HR Service Manager

Job title: HR Service Manager

Salary: PO6 £53,051- £56,293

Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: Leeds

We’re recruiting for a number of roles across our HR service at Leeds City Council, offering opportunities for HR practitioners at different stages of their careers to make a real difference to our organisation and workforce. Whether you’re an experienced HR leader or looking to take the next step in your career, we have a range of opportunities to explore.

Working across a large and diverse organisation, our HR team plays an important role in supporting our people, helping managers navigate workforce challenges and creating an environment where employees can thrive.

The HR service is made up of around 110 colleagues who work together to support over 14,000 council employees and 11,500 colleagues working across our schools. Our Directorate Support team works together with our specialist HR teams across the organisation, providing employment advice, strategic direction and support on everything from recruitment and employee relations to wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion and organisational development. We play a vital role in developing our people, strengthening our organisation and ensuring we have the workforce needed to deliver high-quality services. Everything we do is underpinned by our People and Culture Framework.

Joining us is an opportunity to contribute to work that has a real impact on our employees, our services and the people of Leeds. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions. If this is you, we’d love to hear from you.

We are hiring 2 HR Service Managers. One will support the Directorate Support Team, providing experience of senior business partnering, complex case work and team leadership. The other will be a specialist role supporting the complex equal pay and reward agenda.

Apply below or explore ourother HR opportunities:

Head of HR (£72,526 - £79,561)

HR Business Partner (£47,665 - £50,908)or temporary position

HR Business Partner - Wellbeing (£47,665 - £50,908)

Senior HR Adviser (£41,177 - £44,253)

HR Adviser (£38,510 - £40,444)

About you

Reporting to the Head of HR, you will lead a team of HR professionals, providing expert advice and support on employee relations, organisational change and workforce matters.

You will work closely with managers, senior leaders and recognised Trade Unions to resolve complex employee relations issues, support service transformation and ensure a pragmatic and customer-focused HR service. Your ability to build productive relationships, influence stakeholders and manage competing priorities will be critical to your success.

The role is ideally suited to an experienced HR professional with a strong background in employee relations and a proven ability to operate effectively within a unionised environment.

As an HR Service Manager, you will bring to the role:

• Significant HR experience, with a strong understanding of workforce issues, HR practice and the ability to develop effective solutions that support organisational priorities.
• The ability to manage competing priorities, resources and deadlines effectively, delivering complex work and achieving outcomes in response to senior officer and elected member requirements.
• The ability to be innovative and apply exceptional judgment and analytical skills to resolve highly complex problems requiring new and creative long term solutions.
• Experience of building effective collaborative relationships with senior leaders, elected members, colleagues, Trade Unions and external partners to deliver cross-council and city-wide priorities.
• Experience of developing innovative and cost-effective workforce solutions, using data, insight and emerging developments to inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to coach and develop colleagues, improve performance and support individuals to achieve their full potential.
• Knowledge of key employment legislation including primary legislation, regulations and relevant case law.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the roles please contact Gemma Taskas. Call 0113 3789353 or email gemma.taskas@leeds.gov.uk

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job Purpose: Support the Assistant Chief Executive and HR Leadership Team to deliver programmes of strategic significance to the Council in order to deliver our vision to be the Best Place to Work and People & Culture Strategy priorities. You will be required to drive continuous service improvement initiatives through leading and contributing to cross Council projects, collaborative working with both internal and external partners and support Directorate leadership teams as appropriate on the people agenda

