About the job Summary

This is an exciting time to join the Department for Transport and an exciting time to take on our most senior HR leadership role. Our department has played a critical role in the process of leaving the European Union and in the UK’s response to the COVID19 Pandemic. We have learned a great deal from this which is helping us shape how we can best address the challenges ahead. We have an exciting and growing policy and delivery agenda that is vital to the economic and social future of the country. At the heart of delivery are the civil servants whose individual skills and commitment to public service underpin the government's work.

Job description

Our Group HR Director will lead the development and implementation of our People Strategy which will be pivotal in helping us succeed in the years ahead. The Group HR Director is a significant leadership role, responsible for HR strategy and services which serve over 15,000 staff and 3,500 volunteer coastguards across the UK.

To succeed in this role, we require an experienced HR professional, who is able to lead a complex business as usual agenda in a large-scale organisation, with the ability to set and deliver a strategic transformational vision. You will need to be confident operating as a member of an executive or senior leadership team, and able to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders.

At the Department for Transport we are committed building a more diverse team more broadly based around the country. We have a strong track record of diverse senior leaders and many successful job shares in senior roles. I would particularly welcome applications that broaden our make-up further.

DfT values and promotes diversity and is committed to equality for all.
 

Responsibilities

Leadership and management of the department’s HR function: functional responsibility for around 130 HR professionals providing HR services to the department – both the core department and its ALBs and Executive Agencies. The team covers all key functional areas of HR: Recruitment, Resourcing, Talent, Organisation Design and Development, Leadership & EDI, HR Policies, Reward, Performance
Management, Employee Relations and Case Work. The expectations for HR activity in the Civil Service is set out in the Government Functional Standard for Human Resources

Oversight of ongoing HR transformation as part of the Future of Shared Services change programme across corporate functions (including Digital and Finance). For HR, key deliverables will be continuing to improve the operating model, and a clearly defined service offer, including close working on shared services transformation

Leadership of the Future DFT change agenda including how we adapt to a new way of working as covid-19 restrictions ease and we return to offices across not only London but across two new locations

Leadership of the internal communications and engagement function, ensuring that it is focused on two-way communication and listening to employee voice

Business partnering the department’s Permanent Secretary on people matters for the senior leadership team and notably Performance Management of the senior team; Senior Civil Service (SCS) capability and succession; SCS Resourcing and SCS pay and reward

Senior Stakeholder Management. Each department is a large and complex organisation and the HRD plays an important role in managing relationships with senior leaders, including Chief Executives and HRDs in each department's ALBs which have their own boards.

Steering Leadership committees: In addition to membership of the ExCo and leadership of the HR Senior Leadership Team (SLT) the HRD sits on a number of senior committees in the department, setting the overarching people strategy and enabling our ‘Excellent Department’ initiatives

Managing budgets, resources and expenditure proposals for the areas of direct accountability and as a member of the department’s senior leadership team.

Finally, the Group HR Director is a member of the Civil Service’s HR Function Board and will play a key role in shaping and overseeing the HR Function and the Civil Service’s People agenda as a whole. This is one of the unique and rewarding features of working in the Civil Service.

The Civil Service is a ‘sector’ with a wide range of contexts and activities performed by organisations ranging widely in size and shape. But it is a sector where colleagues, whatever they do, collaborate and work closely with others, drawing on the range of skills and capabilities that exist across the Civil Service as a whole. We are looking for HR professionals who will thrive and contribute to and build that culture.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension

Things you need to know Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

See our vetting charter.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role. This should be completed no later than 23:55 on Sunday 20th June 2021, and will involve uploading the two documents outlined below:

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.

A Statement of Suitability (no longer than two pages) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the
person specification.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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 (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• 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

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name :   Adam Davidson Email :   [email protected]   Recruitment team : Email :   [email protected] Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk