Job Description

Job Title: Human Resources Business Partner

Grade SEO

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.

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 North West 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 practise and central offers.

Inclusion & Well-being

• 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.

Essential Criteria

• 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 is a regional role. The location of the role will be within the North West region and there will an expectation that the successful candidate travels between all of the Prison and Probation sites in the region. The available base locations for this role are:

Manchester Redfern Building Probation Office, off Sadler’s Yard, 30 Hanover St Manchester, M4 4AH

Wigan Atherton Probation Office, 81 Gloucester Street, Atherton, Greater Manchester, M46 0JU

Oldham 1 Cromwell Court, Brunswick Street, Oldham, OL1 1ET

Oldham Probation Office, 128 Rochdale Road, Oldham, OL1 2JG

Bury Probation Office, Argyle & Balmoral House, 29 Castlecroft Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0LN

Liverpool South Liverpool Probation Centre, Cheadle Avenue, Green Lane, Liverpool, L13 3AE

Preston Probation Office, Diadem House, 2 The Pavilions, Port Way, Preston, PR2 2YB,

Chester - Chester Probation Office, Jupiter House, Chester West Employment Park, Chester, CH1 4QS 

Cheshire East: Macclesfield Probation Office, Brunswick Street, Macclesfield, SK10 1HQ

Burnley Probation Office, Queens Lancashire Way, Burnley, BB11 1HA

Chorley Probation Office, 2 Bolton Street, Chorley, PR7 3DL

Lancaster Probation Office, 41 West Road, Lancaster, LA1 4NU

Skelmersdale probation office, High Street, Chapel House, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN8 8AP

Wirral Probation Office, 40 Europa Boulevard, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 4PE

Cumbria - Carlisle Probation Office, Georgian House, Lowther Street, Carlisle CA3 8DR

The base location will be agreed with the successful candidate.

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

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 virtually.

If you have any questions regarding the role please contact -

David.Riley1@justice.gov.uk