Director of People and Culture

Director of People and Culture

Mary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals to children living in some of the world’s poorest communities. The promise of a meal attracts these hungry children into the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future.

Due to internal progression, Mary's Meals International (MMI) is looking for an inspirational, experienced and impactful leader to join them as Director of People and Culture. People are at the heart of everything we do and you will play a crucial role in growing and strengthening the movement and providing leadership that enables Mary’s Meals to be a great place to work and volunteer. 

Working with the Chief People and Governance Officer, you will shape and lead the global people and culture strategy, ensuring we attract, develop, and retain outstanding people across all our countries of operation. You’ll inspire and equip leaders at every level, helping to embed a high-performance, values-driven culture and create an environment where individuals and teams can achieve meaningful impact. 

You will lead a talented, multi-disciplinary People and Culture team covering learning and development, people services, partnering, and recruitment. Together, you will deliver high-quality services, systems, and frameworks that support our mission – from global HR standards and legal compliance, to innovative learning programmes, to strategies for organisational development and inclusion. 

We are happy for you to work remotely and flexibly, in a way that best supports your work life balance. There is also an office near Glasgow city centre for those who live nearby and would like to work from here occasionally or on a regular basis.

This role will undertake regular travel to countries where our programmes operate and will involve regulated work with children. You will be required to register with the Protected Vulnerable Group Scheme or local equivalent before undertaking your role.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

• Lead on the evolution of the Mary's Meals International People and Culture Strategy to ensure that activities are aligned with global strategy and support our growth ambition.
• Build and nurture high-performing, highly engaged teams across the global network.
• Develop global policies and frameworks that ensure fairness, consistency, and safe people.
• Lead the design and implementation of organisational design initiatives to support growth, collaboration, values alignment and leadership.
• Develop an approach to equality, diversity and inclusion ensuring that MMI continues to welcome and celebrate diversity in all its forms.
• Design and deliver change programmes that enhance performance and ways of working.
• Develop MMI’s thinking on the use of volunteers across the network to boost capability, provide strategic insights and deliver projects.  

About you:

• Significant senior-level experience in strategic people leadership in a complex, multicultural environment.
• A track record of creating great workplaces with high engagement and strong employer brands.
• Expertise across key areas such as business partnering, people services, organisational development, global reward, learning and development, EDI, and cultural transformation.
• The ability to influence and inspire at every level, from grassroots teams to boards.
• Sensitivity to different cultural contexts, combined with a pragmatic, solution-focused approach.
• A deep alignment with the mission and values of Mary’s Meals.

Please see the recruitment pack below for full list of duties, requirements and further information.