Senior People Professional Level 7
Lead organisational people strategy at board level. Drive culture, talent, engagement, and compliance across your entire enterprise.
Important Funding Update: From 1 January 2026, Level 7 apprenticeships will only be government-funded for apprentices who, at the start of their apprenticeship training, are either aged 16–21, or aged under 25 and have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and/or have been, or are, in the care of their local authority. Any individual who started a Level 7 apprenticeship before 1 January 2026 will continue to be funded through to completion. We recommend employers enquire early to secure places on the current funded programme.
Strategic People Leaders Lead Here
People Directors & CHROs
Set people strategy at board level. Drive culture transformation, talent strategy, and organisational effectiveness.
Chief People Officers
Lead enterprise people function. Define talent strategy, build people capability, and drive engagement.
Global Talent Leaders
Lead talent strategies across multiple regions. Manage international talent, compliance, and global culture.
Organisational Development Directors
Design and lead organisational development strategies, transformation programmes, and culture change.
Strategic HR Business Partners
Drive HR strategy aligned with business objectives. Manage complex people and culture challenges at enterprise scale.
Transformation & Change Leaders
Lead people-centred transformation programmes. Build change capability and drive adoption at scale.
Strategic People Leadership Qualification
ST0532 Standard
CIPD Level 7 Senior People Professional
36-month programme building CIPD Level 7 qualification. Apprenticeship standard for strategic people professionals.
CIPD Chartered Pathway
Professional Recognition
Work towards CIPD Chartered Member status. Professional recognition for strategic people leaders.
11 Strategic People Modules
Strategic HRM & People Strategy
Develop people strategy aligned to business objectives. Master strategic HRM frameworks and enterprise-wide approaches.
Organisational Culture & Behaviour
Shape culture, drive behavioural change, and build psychologically safe organisations at enterprise scale.
Business Acumen & Strategic Planning
Understand finance, strategy, and business planning. Develop business cases for people initiatives.
Workforce Planning & Talent Management
Plan workforce strategies, build talent pipelines, and develop succession planning for key roles.
Stakeholder Engagement & Influencing
Master stakeholder engagement, executive influence, and building strategic partnerships for people initiatives.
People Analytics & Technology
Leverage data and HR technology to drive people decisions. Build analytics capabilities and drive digital transformation.
Change Management
Lead people-centred change programmes. Build change capability and drive adoption across organisation.
Employment Law & Compliance
Master employment law, compliance frameworks, and regulatory requirements at enterprise level.
Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing
Drive DEI strategies and build wellbeing cultures. Create inclusive, psychologically safe organisations.
Employee Relations & Engagement
Build engagement cultures, manage employee relations at scale, and drive organisational effectiveness.
Reward & Total Engagement
Design reward strategies, manage benefits, and drive total engagement approaches aligned to business strategy.
Your 36-Month Journey
People Strategy Foundations
Strategic HRM, people strategy, organisation culture, and business acumen building.
Strategic People Capability
Workforce planning, talent management, stakeholder engagement, and people analytics.
Change & Transformation
Change management, employment law, diversity & inclusion, creating strategic initiatives.
Advanced Practice
Employee relations, reward strategy, engagement, and leading complex people challenges.
Real-World People Project
Lead strategic people project within organisation. Develop business case, implementation plan, and demonstrate impact.
EPA & Professional Recognition
Portfolio consolidation, professional discussions, and End-Point Assessment.
Why TESS Group
Board-Level Focus
Designed for people directors and CHROs. Strategic people leadership and C-suite impact at every stage.
CIPD Level 7 Accredited
CIPD Level 7 qualification embedded. Work towards Chartered Member status with portable credential.
Strategic Projects
Apply learning to real people strategies within organisation. Demonstrate business impact immediately.
Executive Development
Executive coaching, peer learning with other senior leaders, and personal leadership development.
Frequently Asked Questions
This programme is for people professionals with significant experience in strategic people roles. Typically 5+ years in people/HR function.
No, but the programme prepares you for CIPD Chartered Member status. Pathway to Chartered recognition is part of the programme.
Up to £19,000 levy-funded through the Apprenticeship Levy. TESS Group helps employers maximise available funding.
36 months total: 30 months on-programme learning plus 6 months EPA. Approximately 12-15 hours per week off-the-job.
The programme is typically full-time employment-based. Schedule is flexible and fitted around your work commitments.
Shape People Strategy at Enterprise Level
Master strategic people leadership for C-suite impact. CIPD Level 7. 36 months. levy-funded.