Job summary We are looking for an experienced Head of HR who can lead BOB ICBs People Operations team on a day to day basis, as well as contributing to a range of People programmes across the Integrated Care System (ICS). The Head of HR will directly manage the operational People function including areas such as business partnering, change management, employee relations, HR policy and practice, staff engagement surveys, wellbeing and workforce performance. The postholder will also manage outsourced transactional service contracts such as occupational health and payroll. Partnering with the business, as a strategic advisor to Directorate managers, you will be someone who can skilfully pivot between operational HR work including complex employee relations activity and the strategic planning and longer-term development of each Directorate, ultimately ensuring the ICBs strategic objectives are met. You will be a Member of the CIPD with a proven track record of successfully leading People services. Employee relations, HR policy with employment law and best practice are essential to the role. This alongside credibility with senior leaders and role modelling compassionate and inclusive leadership will mean you will fit right in with the rest of our fantastic team. For a confidential discussion, please contact Kerry Salmon. Closing date for applications: 02 March 2025 Shortlisting: w/c 03 March 2025 Interview date: w/c 24 March 2025 Main duties of the job Main duties of the job Ensure day to day leadership and co-ordination of the HR team and work in partnership with colleagues. Support recruitment, retention and stability through effective workforce planning, aligned to current and future skills needs, working effectively within budget. Ensure the delivery of a high quality, effective and cost-effective specialist and operational people service, with a strong focus on collaboration and building leadership and management capability. Develop and consult on the ICBs HR policies, procedures and processes ensuring they remain relevant, accessible, and up to date with legislative/national requirements and effective in supporting workforce challenges. Contribute to other organisational policies and collaborative system wide policies and procedures as required. Lead the delivery of high quality and effective employee relations advice, providing advice on highly complex, sensitive or contentious employment cases, including Employment Tribunals, where there could be significant barriers to acceptance. Provide expert change management advice and leadership. If you are interested in shaping how we provide People services to our ICB, and looking for an opportunity to work across a System (BOB) in line with the NHS People Plan and People Promise, please get in touch and apply. About us NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) Integrated Care Board is the statutory NHS organisation responsible for planning and delivering health and care services for the communities of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West. We work collaboratively with partner organisations including local government, the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, and people and communities across the BOB Health and Care Integrated Care System (ICS). Our key priorities are to increase healthy life expectancy and reduce health inequalities for the 1.7 million people who live in our communities. We value and promote diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity for all. We believe that the best employers are those that reflect the communities they serve. We want to increase the diversity of our NHS leadership and particularly encourage applications from women, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, LGBT communities, younger candidates and from people with lived experience of disability, who we know are all under-represented in these important roles. Our Values are: Respectful we are inclusive Impactful we make a difference Integrity we are kind and fair Leadership we encourage leadership Collaborative we work together in a positive way Date posted 17 February 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 8c Salary £74,290 to £85,601 a year Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time Reference number D9482-ICB-5738TG Job locations Unipart Group Of Companies Garsington Road Cowley Oxford OX4 2PG Job description Job responsibilities The Head of HR will lead the delivery of all aspects of HR including: business partnering, change management, employee relations, HR policy and practice, employee engagement & belonging and performance. The postholder will deputise for the Director of People, including attending senior management meetings and will be responsible for working collaboratively with senior colleagues across the ICB to provide a professional and responsive operational and strategic HR service. The remit of the role includes: Leading the provision of an efficient, effective, high-quality professional, strategic, and well-co-ordinated HR service to directors and managers. This includes HR professionals employed directly by the ICB and those working in the Commissioning Support Unit providing HR support into the ICB via a Service Level Agreement (SLA). Supporting the senior leadership of the People Directorate with the development, delivery, and implementation of key HR & OD strategies, plans, programmes and procedures. Providing strategic professional advice on complex HR and OD issues to facilitate timely and safe resolutions and improve quality, efficiency, productivity, and cost, where appropriate. Contributing to the continual improvement of HR & OD policies, systems, and processes in line with best practice and relevant employment legislation. Working in partnership with key customers to develop and deliver HR & OD plans which includes, but not limited to, staff survey, EDI, talent, performance, resourcing, engagement, and capability development, supporting leaders and managers to deliver HR & OD performance. Working autonomously, including planning and prioritising own work and commitments. Monitoring and establishing accountability on the overall progress of local HR and OD plans and projects to ensure completion within agreed timescale and budgets. Providing regular reports to a range of internal and external meetings and committees, as required. Contract management of the HR SLA with the CSU, and other contracts as required. Ensuring leadership and team development is given a focus to support delivery, culture change and the professionalism of the service. