Senior HR Expert Services Consultant in Sheffield

The Government People Group exists to work with departments, professions, and functions to build a modern, effective Civil Service. We support the government workforce with the right skills and capability. We are working with leaders to get the right people in the right jobs, with the right skills and continuous learning to excel in their roles.

We provide leadership, and in turn, create leaders with exceptional line management capability across departments, influencing partners in the wider public sector and beyond. This involves getting our retention and reward strategy right, to nurture specific skills, and create pride and resilience in our workforce. Our role is also to provide system leadership across central government in pulling together back office services. Collectively, we help support the Cabinet Office’s priority to drive efficiencies, and reforms that will make government work better, to ultimately provide a better service to the public.

This role is within the Pay, Policy and Pensions domain of GPG, which plays a central role in developing and maintaining core HR model policies. This ensures all government departments and agencies have access to consistent, legally compliant, and best‑practice policy and procedures, thereby avoiding duplication of effort and ensuring value for money across government.

A key function of the team is providing expert policy advice, addressing complex HR policy queries and proactively amending policies to reflect changes in legislation, such as the Employment Rights Bill and case law. Policy and Practice also delivers and coordinates specialist independent expert services such as Mediation, HR Investigations, Workplace Adjustments, and Job Evaluation, offering crucial advice and support to departments. It also collaborates with departments to develop and sustain a comprehensive, cross‑government wellbeing offer.

Through supporting HR forums and a digital hub, it actively fosters best practice and shared learning within the HR function. Successful candidates will have an excellent opportunity to develop and enhance core HR skills and expert business knowledge. Comprehensive training will be provided across all necessary areas, offering significant scope to expand HR knowledge and expertise.

This role is within the Pay, Policy and Pensions domain, a vital part of the Cabinet Office’s Government People Group (GPG), which is central to the mission of creating a modern and effective Civil Service by collaborating with departments, professions, and functions.

A core function for Policy & Practice is to deliver and oversee specialist independent expert HR services, such as Mediation, HR Investigations, Casework, Job Evaluation and Workplace adjustments, offering crucial advice and support to departments, along with value for money.

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to develop and enhance core skills, expert business and HR knowledge. The Senior HR Expert Service Consultant role provides leadership and oversight for several service areas including the Civil Service Mediation, Casework and Investigations, whilst also pivotal in scoping activity within the wider workplace conflict work area:

• The Civil Service Mediation Service (CSMS) provides an independent Civil Service‑wide matching service and centre of expertise, raising awareness of and ensuring a consistently high standard of mediations as an effective tool to informally resolve workplace conflict/disputes.
• CSIS is a central subscription service which investigates the most complex and serious cases across the Civil Service, and is provided by experienced investigators from the Professional Standards Unit (PRU) in the Home Office.
• CS HR Casework is provided by four main casework providers – MoJ, DWP, HMRC and MoD and individual departments, with GPG providing a strategic central oversight of the service; bringing together organisations to deliver high quality casework provision, share best practices and improve the overall employee experience.

Monitor and evaluate service levels, ensuring a consistent and high quality service delivery is maintained for each service area and its customers. Collaborate and work in partnership with key stakeholders, including departmental HR practitioners, legal teams, networks, mediators and Home Office Professional Standards Unit (PRU) and CSHR Casework colleagues.

Lead team members to review, scope and implement changes to expert service delivery areas, as part of continuous improvements in response to customer feedback, management information and sector best practice. Oversee the facilitation of service networks and promote the sharing of good practice across the Civil Service.

Assist Policy & Practice Hub and Expert Services Team Leader to provide thought leadership, ensuring the delivery of the right HR products, services and outcomes for the Civil Service and support for departments and professions. In collaboration with senior colleagues participate in the scoping and delivery of special projects in relation to wider workplace conflict initiatives and the impact on the overall employee experience across the Civil Service.

Developing responses to correspondence, such as: Freedom of Information requests, Parliamentary Questions and Ministerial. Operational leadership of teams across multiple locations, including direct line management of Service Area team members. Develop self and teams to provide a continuous learning environment to increase HR policy and service expertise, supporting knowledge Management within the domain.