Strategic Lead: Employee Relations & Policy

Hackney is a vibrant and exciting borough to live and work, and like many councils we have challenges as well as ambitious plans for the future. This requires our HR & OD service to provide agile, targeted and excellent support to enable Directorates to deliver. To meet this aim, we have reviewed the way we are organised and how we deliver our HR services, bringing together our corporate and schools teams into a single integrated HR & OD service.

Our aim is to transform the way we work within the HR & OD service, supporting our organisation to become high performing, digital and networked, whilst working within a highly collaborative and innovative culture, where our HR people are also enabled to flourish and reach their full potential.

Our Team of HR Specialists is focused on supporting Hackney’s mission to make Hackney a place for everyone, where all our residents, whatever their background, have a chance to lead healthy and successful lives; a place where everyone can be proud, with excellent services, thriving businesses, and outstanding public spaces; a place where everyone feels valued and can make their voice heard.

This is a very exciting time to join our newly designed HR & OD team, where you will be encouraged to help shape our services to support our Directorates in meeting the needs of our residents.

This is a new role in our HR & Organisational Development team, in which you will lead and manage the delivery of a customer focussed professional HR employee relations and policy service to Directorates on a wide range of complex HR issues, to ensure that clear, balanced, and professional advice and guidance is provided. 

You will lead the Employee Relations and Policy team to create and revise people management policies and procedures; support restructures and management of change; support managers with casework on a range of matters including grievances, disciplinary matters; long-term sickness absence, capability; advising on TUPE transfers; and TU relations and employee engagement.

If you have a deep understanding of employment law, Trade Union relationships and facility time, experience of providing high-quality professional HR advice and guidance on complex employment issues relating to both individuals and groups of staff and implementing employee relations interventions that have a demonstrable impact on organisational success, this could be the role for you.  

You will also have experience in developing and maintaining HR policies, providing briefs and report writing, together with a sound understanding of employee relations matters within a unionised organisation. 

There is no better place to work in London than Hackney; we have great pride in our borough, our communities, and our services. Hackney is one of London’s most vibrant and diverse boroughs. It’s one of the most sought after areas to live in London with good schools, parks and local amenities, as well as great transport links and vibrant and diverse communities.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

The recruitment process is anonymous. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CVs.

During the application process, you will be required to complete a question that asks you to detail how you meet the criteria of the role based on your skills, knowledge and experience.

We will not accept applications where Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used to assist with completing the competency questions or any part of the application form.

Closing date for applications: 23 October 2024 (22:59 pm)

Interview date: To be Confirmed

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk