Policy Officer

This is a Full Time Permanent Position. We have an exciting permanent opportunity for a HR professional looking to take the next step in their career and join our recently reorganised Policy, Projects and Industrial Relations Team. We are looking for someone who holds a relevant HR/OD qualification (CIPD Level 5) and/or demonstrable experience in either HR or OD at this level and has the right skills and values to join our team and make a difference. If you feel you have the relevant skills and experience to undertake this role, we look forward to receiving your application. Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria against the person specification as listed in the job description.

ROLE & PURPOSE OF JOB: To assist in the delivery of a professional OD & HR service ensuring that the frameworks within which advice is provided to managers is legally compliant through the provision of policy research and support for the development and implementation of policies and processes which support the effective management of people. Uses professional judgement to explore people issues, understand the implications for the Council and provide innovative solutions, working closely with the wider OD & HR team managers, and the trade union colleagues through appropriate consultation fora. Supports the development of IT systems to capture and analyse HR information to support agile and new ways of working and identify trends to inform decision making about people related issues. Develops effective working relationships with appropriate stakeholders and builds knowledge of council services to contribute to the development of appropriate plans and strategies.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• To promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and/or vulnerable adults.
• Customer Focus – Establish and maintain effective working relationships with senior OD & HR colleagues and appropriate stakeholders, such as Trade Union colleagues to understand people issues in services. Provide solid OD & HR generalist advice in relation to policy, projects and industrial relation issues, regularly seeks feedback and ensures issues are escalated and responded as appropriate. Awareness of emerging issues at a national, regional, and local level. Contribute to relevant consultation mechanisms for example CJCNC and associated task and finish groups.
• Performance Management – Capture and analyse HR information to inform and assist in developing specific activities where improvements can be made. Be pro-active to support appropriate OD & HR interventions and assist with implementation. Interpret and analyse data to support the development and implementation of Council policies and processes, regularly review and evaluate to ensure consistent application and best practice. Support the Policy, Projects and Industrial Relations Manager in providing data and information to satisfy statutory and legislative requirements. Assist in the collation and analysis of data and information to support a response to local, regional and national consultations and freedom of information (FoI) requests.
• Leadership – Supports with specific tasks allocated from the OD & HR Business Plan by the Policy, Projects and Industrial Relations Manager, escalating any issues of concern. Participates in working groups and projects taking responsibility for specific actions allocated to ensure the effective delivery of the task. Supports the processes to deliver on the Industrial Relations needs of the Council. Develop reports, as directed by the Policy, Projects and Industrial Relations Manager.
• HR Advice – Provide expert and timely advice on all policy, projects and industrial relation matters, ensuring that the issue is fully understood, the implications for the council are clear and all options to resolve the matter are considered to identify the most effective solution. Work closely with senior managers and trade unions colleagues to think about the issues from the different perspectives. Participate and advise managers on industrial relations matters related to relevant legislation and compliance with Council policies and procedures. Contribute to the development and monitoring of the Industrial Relations Strategy and Framework. Assist with consultation and negotiation around key terms and conditions and policies. Work with the wider OD & HR teams to support the Council to maximise their people resource and provide a high level HR policy and industrial relation service. Identify and challenge information to inform decisions and support the development of appropriate interventions and improved ways of working. Assist with HR related presentations and briefings.
• HR Delivery - Contribute to and assist in the development and review of a corporate policy framework, OD & HR policies and strategies, job design and organisation development, and appropriate employee benefit schemes in line with Council priorities. Ensure that people related information and data is accurate to enable correct decision making and analysis, including the co-ordination of completion of statutory returns and reports. Undertake specifically allocated projects as required to support the OD & HR service. Support and champion the principle of self service and the use of the service desk when appropriate. Actively share knowledge, experience and lessons learned with the service desk to enable its continuous improvement and provide advice and guidance when a resolution cannot be identified by the service desk.
• Strategy – Work with senior managers and OD & HR colleagues to assist in the development of strategies. Participate in Council-wide activities to develop, review and monitor Council policies and processes, the HR strategy and team plans. Assist the team to support wider Council strategies through the delivery of workforce planning, pay and grading, organisational design and implementing new and innovative HR solutions. Explore and research measures to support the development of strategies at a local, regional, and national level and understand the impact for the Council and the service. Contribute to driving a positive, inclusive and high-performance culture throughout the Council. Undertake the preparation and evaluation of job descriptions using the Council’s agreed methodologies ensuring consistency of grades in comparator posts and escalating issues of concern to the Policy, Projects and Industrial Relations Manager. Supports, through the development of, a range of employee benefits available to the Council (including LGPS and Teachers pensions), including but not limited to promotion to increase participation, contracting and issue resolution.
• Personal Development – Build a reputation of professional respect from managers and colleagues. Work to the competencies of the CIPD Profession Map and ensure that a personal CPD log is maintained. Actively engage in PGPR discussions and be reflective on objectives, personal performance, and support.

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage.

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. Online searches, including social media, may be carried out as part of the recruitment process.