People Development Manager

Job summary

Shape the Future of People Development at the Planning Inspectorate (PINS)

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has a long and proud history in ensuring a fair planning system for England. We play a vital role in shaping communities, supporting economic growth, and ensuring fairness in England’s planning system. Our work influences lives, places, and the future - and we want you to be part of that impact.

We are proud of our purpose: delivering planning appeals, national infrastructure projects, and examinations of local plans. We share expertise with customers, communities, businesses, and government to enable positive planning outcomes.

Our culture matters. At PINS, we care - about each other, our customers, and our performance. Guided by The PINS Way, we foster an inclusive, innovative, and collaborative environment where everyone thrives. Our values - which include Operate as One, Evolve and Enrich Through Learning and Invest in Success - shape how we work and celebrate achievements.

We’re looking for a strategic, proactive and influential People Development Manager to join our People Development team within the People Unit. We are a collaborative, friendly, inclusive, high-performing team who work at pace and we deliver impactful outcomes. If you are a specialist in HR, L&D and/or organisational development and want to have impact, influence change, and further develop your leadership career, this is your opportunity.

We are keen to receive applications from both existing civil servants and from external candidates. To provide leadership visibility and collaborate with colleagues, you can expect to be in our central Bristol office at least twice a week including most Wednesdays.

Job description

Role Purpose

As a People Development Manager, you will be a trusted HR, Organisation Development and/or Learning & Development specialist, partnering with senior leaders to build the skills, leadership and capability needed to deliver organisational priorities.

Working at both strategic and operational levels, you will provide expert advice, challenge and consultancy on organisation-wide capability initiatives, organisational development, learning and talent initiatives. You will help leaders identify current and future capability requirements, diagnose organisational people development needs, and then develop and implement sustainable, evidence-based solutions that improve organisational performance.

Reporting to the People Development Lead, you will shape and deliver strategies for learning, skills, leadership, talent and capability development, ensuring people development considerations are embedded in business planning, transformation and change. You will bring an outward-looking perspective, drawing on your networks, best practice and emerging trends to drive innovative and effective people development solutions.

Success in this role requires the ability to think strategically, influence and partner, and the ability to navigate ambiguity, align stakeholders and translate complex organisational challenges into delivering practical outcomes. Your portfolio of people development priority areas will respond to business need and might include some of: AI skills capability, contributing to strategic workforce planning, developing career pathways and developing profession-led capability across our ten professions. As a manager, you will foster a collaborative, innovative and customer-focused approach across the team. There may be some direct line management responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Partnering & Leadership

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on organisational capability, learning, skills and talent.

• Build strong relationships across the organisation to understand priorities and shape people development solutions.

• Provide visible leadership, promoting innovation, inclusion and continuous improvement.

• Manage, coach and develop colleagues where applicable, fostering a high-performing team culture.

Capability, Skills, Talent & Organisational Development

• Diagnose organisational, professional and leadership capability needs.

• Design and implement solutions that strengthen workforce capability, leadership and organisational performance.

• Develop and support talent management, career pathways, succession planning and leadership development initiatives.

• Contribute to organisational change and transformation activity through a people development lens.

Learning and Development

• Develop, implement and evaluate learning and capability interventions aligned to organisational priorities.

• Translate complex business challenges into practical and impactful development solutions.

• Work with internal and external partners to deliver innovative learning approaches and best practice.

Stakeholder Engagement & Decision Making

• Influence and challenge senior stakeholders to drive informed decision making and organisational outcomes.

• Build consensus and manage competing priorities in complex and ambiguous environments.

• Communicate complex information clearly and persuasively to a range of audiences.

Insight & Continuous Improvement

• Use data, evidence and workforce capability insights to identify priorities and inform recommendations.

• Evaluate impact and use learning to continuously improve approaches, processes and interventions.

• Horizon-scan future trends, cross-government initiatives and practice, bringing external insights into the organisation.

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. Internal rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Working hours

Standard working week is 37 hours, flexible working hours policy available. Part time available at 30 hours and above only.

For further information on the Planning Inspectorate, please visit our careers page at Civil Service Careers

Office Attendance

This role is contractually based in our contemporary, eco-friendly Bristol office, ideally situated just a 15-minute walk from Temple Meads train station. To provide leadership visibility and collaborate with colleagues, you can expect to be in our central Bristol office at least twice a week including most Wednesdays. Please consider this before applying.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Experience leading organisation-wide people development, learning, talent, or capability initiatives within a complex organisation, with demonstrable experience of delivering measurable improvements in workforce capability and people development outcomes. (Lead sift criterion)
• Experience and understanding across HR, Organisation Development, Learning & Development or Talent Management supporting organisational change or improvement initiatives.
• Proven ability to influence and advise senior leaders on strategic people and capability matters, managing broad portfolios, balancing competing priorities and delivering results in amb