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the development and delivery of key strands of work set out in the Council’s People & Culture Strategy 2020 – 2025.
• Responsible for leading and managing an HR Team of HR Business Partners and HR Advisers.
• Take lead responsibility for completing activities set directly by very senior officers or Elected Members. Deliver the required outcomes on time by managing resources to overcome setbacks and by balancing against many other key responsibilities.
• Take a lead responsibility for areas of service development and act as the project lead for a council wide HR priority
• Work with other directorates, services and partners where appropriate to deliver cross-council and city wide priorities and projects for the benefit of customers and represent the council at a regional level where required. Collaborate across organisational, geographical and cultural boundaries to work to achieve shared outcomes that benefit all stakeholders.
• Regularly scan internal and external sources such as council plans, political situations, technological developments, news and government guidance to pick up on evolving issues and changes that could affect your service. Initiate discussions about the possible impact of the change and draw up proposals for the way your service should positively respond. Regularly evaluate service provision in the light of customers’ future needs.
• Design and deliver cost effective and innovative workforce solutions and strategies that contribute to effective management of substantial service budgets. Analyse, forecast and prepare information to ensure developing issues are flagged up appropriately.
• Interpret external regulations, statutory requirements, service changes, insight, data and feedback in relation to their implications for the organisation. Promote and manage the delivery of the service to meet the needs of the organisation. Provide appropriate advice and work with others to develop policy and HR practice.
• Directly and matrix manage others, taking responsibility for their coordination, development and appraisal. Monitor and support performance improvement and use a coaching approach to develop team members and maximise their contribution. Support staff to achieve their full potential, adapting your approach according to individual needs, whilst complying with the council’s people management principles and policies.
• Lead and coordinate major activities such as rollouts, events, audits or programmes, which may require months to organise and involve stakeholders across and outside of the council. Take full responsibility for their delivery, on which council reputation or budget depend.
• Improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion with colleagues and development programmes.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice.
• Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days/events as requested.
• The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications Chartered Membership of the CIPD, any relevant post graduate qualification or significant applied experience within an HR setting is essential.

Essential requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements.

• Able to work flexibly across different work locations and areas as appropriate.
• Able to be innovative and apply exceptional judgment and analytical skills to resolve highly complex problems requiring new and creative long term solutions.
• Able to exchange wide ranging, contentious or complex information. Select the most fitting method from a very wide range of options depending on the audience. Seek and listen to customer feedback to represent their views to others. Interact confidently, influence and negotiate persuasively, convincing others, when needed, to adopt policies and courses of action they might not otherwise take.
• Able to produce highly accurate work to meet the high demands for precision in your role, so that those who rely on your work know that they can trust its accuracy.
• Able to recognise when to alert senior officers of sensitive issues and safeguard organisational reputation.
• Able to independently identify where a response / action is required across a very broad range of issues. Consult where necessary and comply with regulatory or procedural requirements but develop / implement your solutions promptly with little need to ask permission.
• Able to deliver on changing priorities, despite very high levels of work related pressure and frequent interruptions. Maintain concentration so you can spend all day on a demanding task, or switch between work as the situation dictates.
• Able to directly and matrix manage others, taking responsibility for their coordination, development and appraisal. Monitor and support performance improvement and use a coaching approach to develop team members and maximise their contribution. Support staff to achieve their full potential, adapting your approach according to individual needs, whilst complying with the council’s people management principles and policies.
• Able to work with other directorates and services in cross-council projects for the benefit of customers and represent the council at a regional level where required. Collaborate across organisational, geographical and cultural boundaries to work to achieve shared outcomes that benefit all stakeholders.
• Knowledge of key employment legislation including primary legislation, regulations and relevant case law.
• Demonstrate an understanding of people culture and inclusion strategies and outcomes.
• Knowledge of managing complex and transformative change in the workplace.
• Knowledge of the broad organisational development agenda, particularly as regards to wellbeing, employee experience and diversity and inclusion.
• Experience of working with senior management to shape and influence the delivery of the councils strategic priorities at a council, directorate and service level ensuring people are kept at the forefront (with the ability to understand from a city perspective).
• Significant experience of building credible and effective collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders including Directors, elected members, trade unions, colleagues and partner organisations to understand future challenges and to deliver effective workforce solutions.

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Leeds Ambitions and Council Plan.
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
• Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality & diversity of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.