Head of Human Resources Operations NHS AfC: Band 8b

Job overview

Main duties of the job

Working for our organisation

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Management/Leadership Responsibilities

Operational Service Delivery

• Deliver a high quality professional operational HR service with an approach of continuous improvement and professional development that reflects current evidence based good practice and professional standards.
• Lead team development in performance metrics and service/system improvement processes to continuously improve service delivery and contribution of the HR & OD function to enable care groups and departments to deliver financial and performance targets.
• Proactively lead and manage a team of direct reports by encouraging and enabling individuals and teams to be the best that they can be by regular feedback, development and coaching.
• Demonstrate effective leadership skills when working within teams and individuals, to ensure that managers and staff and teams make sustainable changes to improve services, and/or embed new ways of working/new roles following organisational change.
• Ensure that all HR activities are delivered in line with all relevant legislation and statutory requirements.
• Act as a role model by demonstrating leadership and expertise, and by maintaining credibility within the Trust, the wider health care community and external agencies, ensuring a positive image of the Trust is maintained.
• Direct and shape the HR Advisory and Support Service providing leadership from a broad knowledge base to improve services by anticipating needs, planning and implementing change according to the Trust’s plans and objectives, and changing health needs.
• Provide the strategic direction for the HR Advisory and Support Service that meets the objectives of St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and any service level agreements, including e.g. CCGs.
• Provide visible, accessible and authoritative leadership to the team and stakeholders.
• Develop and establish a credible and successful the HR Advisory and Support Service Team demonstrating consistently high standards of performance management in meeting clinical, operational, and financial and quality targets.
• Actively support the organisation in the meeting the requirements of e.g. CQC, EDS2, WRES and WDES and gender pay standards.
• Develop and maintain systems and processes to ensure services are comprehensively assessed, appropriately planned, effectively implemented and evaluated according to agreed policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Ensure the effective deployment of the HR Advisory and Support Service team to optimise resources and ensure that stakeholders’ expectations of service delivery are met.
• Effectively manage budget and income generation and expenditure appropriately contributing to the achievement of financial balance for the service, including staffing, system licences and legal expenses.
• Propose, set and deliver HR Advisory and Support Service objectives aligned to each stakeholder’s operational delivery plan, SLAs, strategic objectives and targets.
• Lead the development and maintenance of systems and processes to ensure that work is appropriately prioritised and allocated, and that effective supervision is in place to support work delegated to staff.
• Write and present workforce reports and progress on workforce KPIs by analysing internal and external data and information to inform on trends, providing advice on actions to be taken.

Employee Relations

• Demonstrate skilful relationship building with clinicians, managers and staff, trade union colleagues and other internal and external stakeholders to uphold the reputation of department, showing mature understanding, and an ability to deal with sensitive, political and conflicting agendas, and to work with uncertainty.
• Locally implement policies and procedures appropriate to the needs of the Trust, consistent with the Trust values and compliant with legislative and regulatory requirements, ensuring that the hospital operates fair and responsible employee relations which support effective and efficient management of staff across all areas of employment practice.

• Proactively lead on complex, sensitive and often contentious workforce issues providing prompt expert, evidence based advice and solutions, interpreting employment legislation and case law, seeking senior and/or legal advice to support decision making when necessary
• Provide leadership and professional direction to programmes of organisational change ensuring outcomes are secured through the delivery of a compliant and fair process across all staff groups.
• Demonstrate skilful relationship building with managers, staff, trade union colleagues and other internal and external stakeholders to uphold the reputation of the Trust, showing mature understanding, and an ability to deal with highly sensitive, political and conflicting agendas, and to work with uncertainty.
• Support managers and teams to ensure that lessons are learnt from issues arising from risk reports/incidents/complaints etc. and that they are promptly and positively addressed.
• Provide professional advice to managers on regulatory compliance and employment law in relation to workforce participate.
• Lead HR Advisory and Support Service risk management making sure that processes are in place to ensure compliance with employment law, terms and conditions of employment and NHS employment standards
• Support and promote the health and wellbeing agenda, influencing stakeholders to promote opportunities for improved attendance management.
• Design and implement and analyse regular staff surveys and audits to support the development of a compassionate culture aligned to Trust values.

Organisational Development & Leadership

• Implement HR&OD strategy and policies, leading on workforce issues on behalf of the Trust in close harmony with divisional managers, and others in the wider HR&OD team to ensure consistent HR&OD practice and approach.
• Working with the Director of HR & OD implement interventions that provide insights into the Trust culture to inform the ongoing development of OD and workforce strategies designed to ensure effective leadership and engaged and motivated staff.
• Work with the Director of HR & OD to locally implement the Group Leadership Strategy, and develop a local leadership culture that underpins the Trust’s strategic vision, reinforces accountability for maintaining standards of care, ensures effective behaviours in line with organisational values and inspires excellence amongst the senior leadership team.
• Work with the Director of HR & OD and work closely with the Corporate HR&OD team, and other stakeholders, to create a learning organisational culture by leading and signposting to the application of Trust values through appraisal, leadership behaviours, learning from incidents and complaints, staff engagement, health & well-being and education & learning across the Trust.
• Work in partnership with Workforce Development and OD colleagues to facilitate workforce re-design and organisational transformation.

Strategy & Improving People Practices

• Work with the Deputy Director of HR to develop and implement initiatives that deliver the strategy for reward and recognition of innovation, improvement, contribution and best practice approaches across all staff groups.
• Lead on improving people practices for staff including creating a compassionate and culture; best place to work, well-being, equality diversity and inclusion.
• Establish effective relationships with all stakeholders encouraging a proactive resolution of concerns ensuring that actions arising from staff feedback are progressed and that a positive culture of engagement is encouraged.
• Work collaboratively with HR colleagues to ensure the retention of staff is considered a priority and all relevant strategies are implemented to address this issue.
• Proactively engage in the Cheshire and Merseyside HRM/HR Deputies Forum leading on local and national improvement targets, e.g. collaborative working, streamlining.
• Provide senior representation to internal and external advisory groups

Professional Responsibilities

• To ensure clinical staff are able to source appropriate clinical support on all aspects of occupational health & wellbeing, providing clinical guidance and specialist advice to the nursing team and act as a role model for all aspects of health and wellbeing.
• Ensure clinicians are able and autonomous practitioners as permitted by their roles and levels of competency.
• Provision of leadership, motivation and supervision to ensure high standards of service provision and provide direct support to staff presenting with complex health needs.
• Act as a credible role model for the service.
• Assist staff and their teams to assess, monitor and evaluate service delivery provided through the use of standards and audit. Ensure that remedial action is taken where deficits are identified.
• Assist staff in identifying, applying and disseminating research findings related to specialist and fundamental practice that impacts on health and wellbeing.
• Adhere to relevant Code of Practice of Professional body.