Length of employment: Job Summary: This is an exciting time to join Defence, and the Army as it undergoes a significant period of transformation, and the role holder will play a critical role in supporting the business through change, providing advice and guidance to ensure change is well managed, including ensuring our policies and processes are understood and complied with. Key to the roles will be that of being a trusted adviser, and helping to build management and leadership's understanding of their responsibilities within a change management process. This role offers an exciting opportunity for someone looking to develop their HR experience into a HR Business Partner role. The role holder will partner directly with specific business areas as well as providing support to the Army HQ HR business partnering function and working closely with the Business Management team and being part of the Army's Civilian People Team, drawing on SME expertise to deliver the best outcome for the business. The role holder will be insights led, able to analyse data and identify trends, coaching and supporting line managers and business leaders to develop and deliver important people interventions in support of improving the HQ and functions within it's culture and the lived experience of our Civil Servants. We are passionate about Smarter Working and believe that a combination of flexible working practices, digital technology and modern workspaces will give you the opportunity to enjoy a healthy work-life balance, while ensuing you deliver your outcomes effectively and efficiently - we expect you to know where to be to have the most impact, balancing your individual needs with that of your team and the organisation. However, recognising the benefits of face to face working, especially for new joiners, there is an expectation that you would be in the office at least 60% of the time (3 days a week). This position is advertised at 37 hours per week Job Description: Key Responsibilities: • Strategic partnering: Supporting leaders to drive people strategies that enable depts/ALBs to deliver their objectives. • Engaging and advising Leadership and People Teams on developing People Strategies and on the delivery of specific HR projects and interventions, by effective use of data, analysis skills, and challenge • Supporting strategic workforce planning and resourcing, to establish existing and future workforce numbers, skills requirements and organisation structures • Supporting the implementation of change, by advising on effective Defence change management, including the management of people risks • Provide People MI and data to inform business leaders of Civil Service workforce trends, including analysis of People Survey, absence and turnover, making recommendations for interventions as required. Problem Solving: Provide strategic input on HR topics and help leaders develop effective people solutions. The SEO HRBPs will have specific HR areas that they will act as the lead for as well as supporting two Grade 7 HRBP across the wider Army Headquarters business. Engaging with the TLB Army Civilian People Team (ACPT) to bring in SME as needed. • Engaging HRBP, People and Senior Leadership Teams on the identification, development, commissioning and evaluation of HR interventions to achieve business outcomes, mitigate people risks, and improve process coherence. • Ensuring people issues and risks are considered at the appropriate time including during talent management and succession planning, employee engagement interventions, and through analysis of data, that will drive increased capability and performance Connecting: Help the organisation draw on appropriate CoE expertise and shared service support • Ensuring their client areas understand and appropriately draw upon the total departmental HR function (including shared services, employee assistance programmes and support to line management capability) • Ensure consistent application of HR delivery across Defence and in policy development/implementation • Holding and facilitating relationships beyond the HR function - such as with Finance Business Partners and Trade Unions Coaching: Coach leaders on how to manage people issues and drive the people agenda effectively • Coaching leaders on the implementation and timely and efficient delivery of planned and unplanned Human Resources programmes, through coaching style conversations and ad hoc advice • Playing a key role in driving up the standard of their client areas' leadership and people management HR Hygiene: Support as required including advising on complex casework, interpretation of HR policy and answering/signposting queries from people teams, line managers and upon occasion, employees across the employee lifecycle received to the team group mailbox. The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance. Other benefits for Army civil servants include: - 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years' service - Highly competitive pension scheme - Personal and professional development of skills - Alternative working patterns for many roles - Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle. - Enhanced parental and adoption leave - 6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities - Learning and Development We believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you will be supported to help you learn and advance in your career. This includes working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking a modern apprenticeship as part of your role. A modern apprenticeship is a combined package of work and training. Through the schemes available you will gain a professional qualification, practical experience, and the broader skills required to develop in your current role and pave the way for your future career. The post does not offer relocation expenses. External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period. Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed. 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. 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 however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. 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 Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights. Essential: Qualifications: • This role aligns with Associate Member CIPD, Level 5 https://www.cipd.org/uk/ and therefore would suit an HR professional already operating at or working towards this level. Experience: • Previous HR experience either in a generalist HR advisory/Business partner role or an HR specialist (i.e. Case work, Employee Relations, Learning & Development) role. • Experience working in a large-scale, complex organisation. • Experience of supporting and providing HR delivery for change and transformation programmes. • Experience or strong understanding of talent management and capability/development. Skills : • Strong relationship building skills and ability to coach senior leaders and line managers. • Excellent stakeholder engagement and management across all levels of the organisation. • Strong verbal and written communication skills. • Strong understand of employment law, and proactively keeps up to date with legislative changes and can communicate the impact to the business. • Ability to collate, manipulate and analyse data to provide insights to HR Business Partners and directly to business leaders, able to identify trends and propose appropriate interventions and solutions. Desirable: • Experience or an understanding of project management principles. • Experience of HR/People policy implementation or communicating policy changes and impact. Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience. Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability (max 1000 words) outlining your motivations for the role and how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience match the essential criteria. At sift, you will be assessed against your CV, Statement of suitability and the following: Changing and improving Seeing the Big Picture When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected. At interview, you will be assessed against the following: (delete as appropriate!) Leadership Working Together The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk. As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to 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. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It 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. The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.