Health and Wellbeing Advisory Lead - People Directorate

The Bank of England (“the Bank”) is the UK's central bank. Our mission is to deliver monetary and financial stability for the British people. The Bank of England is a diverse organisation. Each of its 5000 people are committed to public service and dedicated to promoting the good of the people of the United Kingdom by maintaining monetary and financial stability.

About the People Directorate

The People Directorate is dedicated to shaping the Bank’s People Strategy, enabling colleagues and managers to thrive in their roles and delivering essential people services across the Bank. Our work focuses on three key pillars: shaping the strategy to attract, develop, and retain talent; enabling success by providing guidance, resources, and support; and delivering high-quality services that foster a motivated and high performing workforce.

This new and exciting role is pivotal to the Bank’s commitment to health and well-being, with a primary focus on driving strategic initiatives related to workplace adjustments, long-term sickness management, and employee reintegration. The Health and Well-being Lead will take on a leadership role, overseeing a team of two Health and Well-being Advisers, and providing direction to ensure that the Bank’s employees receive the highest level of support in their roles, whether working in the office or remotely. The role involves shaping and executing initiatives that enhance workplace adjustments, manage long-term sickness effectively, and facilitate seamless reintegration for employees returning to work.

Additionally, the Health and Well-being Lead will oversee the coordination of pay arrangements for those on extended sick leave and lead the development of initiatives aimed at maintaining and improving the overall well-being of the workforce.

This is an exciting, busy, and demanding role, with the job holder expected to think on their feet and work continually at a fast and challenging pace to provide outstanding service and support to colleagues. This jobholder will be reporting to the Head of People Advisory Services.

About the role

The aim of the Health and Wellbeing Advisory Lead is to support the Bank to maximise attendance and support employees and line managers with health, wellbeing, and absence matters.

The Health and Wellbeing Advisory Lead will oversee the entire process of managing repeat and long-term absence, ensuring that accurate records are maintained and coordinating with payroll on sick pay and other benefits. Additionally, this role will take the lead in developing, implementing, and continuously improving reintegration plans to help employees smoothly transition back into their roles after extended absences. The Health and Wellbeing Advisory Lead will also be expected to develop and manage a comprehensive strategy for workplace adjustments, ensuring that these are effectively implemented to support employee needs and enhance productivity.

In all these efforts, the Health and Well-being Advisory Lead will actively support the Bank’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, contributing to a positive employee value proposition. This role is instrumental in fostering a culture of care, inclusivity, and respect across the organisation, ensuring that all employees are engaged and supported in a manner that aligns with the Bank’s broader people strategy.

Key responsibilities

• Manage a team of three, leading the development and implementation of workplace adjustments for employees, ensuring that both office-based and remote workers' needs are effectively met.
• Support line managers and employees with managing persistent short and long-term sickness, including ensuring the accuracy of records and leading the coordination with payroll on sick pay arrangements.
• Demonstrate ongoing improvements in Health and Wellbeing matters for the Bank through analysis and provision of data and insights and costs related to employee absence.
• Design, develop, and oversee reintegration strategies for employees returning from long-term sickness leave, ensuring a seamless and supportive transition back to work.
• Manage and provide guidance on short term absences, including developing strategies to reduce their occurrence and support managers in addressing these cases effectively.
• Providing leadership in managing ill-health capability cases, ensuring fair and consistent handling, and supporting managers through the process.
• Serve as the senior point of contact for employees requiring health and wellbeing support, offering expert advice, and guiding them to appropriate resources.
• Collaborate with Employee Relations, Occupational Health, and other key stakeholders within the People Directorate to ensure the successful delivery of comprehensive wellbeing programs and adjustments across the organisation.
• Ensure organisational compliance with all relevant policies, regulations, and legal requirements related to workplace adjustments, long-term sickness, and overall employee wellbeing.
• Drive the development and execution of training programs focused on health, well-being, and workplace adjustments, in alignment with the Bank’s commitment to DEI and EVP and its People strategy.
• Lead the most complex health and wellbeing cases across the Bank, independently making decisions relating the staff employment.
• Lead on complex employment law matters relating to Health and Wellbeing across the Bank.
• Lead effective contract management of Occupational Health and workplace adjustments provider.

