Director Of People

Rate: £63.15 per hour (umbrella)
Term: Until 22 Jan 2025 initially
Hours per week: 37

Your Job

As a member of the Resources Directorate senior management team, you will lead the Council’s strategic thinking on workforce issues; develop effective ways of implementing modern people management strategies and good practices; lead on customer experience by ensuring that our customers are at the heart of all our decision-making; and contribute to the leadership of the Council.

You will lead on the design, development, and implementation of the Council’s strategic approach to customer experience, working across the organisation, with partners, and with Members to deliver an improved customer experience for the residents and businesses of Cheshire East. You will lead on our professional practice in relation to our people and organisational improvement, ensuring services are supported and enabled to deliver well for our residents and businesses.

You will be responsible for developing and implementing our Workforce Strategy, policies, provision, procedures, and guidance; and for designing and implementing HR, OD, and Culture across the Council. Success will mean ensuring the effective resourcing and development of a skilled, engaged, and empowered workforce and a supportive and inclusive culture that supports the wider transformation of the Council, the delivery of the Corporate Plan, and our target operating model.

You will also lead on talent management and retention of our workforce to ensure that we are able to respond to the changing nature of working practices for the future. You will shape organisational culture and a climate in which staff have shared commitment to serving our customers well.

In this job you will:

1. Provide clear leadership on all matters of the Council’s Workforce Strategy, including workforce planning, equality, diversity and inclusion, and cultural change, bringing about lasting and sustainable transformation.
2. Direct and oversee an integrated service operation for Customer Services, maximising economies of scale, driving improvements in performance, and ensuring that our customers are treated fairly, equitably, and understand how to engage with the Council constructively. Develop plans across HR, OD, and customer services that support implementation of the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities.
3. Provide leadership by developing and shaping the organisation’s culture to support the Council’s wider transformation.
4. Direct and support organisational design, evaluating the organisational structure and design to achieve Corporate Plan priorities through workforce planning and talent management strategies.
5. Be responsible for all aspects of HR, including organisation development, workforce planning, skills and talent development, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, employee value proposition, positive employee relations, HR policy, compliance, employee engagement, and culture.
6. Provide leadership to the HR & OD, Customer Services departments including, but not limited to, the Contact Centre, recognising that customer engagement is a cross-departmental responsibility.
7. Provide advice and assurance to Members and senior management on policy, strategy, statutory, and regulatory practices relating to Human Resources and Customer engagement functions.
8. Provide support and advise Members, senior management colleagues, and employees to deliver the Council’s key priorities and services by providing appropriate information, advice, and guidance to relevant committees.
9. Drive the Council’s statutory responsibility for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion for the workforce, promoting and acting as a leading advocate/champion for equality and diversity in the workplace.
10. Ensure the delivery of high-quality customer services and manage stakeholder expectations from other Council Directorates.
11. Design and role model change, including providing professional advice to the Chief Executive, the Corporate Leadership Team, and colleagues on new initiatives or improved ways of achieving the Council’s strategic goals.

From time to time, you may be asked to undertake additional work as determined by the Chief Executive and/or an Executive Director. This will be consistent with your job role and supports our joint commitment in our employee deal to work together as one team and one Council to deliver the best service for our customers and communities.

In this Job You Will Need

You must be able to demonstrate the following essential requirements:

Qualifications, Knowledge, and Experience

• Expert knowledge of customer services performance best practices, emerging trends, and innovations.
• Relevant professional qualifications, substantial post-qualification experience, and significant senior management experience.
• Substantial evidence of political awareness and successful management experience in a senior position at the political/management interface.
• Management experience and skills, along with the ability to make seasoned professional judgments.
• High levels of analytical, creative, and interpersonal skills, with an understanding of the political environment of the Council.
• Level 7 CIPD qualification or equivalent experience.
• Experience in developing and implementing HR strategies.
• Senior management experience leading an HR Department.
• Knowledge of Council services, their service proposition, and their impact on residents and businesses.

Skills and Abilities

• Proven managerial, leadership, networking, and influencing skills, and experience in managing multi-disciplined departments.
• Strong understanding of employment law and current best practices in people and culture, HR, and learning and development.
• Substantial and senior experience in managing people, and in leading and inspiring change.
• Understanding and experience in promoting equality and diversity in employment and service delivery.
• Proficiency in computer literacy, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and HR packages.
• Ability to plan and prioritize effectively to meet demanding targets and deadlines.
• Experience in successfully leading employee consultation and engagement.
• Ability to work in partnership with Directorates or external organizations to improve residents’ quality of life and interaction with Council services.
• Capability to provide visible and supportive leadership, empowering, motivating, and developing staff, and fostering a positive organizational culture focused on delivering improved outcomes for service users.
• Sound understanding of the digital landscape within the customer environment and its potential to enhance the customer experience.
• Ability to explore innovative and creative methods of delivering improved service outcomes through effective resource utilization, while minimizing risk and maintaining a focus on delivering business as usual.

Interpersonal Skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and adaptability to rapid change.
• Ability to lead and inspire teams through transformational change.
• Capacity to work proactively, with demonstrable evidence of developing HR services in an innovative and responsive manner.
• Ability to work in a consultative and open way, promoting inter-departmental teamwork and sharing ideas to achieve the organization’s goals.
• Strong ability to influence, challenge, and lead on innovative ideas.
• Exceptional relationship management skills, with the credibility and vision to operate at all levels and the ability to earn the trust and confidence of key stakeholders and colleagues.

Other Requirements

• Ability to travel to various locations to attend meetings.

Pre-Compliance Checks for Successful Applicants:

At BSS, we uphold the highest standards of screening and trust for every role. Successful applicants will undergo a comprehensive pre-compliance process in line with the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). This includes:

• Identity Verification: Confirming the authenticity of your identity documents.
• Employment History Checks: Reviewing your occupation history for the past 3-5 years (depending on client requirement).
• Right to Work Verification: Ensuring you have the legal right to work in the UK.
• Unspent Conviction Check: Conducting a Basic DBS Check to reveal any unspent convictions.

These checks are crucial in ensuring a secure and trustworthy work collaboration, aligning with best practices used in government and public sectors. While primarily standard in these sectors, our adoption of pre-compliance checks across all roles reflects our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and trust in our recruitment process.

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 2 months
Pay: £63.15 per hour
Expected hours: 37 per week

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Application question(s):

• Do you have expert knowledge of customer services performance best practices, emerging trends, and innovations?
• Do you have relevant professional qualifications, substantial post-qualification experience, and significant senior management experience?
• Do you have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both verbally and in writing?

Experience:

• Local Government: 3 years (preferred)

Work Location: In person