Assistant Human Resources Business Partner High Wycombe, England
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About the job
Job summary
If you want to use your professional HR experience to add value in a complex environment, HR business partnering within Defence could be the perfect challenge for you.
Our people are the difference that gives Defence its edge and as a HR Business Partner you will have a critical role in ensuring our people are motivated, engaged and committed and that their talents are harnessed in delivering Defence outputs effectively.
You will also be joining the Civil Service HR profession, a cohort of over 3,500 HR professionals working across the civil service. An unrivalled network of colleagues available to support you as you broaden your knowledge, skills and experience and progress your HR career in this exciting, pivotal role.
The role on offer is based at Headquarters Air Command which is located at RAF High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. We facilitate hybrid ways of working with a mix of office-based and home-based working dependent on business needs.
Air Command is the main Command in the Royal Air Force and the HRBP role offers the opportunity to engage with a wide range of personnel both Military and Civil Service on numerous issues and change programmes, driving forward change and supporting the delivery of the Next Generation Air Force.
The MOD HRBP team is currently undergoing a review which will determine the future line management structure, currently this is within the MOD HR Central team but is transferring to Air Command at the beginning of April 2023. Additionally, the Air Command Personnel teams are currently undergoing a convergence programme which will see a more whole force approach to the HR services.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Job description
The work of a Defence HR Business Partner is complex and varied, with no two days the same. The roles are challenging but provide you with a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate your expertise as a HR professional by engaging and supporting Leadership Teams to achieve business outcomes. Balancing the need to get the most from the People for Defence and getting the best from Defence for its People.
Responsibilities
Although your portfolio will be influenced by the needs of the business area you partner, some of the common responsibilities of a Defence HRBP are:
- Acting as a trusted advisor, providing HR insight to inform and influence the development of business strategy enabling delivery of Defence People objectives and business outcomes.
- Being accountable for the identification, development, commissioning and evaluation of HR interventions to achieve business outcomes, mitigate people risks, and improve process coherence.
- Building and maintaining strong, influential working relationships with senior leaders and other stakeholders within your business area and across the wider Defence People Function, including facilitating relationships with the Trade Unions.
- Working closely with senior management on strategic workforce planning to confirm future demand and securing supply routes that will ensure the availability of sufficient people, with the right skills and behaviours.
- Leading on the development and delivery of specific HR projects, such as optimising the use of apprenticeships or embedding interventions to improve employee engagement.
- Acting as an agent for change in the people space, working flexibly and collaboratively across the business and Defence People Function to ensure effective planning and execution of people change and transformation, including the management of people risks.
- Advocating and championing the Defence People Operating Model, proactively contributing to the continuous improvement of HR delivery across Defence.
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
- Experience of building strong, influential professional partnerships with a broad range of diverse and demanding stakeholders.
- Good communication skills, including experience of communicating confidently about HR issues and solutions in the language of the client business, and providing constructive challenge and appropriate feedback to senior leaders.
- Practical experience of shaping and driving successful business change and transformation by identifying, advocating and deploying HR interventions.
- Experience of using an evidence-based approach, including the analysis of HR and business data, to identify opportunities for improving business outcomes.
- A good working knowledge of HR policies, processes and practices across the breadth of the Employee Life cycle.
- Associate Member of the CIPD or willingness to work towards this.
Desirable Criteria:
- Understanding of driving change through digital technology to transform ways of working and deliver value for money and an efficient service to customers.
- Experience of Organisational, Design and Development principles and the ability to support the business in understanding current structures and building future capabilities.
- Experience of delivering Strategic Workforce Planning in a complex business environment.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Leadership
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment by 31st December 2022. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.
MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
This post does not offer any assistance with relocation allowances.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Please note: Interview travel expenses will not be reimbursed.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Submit a CV outlining your work history and a Statement of Suitability (no more than 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience, demonstrate your suitability for the role. You should pay particular consideration to the essential criteria in the person specification, including whether you hold Associate CIPD (or higher), or are willing to work towards this.
Candidates will be required to complete an online Civil Service Judgement test. The Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT) is not bankable and therefore must be taken on every vacancy where it is applied. Should you be invited to complete the tests, please allow sufficient time to complete it and the remainder of the full application form; only candidates who are successful at the test stage will be invited to complete the remainder of the application by clicking ‘Submit Application’.
Your application must be completed by 23:55 on the closing date of the vacancy. Late submissions cannot be accepted. The tests are not timed, as they work by giving you harder questions if you answer the previous question correctly, and easier if you get it wrong. You should allow up to an hour for each test, and each test must be completed before you will be invited to complete the second part of your application. Internet access will be required for the duration of the test. Please refer to the attached Candidate Guidance for further information.
If you require any particular arrangements (for example due to a disability or health problem) to be made in order for you to complete the online test you MUST contact the DBS Enquiry Centre on 0800 345 7772 BEFORE accessing the online test. Opening times Mon-Friday 0800-1600 hrs.
Interview:
- Give a 5-minute presentation (without the use of visual aids) to the panel.
- Details of the presentation will be confirmed as part of the invitation to interview.
The interview panel will then assess you against the essential criteria using a blend of behaviour and experience questions. The specific behaviours tested at interview will be Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together, Making Effective Decisions, and Communicating & Influencing.
If reserve listed for this post, you may be contacted and offered permanent or temporary opportunities within the wider MOD HR Business Partner service over the next 12 months. Future opportunities may be at additional locations, such as: Aldershot, Andover, Bristol, Corsham, London region, Northwood and Portsmouth.
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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