St John’s Collegeseeksto appoint an experiencedHead ofHumanResources toprovide strategic and operational leadership of the College’s HR function.The role will ensure the delivery of a high-quality,efficientand compliant HR service that supports the College’s academic mission, operational priorities, and people strategy.
The postholder willlead the implementation of the people strategy, embedding operational excellence, bestpracticeand continuous improvement across all HR activities.Thepost-holderwill act as a trusted advisor onacademicandprofessionalstaffmatters,ensuringaconsistentand efficientapproach to peoplemanagement,policy development, organisational development, employee relations and change management.
The position offers an exciting opportunity todevelop and deliver an excellentoperational HRservice and support the achievement of the College’s overall strategic aims through the successful implementation of the people strategy.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE
St John’s College is one of the larger colleges in the University of Oxford. Founded in 1555 by Sir Thomas White,itis a long-established member of the thirty-eight colleges of Oxford University. Like all colleges, it is an independent, self-governing establishment, which functions both as an academic institution and as a social and residential centre for its members. The College has around 650undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Fellowship includes approximately 100 academics, of which60are members of the College’s Governing Body thathas overall responsibility for all aspects of the running the College. There are approximately 200professionalstaff.For further information about the College, please visit our website at www.sjc.ox.ac.uk
ABOUT THE POST
TheHead of HRleads on allPeople related activitiesat the College and willbe responsible fortheimplementationofourPeople Strategy which includestraining and development,recruitment,enhancingperformance,empoweringand supporting people, and policy development.Weare looking for an experienced HR professionalwhois equally happy and able to contribute on operational and strategic HR matters.
The post holderwill report to theFinance Bursar on operational matters, andto thePrincipal Bursaron strategic HR matters. There isa “dotted line”totheSenior Tutorforacademicstaffmatters andthe postholderswill work closely with other senior membersof the Bursaryleadership team.The HR teamincludes an HR Advisor,a HROfficerand a HR apprenticesopreviousexperience ofleading and motivating ateamis essential.
We are looking for an individual with a pragmaticapproachwhoisabletooffersolution-orientedHRadvice and showempathy and discretionin handling sensitive personnel matters and managing conflict situations.Previousexperience in higher education is not essential,but it is important for the post holder to supportthe goals and ideals of the College’s role infostering excellence ineducation and researchin a vibrant and socially diverse community.Equality of opportunity and increasing the diversity of its staff profile are amongst the College’saims, and the appointed person willneed toshow an interestinworking with the President, the Fellow for Equality, Diversity & Inclusionand other senior staff to champion and pursue new initiatives in this area.
Experienceofworkingwith HRinformationsystemsis essentialas the Collegeiscurrentlymodernisingits processes, and the post holderis expected to contribute tothese developments.
MAIN DUTIESAND RESPONSIBILITIES
* Operational Excellence and Service Delivery
* Ensure the effective, efficient, and compliant operation of all HR services, including recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, reward, payroll liaison, absence management, and leavers.
* Develop and continuously improve HR policies, processes, and systems to enhance service quality, consistency, user experiencein line with changing employment legislation and best practice.
* Lead, manage and develop the HR team, ensuring clearobjectives, high performance, and professional development.
* Monitor HR performancein the College,through KPIs, metrics, and reporting, using data to drive improvements and inform decision-making.
* Provision of written reportsto the Domestic and Establishment Committee to advise on progress against the People Strategy, and other key HR initiatives and performance indicators.
* Ensure robust governance, risk management, and compliance with employment law, and College policies.
Strategy
* Lead on the implementation of the People Strategy in support of the overall College strategy.
* Ensure a customer-focused HR service culture that balances strategic impact with operational delivery.
Advice and Support
* Provide day-to-day HR advice to managers and ensure that staff management practices are applied consistently, and that any change programmes are effectively managed.
* Adviseand coachmanagers in disciplinary,grievancesand harassment cases,on capability procedures andindealingwith performance issues.
* Supportand coach linemanagerson absence management, illhealthor other staffwelfarematters;managereferralsto occupational health services in consultation with line managers, advice on reasonable adjustments and ill health retirement.
Staff Engagement
* Work with the President and PrincipalBursar to enhance staff engagement mechanisms.
* Lead on our Investors in People action plan to ensure continuousimprovement.
* Lead on reward and recognition policies and schemesacrossCollege.
Learning and Development
* Work with managers on staff development,identifytraining needs, and skills gaps within the College and lead on improvements in training record management.
* Arrange for College-wide training to be delivered in-house or externally.
* Oversee and further enhance the staff appraisal process.
Recruitment
* Managetheend-to-endrecruitment processfor all academic andprofessionalstaff,ensuringefficient pre-employmentadministrationand dealing withCertificates of Sponsorships and tier 2 visas.
* Work withinternal andexternal stakeholders to further develop inclusive recruitment processesand opportunities.
* Develop and implement a consistent induction and onboarding processfor all staffin liaison with managersand College Officersincluding an effective oversight of probation periods.
Systems Development and Processes
* Lead on the identification of future enhancements to the HR Database,reportingand related people processes.
* Manage receipt and processing of HR data and HR archives in line with GDPR and College data protection policies.
The above list is notexhaustiveand theHead ofHRisexpected to carry out such other duties as the College may fromtime-to-timerequest,commensuratewith the grade andresponsibilities of the post. The list of duties may be varied without changing theessential character of the post according to the needs of the College.
PERSON SPECIFICATIONAND CRITERIA
Essential
* Recognised qualification in HR management (preferablyCIPDlevel7),or equivalent professional experienceof working as ageneral HR professional.
* Up-to-date knowledge of employment law andACAS codes of practice.
* Practical experience of advisingon peoplemanagementandtheability to handlecomplex people issueswith diplomacy and discretion.
* Understanding of handling sensitive personal data within the requirements of GDPR and data protection legislation.
* Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including confidence andgravitasto chair interview panels, investigations,disciplinary meetingsand advise senior stakeholders.
* Strong leadership and people management skills, with experience of building high-performing teams.
* Empathy and good listening skills.
* Strong administrative skills with attention to detail,andability to prioritise workload.
* Gooddigitalskillsand understanding of utilising systems totheirbest effect(includingMicrosoft packages, HRdatabasesand systems).
Desirable
* Mediation experience or conflict management skills.
* Previousexperiencein deliveringenhancementstoHRinformationore-recruitment systems.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Salary
The salary will be in the range of £60k-£70k per annum depending on experience, inclusive of the Oxford Weighting Allowance (currently £1,730 per annum).
Hours of work
This is a full-timepost at35 hours per week.Normal hours of work are8:30am –4:30pm, with one unpaid hour for lunch.Some flexibility will be required according to the needs of the College.The College has a hybrid working policy which allows for one day to be worked from home in term-time, and two days outside of term-time.
Holidays
Annual leave entitlement is 30 working days,including five dayswhich are to be taken during the Christmas breakwhen there is a fixed closure period, plus 8 statutory bank holidays. Bank holidays that fall within term-time may need to be worked. If this is the case,aday of paid holiday in lieu of each such day worked will be given. The holiday year begins on 1 January and ends on 31 December.
Pension
The post is pensionable under the contributable Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS).
Meals
The post holder is entitled tofreelunchesin Halland up to two lunches per week in the Senior Common Roomon days they are working at the College site (except when the kitchens are closed).
Probationaryand notice periods
The appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a6-months probationary period, during which the notice period will be one month on either side.Once the appointment has been confirmed, the notice period on either side will bethree months
The appointment is subject to the provision of an original document verifying the applicant’s right to work in the UK.
APPOINTMENT PROCEDURE
Applications consisting of a covering letter explaining your suitability for the post and a full CV should be sent by email via the button below.
Please provide the names,addressesand telephone number of two referees. Referees should be people who have direct experience of your work through working closely with you for a considerably period, and at least one of them should be your formal line manager in your most recent job. References will not be taken up before the interview stage.
Deadline for applications isnoononMonday23 February 2026.
Applications receivedafter the deadline will not be considered.
First Stage interviewswillbe heldonWednesday 25thFebruary and Thursday 26thFebruary.
Second Stage interviews will be heldMonday 2 March.
Data protection
All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post, and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act, General Data Protection Legislationand the College’s Data Protection Policy and recruitment monitoring process.
Equality of Opportunity
St John’s College is committed to providing equality of opportunity and avoiding unlawful discrimination. The policy and practice of the College requires that all staff are affordedequal opportunities within employment and that entry into employment with the College and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each particular post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration. Subject to statutory provisions, no applicant or member of staff will be treated less favourably than another because of his or her sex, marital status, sexual orientation, racial group,ageor disability.
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