People Programmes Manager

People (HR) Programmes Manager

Contract: FTC (maternity leave cover)

Location: Mallusk, Belfast (Hybrid working)
Company: Henderson Wholesale Ltd
Department: Group HR
Reports to: Group People Operations & Programmes Manager
Salary: Competitive + benefits

Henderson Group is one of Northern Ireland's leading companies, generating over £1 billion in turnover across four core businesses: Wholesale, Retail, Property, and Foodservice – all of which are accredited to the Investors in People standard.

With a workforce of over 5,600 employees, the Group's HR team, based at HQ in Mallusk, supports all business areas through five key functions: People Operations & Programmes, Resourcing, Learning & Development, Health, Safety & Wellbeing, and Employee Communications.

Our people are at the heart of our success and our team of People Programmes Managers play a key role in shaping and delivering our People Strategy across the Group.

The Opportunity

As People Programmes Manager, you'll partner with leaders and stakeholders across the business to design, deliver, and continuously improve people-focused initiatives that enhance the colleague experience. You'll lead on key HR projects across areas such as talent management, reward, employee relations, engagement, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and people analytics.

You'll also support business change initiatives, HR transformation projects, and continuous improvement across our people processes and systems - helping us create a truly engaging and inclusive workplace.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver assigned people programmes and HR projects — from design through to evaluation.
• Partner with senior stakeholders to identify opportunities to improve the colleague experience across the employee lifecycle.
• Drive initiatives across talent management, reward, employee relations, voice and engagement, EDI, and policy development.
• Support the development and roll-out of digital people systems and analytics tools to improve data-led decision-making.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external service providers to ensure value and alignment with business needs.
• Contribute to organisational design, change management, and HR transformation initiatives.
• Lead engagement surveys, analyse insights, and support business units in developing meaningful action plans.
• Provide expert HR advice on ER casework (including TUPE and organisational change) when required.

About You

You'll be an experienced HR professional with strong project management skills and a proven ability to lead impactful people initiatives in a complex, multi-site environment. You'll be comfortable managing competing priorities, influencing senior stakeholders, and using data to drive continuous improvement.

Essential:

• Degree or equivalent in HR, Business Management, or related field.
• Proven experience managing and delivering HR/People-related projects.
• Expertise in at least two areas such as Talent Management, Reward, Employee Relations, EDI, or Change Management.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Excellent stakeholder management, planning, and communication skills.
• Experience using HR systems and data analytics to inform decisions.

Desirable:

• Chartered CIPD membership (or working towards).
• Experience in a unionised environment.
• Experience in HR transformation or digital HR systems (e.g. Workday, SAP SuccessFactors).
• Formal project management qualification.
• Experience in a fast-paced, commercial environment (e.g. retail or FMCG).

Ready to make an impact?
Apply now and help us shape the future of people and culture at Henderson Group.

This position is to cover a maternity leave. The current role is 4 days per week Monday – Thursday (34 hours), on a hybrid basis, however we can offer a similar arrangement or a full-time position for the right candidate.

If you'd like to speak with us first before making an application, we would be happy to have a confidential chat with you about the role on offer - contact Emma Gibson, Group People Operations & Programmes Manager:

Our award-winning culture is friendly, welcoming and supportive. We encourage everyone to be the best they can be living our values of AMBITION, CUSTOMER FIRST, TEAMWORK, INTEGRITY and working together to achieve great results. A competitive reward package is on offer including contributory pension scheme, life assurance, private medical insurance, online discounts platform, employee assistance programme, social club, wellbeing programmes, colleague discount in our stores and many more great benefits.

Please note that completed applications must be submitted before midnight on Wednesday 12th November 2025.

We are an equal opportunities employer