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the Directorate and the ICB. Job description Job responsibilities The Head of HR will lead the delivery of all aspects of HR including: business partnering, change management, employee relations, HR policy and practice, employee engagement & belonging and performance. The postholder will deputise for the Director of People, including attending senior management meetings and will be responsible for working collaboratively with senior colleagues across the ICB to provide a professional and responsive operational and strategic HR service. The remit of the role includes: Leading the provision of an efficient, effective, high-quality professional, strategic, and well-co-ordinated HR service to directors and managers. This includes HR professionals employed directly by the ICB and those working in the Commissioning Support Unit providing HR support into the ICB via a Service Level Agreement (SLA). Supporting the senior leadership of the People Directorate with the development, delivery, and implementation of key HR & OD strategies, plans, programmes and procedures. Providing strategic professional advice on complex HR and OD issues to facilitate timely and safe resolutions and improve quality, efficiency, productivity, and cost, where appropriate. Contributing to the continual improvement of HR & OD policies, systems, and processes in line with best practice and relevant employment legislation. Working in partnership with key customers to develop and deliver HR & OD plans which includes, but not limited to, staff survey, EDI, talent, performance, resourcing, engagement, and capability development, supporting leaders and managers to deliver HR & OD performance. Working autonomously, including planning and prioritising own work and commitments. Monitoring and establishing accountability on the overall progress of local HR and OD plans and projects to ensure completion within agreed timescale and budgets. Providing regular reports to a range of internal and external meetings and committees, as required. Contract management of the HR SLA with the CSU, and other contracts as required. Ensuring leadership and team development is given a focus to support delivery, culture change and the professionalism of the service. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the Directorate and the ICB. Person Specification Planning Skills Essential Plans and organises a broad range of complex activities, formulating and adjusting plans to reflect changing circumstances. Inputs to strategic plans across NHS and within the specific teams. Works with Stakeholders to develop performance improvement plans and to develop plans for innovation and opening up the market. Good use of available information sources to enable efficient and effective planning. Ability to work under pressure and to tight and often changing deadlines. Communication Skills Essential Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups. Persuade board and senior managers of the respective merits of different options, innovation and new market opportunities. Negotiate on difficult and very complex and detailed issues. Analytical Essential Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands. Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options. Takes decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action. Strategic thinking ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise. Desirable Ability to carry out procurements for highly detailed, high value contracts that require analysis, comparison and assessment. Experience Essential Experience of leading HR services, teams and senior HR advice in the NHS. Specialist terms and conditions and employment policy knowledge. Demonstrable knowledge and experience of complex change management, TUPE. Handling employee relations and providing specialist HR advice. Experience of leading the development of HR&OD strategies to support service and workforce transformation. Desirable Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement. Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health & Social Care and individual provider and commissioning organisations. Management Skills Essential Skills for direct line management and job management. Skills for delivering results through managing through others and using a range of levers in the absence of direct line management responsibility. Skills for managing relationships with a range of different stakeholders. Qualifications Essential Educated to masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area. HR/OD qualification (MCIPD) with highly developed specialist professional knowledge across a range of HR disciplines over a significant period. Person Specification Planning Skills Essential Plans and organises a broad range of complex activities, formulating and adjusting plans to reflect changing circumstances. Inputs to strategic plans across NHS and within the specific teams. Works with Stakeholders to develop performance improvement plans and to develop plans for innovation and opening up the market. Good use of available information sources to enable efficient and effective planning. Ability to work under pressure and to tight and often changing deadlines. Communication Skills Essential Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups. Persuade board and senior managers of the respective merits of different options, innovation and new market opportunities. Negotiate on difficult and very complex and detailed issues. Analytical Essential Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands. Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options. Takes decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action. Strategic thinking ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise. Desirable Ability to carry out procurements for highly detailed, high value contracts that require analysis, comparison and assessment. Experience Essential Experience of leading HR services, teams and senior HR advice in the NHS. Specialist terms and conditions and employment policy knowledge. Demonstrable knowledge and experience of complex change management, TUPE. Handling employee relations and providing specialist HR advice. Experience of leading the development of HR&OD strategies to support service and workforce transformation. Desirable Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement. Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health & Social Care and individual provider and commissioning organisations. Management Skills Essential Skills for direct line management and job management. Skills for delivering results through managing through others and using a range of levers in the absence of direct line management responsibility. Skills for managing relationships with a range of different stakeholders. Qualifications Essential Educated to masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area. HR/OD qualification (MCIPD) with highly developed specialist professional knowledge across a range of HR disciplines over a significant period. Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Employer details Employer name Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB Address Unipart Group Of Companies Garsington Road Cowley Oxford OX4 2PG Employer's website https://www.bucksoxonberksw.icb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)