HR Business Partner

HR Business Partner

Great opportunity to join the Innovate UK HR team during an exciting period as we deliver our People Strategy.

*Please note this advert will close at 23.59 on the 17th March 2024.

Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here .

Title :                            HR Business Partner

Band :                            UKRI Band E (UKRI T&C)

Salary :                       £43,116 gross per annum

Reports to :                  Senior HR Business Partner

Location:                   Swindon (office based)/hybrid working

Contract:        Fixed Term until March 2025 #

Hours:                             Full-time (part time considered)

# For any employees applying for a fixed-term assignment (level transfer or temporary promotion), we recommend you discuss the implications on your current role with your line manager. Fixed-term assignments of twelve months or less will normally only be backfilled temporarily, after which time the employee should expect to revert to their substantive role. For assignments longer than this, or where it is assessed as business critical to backfill the releasing role, entering a fixed-term assignment may result in you not returning to your current role or Council. Instead, you would move into the UKRI Redeployment Pool (on your substantive band if temporarily promoted) towards the end of the assignment, where you will be supported in finding a suitable alternative role within the organisation

Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements.

Context:

The role holder will operate within the Innovate HR Team and will be responsible for one direct report. The Innovate UK HR team is embedded within the business to provide comprehensive and dedicated support.

Job Purpose:

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Leading on wide-ranging casework; from early intervention and informal resolution to the management of formal processes in respect of performance management, capability, disciplinary & grievances, and probation 

• Business partnering with assigned directorates; building and maintaining strong professional relationships with managers and directors to facilitate effective collaboration and proactive management of employment issues

• Providing wide-ranging HR advice to managers and employees, coaching managers to ensure up-to-date knowledge & application of employment legislation

• Ensuring that policies and procedures are upheld, challenging managers where required to look after the interests of both the employee and organisation in a fair manner

• Leading quarterly meetings with key partners to inform and advise upon absence, performance, casework, recruitment, and other key metrics for relevant business units; producing reports and analysis

• Supporting employees in looking after their health and wellbeing in the workplace; handling concerns, identifying the need for and making occupational health referrals, and implementing workplace adjustments

• Understanding and advocating the requirements and interests of the organisation whilst concurrently supporting employee interests and fairness across employment practices, policies and their associated processes

• Advising and managing family leave (maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, parental leave) and flexible working requests

• Proactively managing and/or collaborating on a range of HR projects, aligned to our Innovate UK People Strategy, and supporting Senior HR Business Partners and Deputy Director of HR with managing change projects

• Undertaking review of role profiles considering internal relativities, benchmarking and sending for formal evaluation (as needed), and supporting recruitment processes as required

• Line management responsibility for one HR Assistant, supporting their development and continual learning, ensuring they are equipped to offer first-line HR advice or escalate as necessary

This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training.

Person Specification:

Qualifications:

Essential –

• CIPD level 3 or higher, or equivalent vocational/experience- based evidence

Desirable –

• Degree level education

• Advanced CIPD and/or other professional development

• Mental Health First Aid or similar

Experience:

Essential –

• Solid experience working in an HR team, at advanced HR Adviser level or higher

• Demonstrable experience of the application of employment law expertise

• Experience handling a full range of employee casework including performance, capability, disciplinary & grievances, probation, occupational health etc.

• Experience reviewing and developing a range of HR policies and procedures

• Proven experience working with multiple partners at all levels of an organisation, providing proactive partner support and offering challenge where necessary

• Track record of business partnering or collaborating with multiple partners and managing multiple deadlines concurrently

• Proven hands-on ability to work within a change and process-led environment

• Direct and indirect supervision of team members

Skills:

• Ability to coach and advise line managers with confidence as a subject matter authority

• Sound and up to date knowledge of employment law

• Strong organisation skills with the ability to prioritise a heavy workload

• Willingness to take responsibility and awareness of when to act and when to take advice

• A highly professional self-starter, with the skill to balance creative problem-solving with required consistency, policy and governance

• Confidentiality and discretion

• Strong teamwork skills and excellent inter-personal skill

• IT literate; ability to use a variety of software including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access

All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as:

Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Project management

Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity. We will act directly and use our influence to ensure that this right is promoted and upheld; we encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set out in our role profiles.

We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment. we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person. If you have a disability, health condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking this type of assessment exercise. Where you feel that reasonable adjustments are required to support you, we ask that you advise your recruitment point of contact in a timely fashion, providing further information. In confidence, Innovate UK will then review your application for adjustments and provide support as required.

Innovate UK is partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online .

We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes.

We understand the importance of work-life balance and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants.

To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a comprehensive pre-employment check on successful applicants as part of the recruitment process.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role.  UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider how this aligns with your personal values or beliefs. To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as a crucial part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.