Head of People (pay evaluation pending AfC Band 8b/8c)

Job responsibilities

Lead and manage the People Team (HR, OD, and Training)

Provide direction, support, and mentorship to ensure optimal performance and professional development.

Coordinate and delegate tasks and responsibilities effectively, fostering a collaborative and cohesive team environment.

Conduct individual performance appraisals and create personal development plans in accordance with company policy, agreeing with the Executive Director of Quality and People clear goals and objectives for the team that are aligned with organisational priorities, and monitor their progress.

Ensure effective communication and coordination within the team and across other departments to ensure efficient processes.

Cultivate a positive and inclusive team culture that promotes collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.

Manage the HR budget, oversee the Training budget, and be an authorised signatory.

Employee Relations

Advise on highly complex employment issues, including oversight of very complex employee relations cases and employment tribunal cases.

Provide guidance and expertise to HR team members on complex HR issues, policies, and procedures, including undertaking regular case work review meetings to ensure that all cases are handled consistently, in a timely manner, and to address/escalate blockers.

Act as the senior lead for working with the unions, ensuring effective and positive relationships.

Chair the organisations Joint Consultation and Negotiation Committee (JCNC) as required, ensuring it operates effectively and maintains constructive dialogue between management and union representatives.

Change Programmes

Oversee and assist in the delivery of all change management processes (projects and consultations), including TUPE, ensuring that such initiatives, where appropriate, are delivered in accordance with agreed requirements realising effective coordination of people, resource, and talent.

With allocated responsibility, to lead the process of staff involvement and to assist in the facilitation of change.

Resourcing, workforce development, plans, and succession planning

Collaborate with the Executive Director of Quality and People to contribute to the ongoing development and implementation of strategies for recruiting, retaining, and developing a high-quality, professional, and skilled workforce.

Oversee recruitment and selection processes to ensure the organisation attracts and retains top talent.

Work closely with the Executive Director of Quality and People to collaborate on the development, forecasting, and maintenance of workforce and succession plans, ensuring alignment with the organisations strategic vision and values.

Develop, forecast and maintain workforce and succession plans with business leads and for the organisation, overseeing the People & HR Business Partners in relation to individual service plans.

Workforce Health and Wellbeing

Lead on the strategic approach to health and wellbeing, working closely with the Non-Executive Board Director nominated as the organisations wellbeing champion.

Responsible for Chairing the Operational Health and Wellbeing Group, and the Strategic Health and Wellbeing Committee which reports into the People, Performance and Finance Committee as a sub-committee of the Board.

Manage the Occupational Health Contract for Services; work closely with the external provider to ensure the delivery of comprehensive and high-quality occupational health service, aligning with organisational needs and demonstrating clear value to both staff and management.

Manage the Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) Contract for Services to ensure the delivery of effective support services.

Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of health and well-being initiatives, including those provided by the EAP.

Provide strategic oversight for absence management. Collaborate with People & HR Business Partners and the team to address absence trends and hotspots, ensuring effective implementation of existing policies and procedures.

Employee Engagement and Satisfaction

Collaborate with stakeholders such as the Associate Director of Communications, Executive Director of Quality and People, and the Shareholder Council to develop strategies that improve employee engagement and satisfaction, taking into account the diverse needs of the workforce.

Utilise the NHS staff survey and its pulse checks to gather feedback from employees and identify areas for improvement.

Support the implementation of initiatives that enhance employee morale, well-being, and job satisfaction, working collaboratively with stakeholders.

ICS Collaboration

Collaborate with partner organisations in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (N&W ICS) to develop and implement shared ICS workforce policies and practices, and contribute to and execute the Norfolk and Waveney People Plan and related initiatives.

Participate in meetings on behalf of the organisation, including but not limited to the N&W People Board (as required/delegated by the Executive Director of Quality and People), the N&W HRDs NHS/Health and Social Care meetings, and the East of England HRD Network.

ECCH Internal Meetings

Participate in senior management and leadership meetings to provide input on people related matters, ensuring effective communication of HR/people-rated initiatives and updates to the wider organisation.

Chair the Independent Remuneration Review Group (IRRG), responsible for the annual review of the remuneration for non-executive directors, including the chair of ECCH, and staff directors, as outlined in the terms of their appointment.

Support the Remuneration Committee, which conducts the annual review of executive directors and the GP associate role, by providing advice, support, benchmarking data, and other relevant information for committee members to consider. Attend committee meetings by invitation.

