HR Casework Team Leader

Overall Purpose of the Post: To provide timely, professional, and solution-focused HR advice and support to the Council’s Senior Management Teams, schools, and partner organisations, enabling effective people management and service delivery. To manage the day-to-day operations of the HR Casework Team, including line management responsibilities and taking the lead on complex and sensitive casework as required. To coordinate and deliver HR service priorities, balancing deadlines, competing demands, cost, and quality, while ensuring the Council’s interests are protected and its reputation upheld. To maintain and promote high performance standards across the team, supporting continuous improvement, efficiency, and value for money in service delivery. To contribute to the development and consistent application of HR policies, procedures, and processes that safeguard the Council, its employees, and service users helping to minimise risk, avoid legal challenge, and protect the organisation’s reputation.

Detailed knowledge of Employment Legislation and its application in a large and diverse workforce. Knowledge and experience of all aspects of Human Resource Management, including best practice and its application in a large and diverse workforce. Understanding of the Local Government business and its key roles. Detailed knowledge and understanding of requirements to demonstrate value for money in working practices. Possesses detailed understanding of organisational policies, employment legislation, and procedural frameworks that support consistent, fair, and legally compliant employee behaviour. Demonstrated capability to manage HR teams, resolve complex queries, and maintain high service standards in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment.

Key Responsibilities

• To manage the day to day operational requirements of the team through regular supervisions, case allocation, monitoring of workloads and measurement of KPIs.
• To provide daily leadership and direction to team members, engaging with and motivating staff and creating a culture of teamwork and creativity.
• Provide high level advice and support to team colleagues to enable the management of difficult and complex casework across both the Council and Schools for matters relating to conduct, grievance, bullying and harassment, sickness absence, performance and whistleblowing.
• Take the lead on any case learning arising from casework both within the team and across HR.
• To provide solution focused, professional advice and support direct to the Council and its customers when dealing with complex and sensitive cases, ensuring a consistent application across the Council.
• To provide specific HR support on complex and sensitive casework when allocated; advice during management investigations; supporting the preparation and presentation of cases at Formal Hearings and Appeals.
• To advise panel members at Hearings and Appeal Hearings with appropriate liaison with legal representatives to ensure up-to-date advice is provided to the panel members.
• To attend strategy meetings with other external agencies including police, health and other partners.
• To contribute to HR development by participating in working groups, discussions and negotiations, offering professional advice on HR issues.
• To plan, develop and deliver staff briefings and training on new HR policies and procedures, ensuring managers are fully informed of their roles and responsibilities in the implementation of new policies.
• To contribute to a performance management culture by ensuring the performance requirements are identified, monitored and managed through Council procedures.
• To effectively contribute to supporting the Council and Schools in responding to Employment Tribunals, Appeals and Settlement Agreements.
• To contribute to the development of appropriate policies, procedures and processes that meet local and national terms and conditions of employment and legislative requirements including supporting, when directed, key stakeholder consultation.
• To work within key performance indicators and benchmarks against external comparators and report on a regular basis to managers.
• To work effectively with a number of key stakeholders including Trade Unions, partners and external bodies to develop partnership working with positive outcomes.
• To prepare information for SMT/DMT, Clinics, JCC and other forums – internal and external to the Council as required.
• Ensure all duties and responsibilities of self and team members are discharged in accordance with the Councils constitution and all policies.