The project

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) was seeking to appoint a new People and Culture Manager to lead modern, inclusive HR operations and support the implementation of their people strategy. After a period of organisational change, with HR outsourced for the previous 18 months, the organisation required a confident and proactive HR generalist capable of rebuilding processes, improving systems, and strengthening culture across a remote-first workforce.

This newly created role emerged following a restructure to ensure the organisation had the internal capability needed to support its people, governance, and long-term stability. The hire was also required to align with the end of a maternity leave period, making timing and continuity essential. It was a fully exclusive agreement, delivering a focused and efficient four-week search campaign.

Our approach

Tatiana Vera Ostara led the assignment, starting with a detailed consultation with Anna Westacote (CIEH’s Director of Finance and Corporate Services) to clarify technical requirements, organisational culture, and the strategic priorities for the role. This ensured the search targeted candidates who were not only operationally strong but also tech savvy, collaborative, and committed to modernising HR.

A multichannel search strategy was deployed, including:

• Targeted headhunting of HR generalists experienced in sole lead roles 
• Strategic LinkedIn Recruiter outreach 
• Database search across Charity People’s HR talent network 
• Screening for values alignment, with emphasis on innovation, DE&I development, and system improvement 
• Clear candidate communication to maintain high engagement within tight timelines 

The campaign delivered strong market response and high candidate quality: 

• 173 applicants 
• 42 longlisted 
• 11 shortlisted 
• 5 interviewed 

This robust pipeline gave CIEH a diverse and highly capable selection of HR professionals skilled in people operations, systems, compliance, and organisational culture.

The outcome

A standout candidate emerged who demonstrated the right blend of HR expertise, strategic thinking, and modern, solutions driven practice. The candidate brought experience in:

• Leading end to end HR operations 
• Modernising HR systems and simplifying processes 
• Driving culture and engagement initiatives 
• Supporting DE&I development from the ground up 
• Working confidently in remote or geographically dispersed teams 

The Impact

With the new People and Culture Manager now in post, CIEH is well positioned to strengthen its internal HR capability after an extended period of outsourced support. While the appointment is recent, the organisation is already benefitting from having dedicated internal leadership focused on building consistency, modernising processes, and supporting its remote-first workforce.

The role is expected to drive improvements across:

• HR compliance and operational foundations
• Employee experience, engagement, and communication
• Development of DE&I and safeguarding capabilities
• HR systems (including BambooHR) and process optimisation
• Strategic support to culture and organisational performance

This appointment marks an important step in CIEH’s ongoing transformation, providing the capacity and expertise needed to rebuild and embed effective, modern People practices across the organisation. Charity People is proud to have supported CIEH with this key hire at such a pivotal moment.