On-Call Rota Participation

Participate in the on-call rota.

Ensure appropriate escalation and response procedures, including those within the HR & Training Business Continuity Plan, are followed during out-of-hours emergencies or critical incidents.

Qualifications

Essential

• Level 7 CIPD qualified/educated to Masters level in HR Management, or Employment Law (minimum level 7/national qualification level) or equivalent relevant experience at this level
• Significant evidence of Continuing Professional Development in relevant field

Desirable

• Chartered Membership (CIPD)
• Registered as a current member of the CIPD

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Commitment to and focused on quality, promoting high standards in all they do
• High level of emotional intelligence. Self-aware in terms of biases and personal triggers
• Always considers the connection between their work and how it supports and empowers ECCH staff to deliver better outcomes for service users and the communities ECCH serves
• Works well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects, and learns from the contribution of others
• Ability to assess and make decisions that support and promote equality of opportunity, diversity and good working relationships in employment matters and service delivery
• Evidenced commitment to promoting and furthering partnership working with a range of external organisations
• Consistently looks to improve what they do, looks for successful tried and tested ways of working and actively seeks out innovation
• Values diversity and difference, operates with integrity and openness with cultural sensitivity and awareness
• Demonstrates honesty and integrity and promotes ECCHs values
• Embrace and embody ECCH Culture, Values and Signature Behaviours:
• (Compassion - We Listen, We Learn, We Lead| Action - My Accountability, My Responsibility | Respect - Respect Our Resources: People, Time and Money | Everyone - Work Together, Achieve Together).
• Willingness and ability to work across different sites and travel to alternative sites and across the communities ECCH serves as required.
• Some flexibility in terms of working hours due to the 24/7 nature of the organisation

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to translate national policy and legislation into effective company policy
• Ability to deal with challenging and emotive situations in formal settings
• Very strong external communication skills and able to adapt messaging in the moment and respond according to the environment and audience
• Knowledge and experience of handling potential media situations (working effectively with communications team)
• Ability to analyse highly complex issues where material may be conflicting and drawn from multiple sources
• Ability to act upon incomplete information, using experience gained to make inferences and support autonomous decision making often in relation to difficult and complex issues
• Ability to analyse complex numerical and written data to inform and provide correct options to support appropriate initiatives or resolve problems
• Ability to plan highly complex work over short, medium, and long-term timeframes adjusting plans and resources according to changing requirements
• Ability to design and lead implementation of informative reporting to support the people strategy and impact in conjunction with the BI team and HR Processing team
• Ability to work effectively between strategic and operational activities where required
• Ability to oversee programmes and implementation of HR systems and processes
• Ability to manage own workload and oversee the effective operational delivery of the People team
• Ability to make informed pragmatic and risk considered decisions in the absence of required information when required, sometimes working to tight and often changing timescales
• Highly developed influencing and negotiation skills
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing in a manner which is clear, fluent, and persuasive
• Ability to analyse complex problems and lead on the development and implementation of appropriate solutions
• Ability to act as an exemplar role model for staff and the organisation, internally and externally
• High level of IT skills and literacy for complex work and analysis
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous personal professional development

Desirable

• Knowledge of NHS terms and conditions and experience of the application of such terms

Experience

Essential

• In depth expert knowledge acquired over a significant period of time across the spectrum of human resources and workforce
• Expert understanding of a range of workforce, employee relations and change management best practice
• Significant leadership and team management experience
• Demonstrated expertise within the social care, healthcare sectors or similar large complex workforce environment(s)
• Leading and delivering complex change and strategy development programmes in a politically sensitive and complex environment
• Successfully operating in and delivering priorities in a partnership environment
• Managing and prioritising a budget with solid knowledge of financial process requirements
• Leading effective engagement with workforce(s) across a spectrum of workforce areas, including challenging, emotive and/or sensitive matters
• Overseeing the delivery of advice and guidance on highly complex and highly sensitive employee relations matters i.e. TUPE, complex investigations and employment tribunals
• High level of understanding of the importance of excellent HR/organisational governance and the internal and external reporting requirements
• Developing and overseeing the implementation of employee engagement programmes
• Developing and implementing workforce transformation, talent management, succession planning and organisational development programmes

Desirable

• Proven experience of working for or directly with a Social Enterprise
• Proven experience of working in both the NHS and a commercial environment
• Ability to use and interrogate Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and any equivalent computerised human resources/payroll systems