People Development and Organisational Design & Change

Our people

Our people are at the heart of Ulster University. We aim to create an environment in which staff feel supported to give their best, with opportunities to develop, explore their potential and boost their contribution.

Our employees are this University. Together we create the conditions, frameworks and approaches to enable people to achieve and exceed both their own career aspirations and the University’s ambitions.

Our learning culture

At the heart of our culture of learning, is our commitment to the University’s value of Enhancing Potential, nurturing staff to grow, embrace learning, progress with confidence in their current role or prepare for future opportunities.

The People Development team supports a culture of workplace learning, encouraging and enabling development, contribution and growth for all colleagues, with extensive opportunities to develop and pursue career ambitions in a place of progressive learning.

Explore our learning calendar to find resources for core business skills alongside a focus on development conversations – combining both practical and personal development skills to shape your tailored learning and growth.

Investing in our people, we offer a range of blended experiential learning across all levels of practice and experience, from formal learning to job shadowing, e-learning and face-to-face, one-to-one coaching or mentoring, and access to networks.

You can shape your personalised learning and growth though our Learning Management System and programme Learning Hubs supporting your continuous learning, personal and professional development, enabling you to seek out opportunities, complete essential eLearning and join learning events to suit your career progression.

From coaching and mentoring skills to leadership and management capability, team development and bespoke projects for departments, People Development puts people – individuals and teams – at the centre of Ulster University’s power and potential to make a positive impact with those who work, study and partner with us – both locally and around the world.

“Each of us develops and absorbs learning in different ways – some of us respond best to formal learning courses, others flourish through learning with and from others and peers, and many prefer to learn and grow through experience and working. From coaching, mentoring and feedback, to e-learning and webinars, or stretch projects and secondments; whatever your style, people development at Ulster is on hand to enhance your potential.People's development so often starts and continues with a meaningful conversation. With that in mind, effective conversations for individuals, managers and within teams is a focus for our ambitions and yours.”

Elaine Fugard, Section Lead, People Development

Organisational Design and Change

The Organisation Design and Change team supports the organisational growth and flexibility that underpins Ulster University’s ambitions for its people, its place and its many local, national and international partnerships.

Collaborating within and beyond People & Culture, the team provides insight, design and structured support for organisational readiness and adaptability, with a focus on the skills, culture, and engagement so important to achieving effective outcomes that empower both the organisation and its people.

Whether leading an inclusive creation of the University’s values or supporting new developments, the team provides structure, facilitation and guidance in times of change, evolution and transition.

The team also works closely in partnership with academic schools, faculties and professional services departments on everything from organisational structures or realignments to enhancing ways of working and fostering the collaboration at the centre of our Values.

“In a higher education sector spanning everything from student career aspirations to research and development, Ulster maintains this dual focus while contributing to social mobility and making a positive civic impact in the community, not to mention the vast professional service and support functions at the heart of campus life and operations. Our organisation design support enables colleagues to navigate change with confidence, conviction, and consideration.In a complex, large organisation such as ours, support for organisational growth, development and flexibility contributes to strong and effective foundations as the University commits to any necessary change, addresses any challenges it may bring and seizes the opportunities of transformation.”

Darren Crothers, Section Lead, Organisation Design and Change

Hearing your voice and capturing your views

Organisation Design leads our people-centric focus on hearing the voice of employees, capturing and responding to feedback and championing a range of platforms to build and inspire a truly engaged workforce, recognising the unique contribution every employee brings to our organisational ambition.

Employee views are important, and we love to hear them. Responding to rich and revealing feedback, the current Valuing Voices University Action Plan responds to our most recent full staff survey and is a commitment to follow through on the views staff shared about what matters most to them.

Beyond regular staff surveys, our wider Valuing Voices initiative provides ongoing opportunities for colleagues to share their views across central themes that go to the heart of our working lives at Ulster University, helping to inform future direction.

Our people strategy

Our people strategy puts our employees at the very centre of our agenda with a commitment to focusing on the employee experience enabling conditions where we can all flourish and achieve.

The People Development and Organisational Design and Change teams are committed to realising this commitment in supporting and developing a culture of continuous learning, high performance through partnership, and effective management of people related change.

For more information please contact pdod@ulster.ac.uk.

About our People Development

You will find more information of our growing services in the following webpage and we are in the development stage on a number of new services so please keep an eye on our webpage for updates.