HR Business Partner in North East

Job Title: Human Resources Business Partner

Grade SEO x 1

Team/Directorate: MoJ People and Capability - HR Business Partnering (HMPPS)

Overview of the role:

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. MoJ People and Capability has over 1,400 committed and capable professionals delivering people services across the Justice family. At the heart of delivering these services are our people.

This is an exciting opportunity to provide strategic HR partnering to senior leaders in HM Prisons and Probation (HMPPS).You will be critical ensuring HMPPS meets it 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. This role partners within Women’s Group; Women’s Group is comprised of 10 Women’s Prisons throughout the country alongside its own Head Quarters functions.

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. Within Women’s Group, this role specifically partners with Senior Leaders in 3 Prisons in Yorkshire and the North East; HMP Askham Grange (near York), HMP Newhall (near Wakefield) and HMP Low Newton (near Durham).

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 holders will be required to partner customer groups in various locations 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.

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.

· 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 practise and central offers.

· Ensure diversity and inclusion runs through all people strategies and action plan.

· 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.

· The ability to confidently build and manage a diverse range of relationships, including senior stakeholders. (assessed via behaviour Working together)

· Experience of delivering in a HR team; (assessed via Seeing the Big Picture)

· Experience of delivering HR plans, people management, and supporting others to optimise performance of their staff. (assessed via behaviour Managing a Quality Service)

· Excellent communication skills, both in verbal and written formats. (assessed via behaviour Communicating and Influencing)

· Ability to analyse and understand data to ensure evidence based decisions support business delivery. (assessed via behaviour Managing a Quality Service)

Base Location and Travel Requirements

This role will be supporting prisons across the Womens estate. The successful applicant can be appointed to either:

HMP Low Newton, Low Newton, Finchale Ave, Durham DH1 5YA; or

HMP New Hall, Flockton, Wakefield, WF4 4XX

The successful candidate will be required to travel occasionally to other MoJ/HMPPS Locations.

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.

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. Please provide examples of how you have met each of the behaviours, with reference to the linked essential criteria as detailed above.

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 -

Seeing the Big Picture (Lead Behaviour)

Communicating and Influencing

Managing a Quality Service

Working Together

Please note that interviews will be held virtually.

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised role: all successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map . All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within