Group Head of Talent & Organisation Development
About the Role
We are looking for an exceptional Group Head of Talent & Organisation Development to shape and lead our strategic talent agenda partnering directly with the CHRO and Executive Leadership Team.
We are at an exciting stage in our evolution, as we prepare to spin off and become a fully independent business, strengthening our ability to respond to the market and realise growth opportunities.
This business context provides a unique opportunity for someone to shape the strategic direction for culture, talent, performance, and organisational capability required to deliver our business strategy. This high impact role will also interface with the new Board and manage the governance required around our ‘Great place to work’ agenda.
As a member of the HR Leadership Team, you will play a key role in shaping the people strategy and be the thought leader on talent and OD. Critically you will build strong partnerships across the business, collaborating to deliver solutions that have tangible business outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Provide strategic leadership on Talent and Organisation Development, partnering with the CHRO, Executive Leadership Team and Board to shape the talent agenda and build the organisational capability required to deliver the business strategy.
Bring our Great Place to Work ambition to life, shaping and delivering programmes across culture, leadership, learning, and employee listening that drive engagement, capability, and measurable business outcomes.
Lead the global Talent and Performance framework, including talent management, succession planning, performance, leadership development, and workforce capability, ensuring a consistent and scalable approach across the organisation.
Shape the future talent pipeline, overseeing corporate talent acquisition, executive talent strategies, graduate and early-career programmes, and the development of a compelling Employee Value Proposition.
Drive organisational development and effectiveness, partnering with business leaders to support transformation, strengthen leadership capability and ensure the organisation is equipped to meet future challenges.
Champion Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, leading initiatives that foster an inclusive culture and support the attraction, development, and retention of diverse talent.
Lead the Talent Centre of Expertise, developing a high-performing team and collaborating across the HR community to embed best-in-class talent practices and deliver the end-to-end talent agenda.
About You
You are a strategic and commercially minded talent leader with a proven track record of delivering impactful talent and organisational development strategies in large, complex, and matrixed environments.
We are looking for someone with:
Deep expertise across talent management, leadership development, learning, engagement, and DE&I.
Significant experience leading enterprise-wide talent agendas within multinational organisations.
Strong organisational development and change management capability, with experience diagnosing capability gaps and implementing effective solutions.
The personality and presentational ability to interpret the Boards input on a wide range of topics and be the face of the management team in the areas of their expertise.
Collaboration and relationship building skills to lead through influence and credibility.
Outstanding stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to influence executives, HR leaders, and PLC Board-level audiences.
Experience leading and developing teams of talent professionals within global and matrix structures.
A pragmatic and outcome-focused leadership style, with a passion for developing people and building high-performing organisations.
Skills Required
- Deep expertise across talent management, leadership development, learning, engagement, and DE&I.
- Significant experience leading enterprise-wide talent agendas within multinational organisations.
- Strong organisational development and change management capability; experience diagnosing capability gaps and implementing solutions.
- Ability to present to and represent management for Board-level audiences; strong presentational skills.
- Excellent collaboration, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills to influence executives and HR leaders.
- Experience leading and developing teams of talent professionals in global, matrix structures.
- Pragmatic, outcome-focused leadership style with a passion for developing people and building high-performing organisations.
DS Smith Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about DS Smith and has not been reviewed or approved by DS Smith.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered okay to good across many roles, with some plants indicating competitive or above‑market hourly rates for operators and similar positions. This supports a broadly fair perception of base pay even as experiences vary by site.
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Healthcare Strength — U.S. offerings include day‑one medical/vision and dental, employer HSA contributions, and 100% company‑paid life and short/long‑term disability, alongside an EAP. Some role descriptions also highlight mental‑health and fertility options.
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Retirement Support — Packages commonly reference a 401(k) with company match and, in some locations, pension eligibility or company‑funded retirement contributions. This positions retirement benefits as a meaningful component of total rewards.
DS Smith Insights
What We Do
DS Smith provides innovative packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services with a commitment to sustainability and a circular economy. Our core purpose is to Redefine Packaging for a Changing World, and our expert teams work closely with like-minded partners to incorporate renewable resources for products that minimize our environmental impact, reduce complexity and increase profitability through supply chain optimization
