22374 - Human Resources Business Partner in London

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is responsible for everything that goes into running the UK’s criminal and civil justice systems, creating the foundations for a safe, fair and prosperous society. We are one of the largest government departments with over 88,000 staff based across England and Wales. We are responsible for 500 courts and tribunals, 122 prisons, the policies underpinning the system and much more. MoJ People and Capability supports the organisation by enabling its people to be the best that they can be. We are continuously reviewing and enhancing the services we provide to ensure the delivery of high-quality services for our customers.

This is an exciting opportunity to provide strategic HR partnering to senior leaders in HM Prisons and Probation (HMPPS). You will be critical in ensuring HMPPS meets its aims in protecting the public and reducing reoffending and gain unique experience which will enable you to progress in your career. This role sits within the HR Business Partner (HMPPS) Team which is the front-facing arm of the People & Capability Function supporting a number of business units across HMPPS.

The post holder will partner Governors within the Prison Service and equivalent senior leaders within the Probation Service or National Services, dependent on the customer groups. It’s an interesting time to join the team with a huge amount of opportunity to be involved in supporting business change in a complex environment. Working in partnership with senior leaders, this role will be responsible for supporting the business to deliver against people priorities.

The postholder will operate as an implementer, facilitating access to central services and working alongside the business to execute innovative people initiatives. The post holder will be required to partner customer groups in various locations across the London region and may be called upon to support regional or national projects across areas of the business.

As a qualified (or aspiring) HR professional, the post holder will use a combination of generalist knowledge, personal skills and experience to advise and partner senior leaders on how best to align the people and business priorities. Most roles require line management responsibility. The post holder will be required to bring together the people priorities for their prison and probation customer group or National Services at a senior level.

They will support on the underpinning activities to enable:

• Solving: Provide strategic input on HR topics and help leaders develop effective people solutions.
• Connecting: Help the organisation draw on appropriate People Function Services and shared service support.
• Coaching: Coach leaders on how to manage people issues and drive the people agenda effectively.

With links to the wider HR specialist functions within MoJ People and Capability, the post holder will facilitate access to the right services to deliver relevant people initiatives.

Key Delivery Strands:

• Change Management: Understanding the business and the drivers for change to be able to support the business with the people elements of change implementation. Support the business through reorganisation, restructures and redeployment.
• Resourcing & Retention: Working in partnership with the business and finance to understand the current and predicted workforce picture based on attrition and recruitment forecasting. Support in the execution of interventions to address resourcing and retention challenges and facilitating access to the right services across MOJ People and Capability. Provide support and advice on resourcing vacancies, ensuring compliance with Civil Service Recruitment Principles.
• Management & Leadership Capability: To understand the line manager and leadership capabilities within the business unit, support the business to access centrally run learning through the learning and development team and/or helping to develop the right learning interventions. Supporting senior leaders with the development of their leadership teams.
• Attendance & Performance: Help build management confidence and capability in managing absence, performance, conduct and grievance cases ensuring the right advice can be accessed. Work with the business to understand the casework picture and support senior leaders to drive action to progress cases within policy timelines, supporting in the access of advice. Work between HR and the business to ensure the policies are understood and embedded. Understand the role of the unions and support managers with union engagement related to people activity.
• Employee Experience and Staff Engagement: Working with the senior leaders to analyse and identify the right people priorities through the annual Civil Service People Survey. Bringing in other workforce and people data as required to enable the business area to bring together an appropriate engagement delivery plan. Supporting the stakeholder group to implement the right employee engagement interventions, accessing the right support from within the people group drawing on best practice and central offers.
• Inclusion & Well-being: Ensure diversity and inclusion runs through all people strategies and action plans. Facilitate access to products and services to help support networks to improve delivery. Support the business to access the necessary wellbeing services for staff. Bringing together all that is available through the People Function to provide the right well-being package or service dependent on the need.

Essential Criteria:

• The ability to confidently build and manage a diverse range of relationships, including senior stakeholders.
• Experience of delivering in a HR team.
• Experience of delivering HR plans, people management, and supporting others to optimise performance of their staff.
• Excellent communication skills, both in verbal and written formats.
• Ability to analyse and understand data and apply analytics to business delivery.

Base Location and Travel Requirements:

This is a regional role and there is a requirement for the successful applicant’s work base to be within the London region. The role will be partnering HMP Isis so regular travel there will be required. They will be appointed to the office/hub which is closest to their home address and can choose from the following locations: 102 Petty France, 10 South Colonnade Canary Wharf, Mitre House, HMP Brixton, HMP High Down, HMP Isis, HMP Pentonville, HMP Wandsworth, HMP Wormwood Scrubs. The base location will be discussed with the successful candidate.

The successful candidate will be required to travel regularly to prison and probation sites across the London region and occasional travel to other HMPPS sites. All applicants should be aware that business partnering arrangements are subject to change and postholders will be expected to accommodate changes in partnering arrangements in line with business need to include providing cover and support for other business areas when required.

Application process:

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework. Sift Behaviours - Please provide examples of how you have met each one of the behaviours listed below: Seeing the Big Picture (Lead Behaviour), Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the essential criteria within the application behaviour responses.

Experience:

Please submit an anonymous copy of your CV.

Qualification:

You will have completed and achieved your Chartered MCIPD (or have an equivalent HR qualification) or be willing to work towards it and actively demonstrate Continuous Professional Development.

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of Seeing the Big Picture. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Interview:

At interview you will be assessed using the below behaviours and strengths from the Success Profiles: Seeing the Big Picture (Lead Behaviour), Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together. Please note that interviews will be held face to face and will take place at HMP Isis.

If you have any questions regarding the role please contact – Osborne, Angie Angie.Osborne@justice.gov.uk or Sarah.Danzie@justice.gov.uk.