Director, Global Employee Engagement & Employee Listening

Life. Unlimited. At Smith+Nephew we design and manufacture technology that takes the limits off living.

Shape how employees are heard — and what happens next.

This is a rare opportunity to build and lead a global employee listening and engagement capability with real authority, visibility, and impact.

We are looking for a senior leader toown our employee listening strategy end to end, translate insight into action at enterprise level, and ensure employees see and feel the difference as a result of speaking up. Alongside this, you will play a critical role in shaping and activating an authentic Employee Value Proposition (EVP) grounded in evidence, not slogans.

This role sits at the intersection ofculture, engagement, and employee experience. It is not a recruitment or creative branding role — it is about insight, influence, and change.

What you will do:

As Director of Global Employee Engagement & Employee Listening, you will be accountable for closing the gap betweendata, insight, action, and storytelling across the organisation.

You will:

• Design and lead a multi‑channel global employee listening strategy, moving beyond a once‑a‑year survey to create continuous, meaningful feedback loops
• Synthesize complex qualitative and quantitative data to identifyenterprise‑level themes, priorities, and cultural risks
• Translate insight intoclear recommendations and actions, working with senior leaders and HR partners to drive measurable change
• Ensure employees hear “you said, we did” — closing feedback loops and building trust through transparency and progress
• Refresh and evolve theEmployee Value Proposition, ensuring it is credible, evidence‑based, and clearly activated internally and externally
• Act as a visible, confident advisor to senior leaders — presenting insights, challenging assumptions, and shaping decision‑making
• Build strong partnerships across HR, culture, communications, and employer brand whileretaining clear ownership of the listening agenda

What success looks like

In this role, success is defined byimpact, not activity. You will be trusted to:

• Establish a listening strategy that leaders rely on to understand the employee experience
• Turn data into action that employees recognise and believe in
• Shift engagement from reporting scores todriving meaningful cultural outcomes
• Build credibility for employee insight as a strategic input into business and people decisions

What you will bring

We are looking for someone who combinesanalytical depth, cultural credibility, and senior presence.

You will bring:

• 8+ years experience inemployee engagement, employee listening, culture, or people insights, ideally in complex global organisations
• Hands‑on experience designing and running engagement and listening programmes (e.g. surveys, pulses, qualitative research, digital listening tools)
• Strong analytical capability — comfortable interpreting data, identifying patterns, and making evidence‑based recommendations
• Confidence and presence to influence and challenge senior stakeholders using insight
• Experience shaping or activating anEmployee Value Proposition grounded in lived employee experience
• The ability to balance being bothhighly analytical and visibly influential

Who this role is for (and who it isn’t)

This role is ideal for someone who:

• Enjoys owning complex, ambiguous problems and turning them into clear strategies
• Is comfortable being theface of employee insight, not working only behind the scenes
• Believes culture is something employees experience — not something marketed to them

This role isnot suited to candidates whose background is primarily:

• Recruitment or external employer branding
• Creative campaigns without insight ownership
• Surface‑level storytelling without analytical depth

Why this role matters

This role exists because employee insights deserve more than reporting — they deserveaction, accountability, and visibility. You will have the mandate and influence to make that happen.

You. Unlimited.
We believe in creating the greatest good for society. Our Strongest investments are in our people and patients we serve.
Inclusion and Belonging: Committed to Welcoming, Celebrating and Thriving on Inclusion and Belonging, Learn more about our Employee Inclusion Groups on our website (www.smith-nephew.com)
Your Future: Generous annual bonus and pension Schemes, Save As You Earn share options.
Work/Life Balance: Flexible Vacation and Time Off, Paid Holidays and Paid Volunteering Hours, so we can give back to our communities!
Your Wellbeing: Private Health and Dental plans, Healthcare Cash Plans, Income Protection, Life Assurance and much more.
Flexibility: Hybrid Working Model (For most professional roles).
Training: Hands-On, Team-Customised, Mentorship.
Extra Perks: Discounts on Gyms and fitness clubs, Salary Sacrifice Bicycle and Car Schemes and many other Employee discounts.

Stay connected by joining our Talent Community.

We're more than just a company - we're a community! Follow us on LinkedIn to see how we support and empower our employees and patients every day.

Check us out on Glassdoor for a glimpse behind the scenes and a sneak peek intoYou. Unlimited., life, culture, and benefits at S+N.

Explore our website and learn more about our mission, our team, and the opportunities we offer.