Diversity jobs in United Kingdom

Known best as the Undisputed King of Trainers, JD Sports reigns supreme as one of the biggest and best global Sports Fashion brands across footwear and apparel.

Founded in 1981 in Greater Manchester UK, JD Group has achieved remarkable growth through rapid global expansion, now standing as the leading global sports fashion retailer. With over 3,400 stores worldwide, we strive to inspire the emerging generation through a captivating connection to the universal culture of Sport, Music, and Fashion.

In 2017, JD Sports first launched within the Australian market and has since expanded to 60+ stores across all Australian states and New Zealand, with plans for continued future growth. Our mission is to offer unparalleled service and style to all our customers.

Working at JD Sports is a state of mind, an attitude and way of challenging the norm. We do not conform; we create our own path and are elite within our field. And now, we’re seeking talented and passionate individuals to join our team.

The Head of Talent & Organisational Capability ANZ will define and deliver JD Sports’ enterprise talent strategy, building leadership capability and sustainable talent pipelines across Retail, Distribution Centers, and Head Office. Partnering closely with senior leaders, you will lead talent and capability reviews, identify succession risks, and ensure JD Sports continues to attract, develop, and retain top talent.

You will set the overarching talent acquisition approach to support business growth, seasonal demand, and new store expansion, while owning governance of talent systems and recruitment processes to ensure consistency, compliance, and quality outcomes. As custodian of the Employer Value Proposition, you will elevate candidate experience, onboarding, and internal mobility, ensuring JD Sports remains an employer of choice.

Success in this role requires a commercially minded talent leader who can influence at an executive level, leverage data and market insights to inform decisions, and build high-performing teams that deliver impactful talent outcomes in a fast-paced retail environment.

Reporting into the GM People & Culture, this role is responsible for, but not limited to:

• Define and deliver a long-term talent strategy that builds capability and leadership depth across the organisation.
• Lead and embed regular capability and talent review processes across Retail, Distribution Centres, and Head Office.
• Partner with senior leaders to identify critical capabilities, succession risks, and leadership readiness.
• Design and deliver leadership pipelines through emerging talent, and internal mobility initiatives.
• Act as custodian of the Employer Value Proposition, ensuring consistency across recruitment, talent, and employer branding activities.
• Elevating candidate experience, onboarding and internal mobility journeys.
• Ensure JD Sports is an employer of choice through strong EVP strategy execution.

• Set the overarching talent acquisition strategy to support business growth, seasonal demand, and network expansion.
• Continuously improve recruitment processes, systems, and ways of working to drive efficiency and quality outcomes.
• Own governance of all talent and recruitment systems, including ATS and related platforms.
• Ensure data integrity, compliance, process discipline, and alignment with global standards.
• Act as the escalation point for system design decisions, enhancements, and integrations.
• Provide subject matter expertise on talent acquisition, assessment, succession, and external talent market insights.

• Own and evolve the employer brand in-market to ensure differentiation and consistency across attraction channels.
• Oversee the careers website to drive candidate engagement and conversion aligned to the EVP.
• Build strong partnerships with the Global Talent Acquisition team to leverage global assets and best practice while ensuring local relevance.

• Provide strategic oversight of peak trade (Christmas) recruitment in partnership with Retail leadership.
• Lead recruitment strategy and governance for all new store openings, aligning timelines across Retail, HR, and Payroll.
• Design and execute graduate and early careers strategies to build future leadership and critical capability pipelines.
• Build talent pools and site-ready pipelines for high turnover, new stores and hard-to-fill roles.
• Develop and embed recruitment frameworks, tools, and training resources to uplift hiring capability across the business.

• Define and monitor key talent and recruitment metrics including time-to-hire, cost of hire, advertising spend, vacancy rates, and quality-of-hire indicators.
• Translate competitor/market insights into clear recommendations to inform senior leadership decision-making.
• Using analytics to assess workforce trends, pipeline health and capability gaps.
• Establish and oversee a structured exit interview framework, ensuring insights are captured consistently across the business.
• Analyse exit interview data and turnover trends to identify retention risks, systemic issues, and improvement opportunities.
• Provide actionable insights and recommendations to senior leaders to inform talent, engagement, and retention strategies.

• Build, coach, and lead a high-performing Talent team, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Ensure the Talent function delivers against agreed performance outcomes and service expectations.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, influencing talent decisions and embedding consistent talent practices across the organisation.

• 8+ years’ experience in Talent leadership role, with significant exposure to enterprise-wide talent strategy.
• Proven ability to build executive-level relationships and act as a trusted advisor, influencing and coaching leaders on talent, workforce, and organisational capability.
• Demonstrated expertise in talent acquisition, employer branding, early careers programs, and EVP development.
• Experience managing and governing HRIS and talent management systems, including ATS ownership, data integrity, and compliance.
• Strong track record in designing and leveraging talent insights, including structured exit interview programs, to inform retention and engagement strategies.
• Experience building, leading, and developing high-performing Talent teams, fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field; advanced degree or professional HR/Talent certification preferred.
• Possess a strong blend of strategic HR/Talent expertise, leadership capability, commercial awareness, and stakeholder management skills.

• Birthday Leave - Celebrate your big day with a paid time off for your special day!
• Competitive Pay – JD Sports salaries are aligned to market and are reviewed annually to ensure we are staying ahead of the game.
• Staff Discount 35% Off - Enjoy a generous discount across our brands which can be used for you, friends, and family.
• Tailored Learning Journeys - Access development pathways and LMS modules designed to build your professional, leadership and cross-functional skills.
• Career Progression Pathways - Grow across stores, Support Office, or our Distribution Centre with clear development opportunities.
• Annual Engagement Survey - Your voice helps shape our culture. Through our global survey, we listen, act, and continuously improve and we’re proud to be up 5% on last year’s results!
• Wellness Initiatives - Regular activities and campaigns to support your mental wellbeing.
• Monthly Safety Connects - Dedicated time to check in on your psychosocial safety and store environment.
• New HRIS System - A seamless, mobile-friendly experience for leave, pay and training.
• Employee Assistance Program + Health App - 24/7 confidential support for you and your family.
• REST Superannuation - Support for your long‑term financial wellbeing.
• Referral Bonus Program - Bring great people into the team and earn rewards.
• Work from Home – Enjoy the flexibility of working from home one day per week.
• Parental Leave – One month paid parental leave for the primary caregiver.
• Culture Committee – Monthly events that bring our team together to celebrate milestones, special occasions, and strengthen connection.

We are passionate about connecting with driven and skilled individuals who are invested in their development, so that together we can evolve our brand's success, alongside evolving your career.

JD values diversity and inclusion and champions a culture where everyone feels, valued, included, and celebrated.

What are you waiting for? Apply today and kick start your JD Sports Journey.

Please note, by applying for this role, you consent to us completing a Work Rights check to verify your working rights where required.