Key requirements

Minimum criteria

• Proven leadership experience in a health and wellbeing role, HR, or a related field, with a strong focus on managing teams and driving employee health and workplace adjustment initiatives.
• In-depth knowledge of employment law and best practices related to workplace adjustments, long-term sickness management, and employee reintegration.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and prioritize multiple complex tasks effectively, with strong organizational and decision-making skills.
• In-depth understanding of formal processes for managing employee absences, including the procedures for handling short-term and long term sickness and formal absence management protocols.

Essential criteria

• Experience in developing and implementing wellbeing initiatives, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and compliance with relevant policies and regulations.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the capability to lead teams, drive change, and provide empathetic support to employees and managers.
• Experience in leading diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives related to employee health and well-being.
• Proven track record of successful collaboration with external health providers, occupational health advisors, or relevant stakeholders to enhance workplace health programs.
• Advanced understanding of organisational change management principles, with experience in guiding teams through transitions.

Desirable criteria

• Certification in occupational health, mental health, or well-being management (e.g., CIPD Level 5 in Well-being at Work or equivalent).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret data and provide actionable insights to improve health and well-being programs.
• Proficiency in the use of HR information systems (HRIS) and other relevant technologies to manage well-being data and reporting.
• Experience in the financial sector or a similarly regulated industry, with an understanding of the specific challenges related to employee well-being in these environments.

Our Approach to Inclusion

The Bank values diversity, equity and inclusion. We play a key role in maintaining monetary and financial stability, and to do that effectively, we believe we need a workforce that reflects the society we serve.

At the Bank of England, we want all colleagues to feel valued and respected, so we're working hard to build an inclusive culture which supports people from all backgrounds and communities to be at their best at work. We celebrate all forms of diversity, including (but not limited to) age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. We believe that it’s by drawing on different perspectives and experiences that we’ll continue to make the best decisions for the public.

We welcome applications from individuals who work flexibly, including job shares and part time working patterns. We've also partnered with external organisations to support us in making adjustments for candidates and employees in the recruitment process where they're needed.

Finally, we're proud to be a member of the Disability Confident Scheme . If you wish to apply under this scheme, you should check the box in the ‘Candidate Personal Information’ under the ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ section of the application.

Salary and Benefits Information

This role offers a salary as follows:

Leeds circa £41,740 - £48,000

London circa £46,330 - £53,000

In addition, we also offer a comprehensive benefits package as detailed below:

• A non-contributory, career average pension giving you a guaranteed retirement benefit of 1/95th of your annual salary for every year worked. There is the option to increase your pension (to 1/50th) or decrease (to 1/120th) in exchange for salary through our flexible benefits programme each year.
• A discretionary performance award based on a current award pool.
• A 8% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits.
• 26 days’ annual leave with option to buy up to 12 additional days through flexible benefits.
• Private medical insurance and income protection.

National Security Vetting Process

Employment in this role will be subject to the National Security Vetting clearance process (and typically can take between 6 to 12 weeks post offer) and the passing of additional Bank security checks in accordance with the Bank policy. Further information regarding the vetting and security clearance requirements for the role will be provided to the successful applicant, and information about how the Bank processes personal data for these purposes, is set out in the Bank's Privacy Notice .

The Bank of England welcomes applications from all candidates, but as a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approved sponsor, we have a responsibility to comply with the Immigration Rules and guidance. As such, our ability to employ individuals who require sponsorship for immigration purposes is limited. The Bank cannot guarantee that you and / or the role you are applying for will be eligible for sponsorship and that any application made to UKVI will be successful. Eligibility will therefore be considered on a case by case basis.

The Application Process

Important: Please ensure that you complete the ‘work history’ section and answer ALL the application questions fully. All candidate applications are anonymised to ensure that our hiring managers will not be able to see your personal information, including your CV, when reviewing your application details at the screening stage. It’s therefore really important that you fill out the work history and application form questions, as your answers will form a critical part of the initial selection process.

The assessment process will comprise of two interview stages.

This role closes on 1st Dec 2024.

Please apply online, ensuring that you complete your work history and answer ALL the application questions fully and in detail as your application will not be considered if all mandatory questions are not fully completed.