafcass.gov.uk/careers.
Wellbeing
The wellbeing of our colleagues is something we are truly passionate about, as demonstrated by everyone having four dedicated, additional days per year when they are encouraged to spend time focusing on their health and wellbeing.
Colleagues can also have a health and wellbeing cash plan, for which Cafcass pays the basic premium (you can upgrade to include family members), which allows them to claim back some costs of routine health expenses, including dental check-ups, eye tests, physiotherapy sessions and more.
Overall, we foster a holistic approach to supporting our colleagues, benefitting physical, mental and financial health. This is led by a dedicated in-house team, the benefits of which include meaning support is targeted and specific to what colleagues need. Our team can also offer support and guidance when it comes to specific health conditions, such as neuro-diverse conditions, cancer and the menopause.
Our wellbeing offer is further strengthened by an external Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) which provides a free confidential support service 24 hours a day. This means access to clinical and professional expertise which gives you a chance to talk about all kinds of work and personal issues.
If this wasn’t enough, we are especially proud that over 125 colleagues have completed training and receive ongoing support to act as Health and Wellbeing Champions. Furthermore, we have nearly 100 people that have trained to be Mental Health Allies.
Diversity
We represent children and families from diverse backgrounds and having a diverse workforce helps us to fulfil this responsibility authentically.
It also helps us to grow, evolve and innovate, so we particularly welcome applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with.
We are proud to be a disability confident leader, we invite you to join our team, we are committed to actively attract and recruit individuals with disabilities including “non-visible” disabilities and mental health conditions. Our inclusive and accessible recruitment process means we aim to accommodate reasonable adjustments as needed. This commitment highlights our dedication to employing, training, retaining, and developing the careers of our colleagues with disabilities.
Our Diversity Networks provide a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience – supported by allies across the organisation. The networks help ensure we provide an inclusive working environment and a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds.
For more information watch our video here.
Our current networks include:
Kaleidoscope Network
Colleagues from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
Mental Health Network
Colleagues who experience, or have an interest in, Mental Health issues.
Pride
Network
Colleagues who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans – LGBT+.
Neurodiversity Network
Colleagues who are neurodivergent, or support someone who is.
Together
‘Together with Children and Families’ (which we just call ‘Together’) is the name of our relationship-based practice framework. It applies to the work of every individual in Cafcass, from Social Workers to Leaders and includes our Corporate and Business Support teams.
It is at the heart of what we do and is made up of our values, how these values work in practice, the tools to use to incorporate these values in our work and the impact this will have on the children and families we serve.
This framework encourages us to be pro-active and to look for the strengths in ourselves and others. It also enables us to build positive relationships with our colleagues, our partners and most importantly, with the children and families with whom we work.
We look forward to telling helping you learn more about Together should you join us.
Benefits
We know if you join us you want to be rewarded in a variety of ways, including time away from work to spend time with those important to you, manage your financial present and future, whilst also be trusted to manage your work/life balance.
Therefore, in addition to our unique, holistic approach to supporting your health and wellbeing we also provide:
Generous holidays
28 days holiday (including three for Christmas) rising to 33 days with five years continuous service, which could include your current employment. You can also sell any you do not need.
This list is just a selection of main benefits and we have a range of policies and processes that allow us to support our colleagues - and their families – and we look forward to providing you with further information about these in due course.
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