Kristian Dear

• Serve as strategic partner to regional business leaders across the North of England and a workforce of 2000 employees including 150 line managers.
• Drive a localised People Plan ensuring cultural alignment and regulatory compliance across 30 M&S stores whilst embedding company strategic priorities to aligned with commercial objectives.
• Partner with leadership on organizational design, workforce planning, and change management to support business growth.
• Collaborate with CoEs (Talent Acquisition, L&D, DEI, Total Rewards) to deliver integrated people solutions.
• Lead succession planning and talent development strategies to build internal pipelines and mitigate talent risks.
• Provide coaching to senior leaders and managers to enhance leadership effectiveness and employee performance.
• Use HR analytics to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for action.

People Partner role driving people strategy across M&S Clothing and Home business unit

Responsibilities include:

-Partnering of various Senior Leadership teams including Directors and Heads of function across multiple business areas in support of commercial objectives

-Budget management ensuring business areas are operating within agreed headcount

-Organisational Design to deliver commercial structures in line with business objectives

- Talent Management including succession planning and acquisition

-Reward including ownership of annual review process and benchmarking activity

-Project work including updating Early Careers proposition and workplace skills framework

-Engagement including relationship with employee representative body

-Work closely with specialist people functions (L&D, Recruitment) to achieve local objectives and create localised interventions

-Inclusion and Diversity

• Working as part of a team of 3 Divisionally aligned Store Partners and reporting into the Retail HR team and working closely with both Heads of HR and multiple HRBP's.
• Operating across 10 Regions to increase line manager confidence and capability in delivering the People Plan in stores.
• Partnering with Regional HRBP's to identify People risks and conduct coaching interventions with store leadership teams which drive positive people in interventions.
• Focus areas include supporting stores to execute and embed cultural change (‘Colleague behaviours') through robust Leadership, strong Performance Management processes and effective utilisation of company tools.
• Absence: utilise data to pinpoint opportunities for intervention and work closely with Regional and store leadership to mitigate absence impact and reduce costs.
• Work collaboratively with key stakeholders including Centres of Expertise (LMAS, Wellbeing including OH, HRMI, L+D, Employment Policy) by sharing insight and opportunities to support execution of Retail People Plan.
• Provide HR support with Business Transformation activity including ‘Store Estate' (inc.
• Consultation due to store closure) and Store restructure programmes (including both RLA and Management redundancy).

• Enhanced support and accountability across the Central London Region working closely with the Regional HRBP to deliver both retail and localised People objectives.
• This role has required strong stakeholder management skills, managing ambiguity and creative thinking to address the various challenges experienced on Central London.
• Support across 30 stores including multiple Flagship and business critical stores (including Renewal locations) supporting Regional Leadership comprising of HRBP, Regional Manager and 2x Area Managers.
• Other Stakeholders have included Divisional Project Managers, Senior Store Managers and regional colleague representatives (BIG).
• Deployed by HRBP to support delivery of Central London People objectives including Resourcing/Recruitment, Talent and Performance Management.
• A critical area of focus, has been responding to the complex impact of Covid and the resourcing challenges this has presented including mitigating the possible impact of future redundancies.

• Working for Line Manager Advisory Service to provide end to end case support.
• Strong coaching focus advising managers on risks, options and strategies for handling complex ER issues using knowledge of Employment law and ACAS code of practice to inform advice.
• Link for business change activities with significant People Impact including Labour Scheduling, Vangarde and Store Closure.
• Responsibilities included driving a consistent approach across the service and feedback to stakeholders on project impact including MI to identify trends.
• Role Specialism include handling of ACAS Early Conciliation process including negotiation of settlement and responding to Employment Tribunal Claims in conjunction with company solicitors.

• Handforth Dean with responsibility for leading 8th largest Menswear business in the UK.
• Additional responsibility for cluster resourcing across geographical area and satellite stores.
• Accountable for both BU and Overall store performance as part of the Store Leadership Team and representing store and Region on multiple high level visits including BU Directors, Heads of Division, Chairman and CEO.

• With both District and Regional accountabilities including ER support (absence, hearing complex grievances, mediation), labour planning including payroll management and delivery of scheduling principles, management development and orientation and both internal and external management recruitment.
• Regularly deputised for District Manager leading 14 stores across North, Scotland and Ireland including for 3 months at Peak during period of extended absence.
• Prior to leaving, managed Trafford Centre Store for 4 years which ranked in the Top 10 across the UK with the highest sales volume outside of London.
• Other stores managed included Centres of Excellence across the North of England (both Manchester and Leeds city centre stores).
• Other experience included short-term placement working with International Franchise business partnering with Franchisees across 5 stores in Israeli market and hosting of 2x Global Leadership visits.