About the job

Job summary

Are you passionate about driving positive change in a fast-paced and high-volume Human Resources environment? The Competition and Markets Authority is seeking a dedicated HR Manager to join our team, playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of our organisation.

About the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)

We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging.

What you will do

In the heart of our success lies a commitment to a high-performing, inclusive workplace, where continuous improvement is a way of life. As a crucial member of the HR Operations, Pay & Reward team, you'll lead projects, integrate policies, and contribute to an enhanced employee experience. Key responsibilities include strategic project leadership, fostering a culture of improvement, and optimising the employee lifecycle.

What you will need

You will possess extensive expertise in driving enhancements within a high-volume HR Operations setting, showcasing a profound proficiency in employing project management techniques specifically tailored for HR improvements. Your skills extend to systematically reviewing and optimising systems, processes, and policies to elevate the overall user and customer experience. With a talent for robust stakeholder management, you will excel in fostering collaboration across diverse teams, ensuring effective communication and cooperation.

What we can offer you

The CMA is a hugely diverse, rewarding and stimulating place to work – an opportunity to work for the public good and to stretch and develop yourself in doing so. We offer generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 27%, at least 25 days leave (increasing to 30 over five years), and generous maternity/paternity leave provision. You can also take advantage of interest-free season ticket loans, a cycle to work scheme, our employee assistance programme, and our extensive flexible working options.

To find out more about this opportunity and about working for the CMA, please click on the APPLY button.

CMA – Working for the CMA , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Or our LinkedIn page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/competition-and-markets-authority/

Closing date for applications: 11:55pm on Monday 1st January 2024.

Job description

The main responsibilities of the role are:

Management and Leadership responsibilities

Whilst initially it is not expected that you will have any direct reports, you will be a part of the HR Operations, Pay & Reward leadership team for which we have a collective responsibility to:

• Work with stakeholder colleagues (including the wider HR team, Finance, IT, Project Management Office, and Information Security team) to ensure the smooth integration of HR Operations policy, systems and processes both within our team and beyond.
• Consider alternative ways of working that improve productivity and quality, utilising available technology, and embedding a culture of continuous improvement, within the HR Operations team.
• Develop the HR Team through identifying suitable training opportunities, upskilling them on our areas of responsibility, and creating a learning culture to help further their career development.
• Ensure work demands are sufficiently resourced and stepping in to support all parts of the team whether that be in the pay, pensions, reward, operations, systems or management information space.

Employee lifecycle

In addition to the above, you will be responsible for owning and leading a portfolio of improvement projects across the employee lifecycle to help optimise the employee experience. The exact portfolio is yet to be determined and it is expected that you will help to shape the portfolio through identifying areas for improvement and presenting options, but it is expected to include:

• Working closely with the recruitment team to review the new joiners process, identify and drive improvements and ensure a seamless new joiner experience.

• Assessing and identifying how the team can better track HR queries and generate useful management information like average resolution times, most common queries, and customer satisfaction.
• Understanding the wider People, Capability & Culture landscape to assess where operational HR activity is taking place and whether there are opportunities for greater efficiency in terms of where it sits and how the tasks are executed.
• Reviewing and improving core operational HR polices and processes, which includes eliciting employee feedback, researching good practice and engaging key stakeholders to secure approval to changes.
• Supporting with reward projects as a CMA reward strategy is developed. 
• Helping to create of a cross-government HR operations network to share good practice and identify where technology can be better leveraged.

Person specification

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples of each of the following essential experience in your application:

• Significant experience of identifying, implementing, and reporting on improvements in a high volume, fast paced HR Operations environment (Lead Criteria).
• Experience of using project management techniques to plan, deliver and evaluate HR improvements.
• Experience of reviewing systems, processes, and policies to make recommendations to improve the user/customer journey or experience.
• Working with a variety of stakeholders both across different HR teams and outside of HR to build effective relationships and achieve challenging goals.
• Strong written and oral communication skills to present and communicate information to stakeholders (often senior) in a clear, confident, and persuasive manner.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,364, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £14,408 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and an online application form. Further details about application requirements are listed on the application form.

The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review) and an interview. Arrangements for the interview will be enclosed in the invitation.  Interviews will be conducted virtually. 

An initial sift based on the lead criteria may be held if a large number of applications are received. If your application progresses to a full sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification (above, below and in the attached role profile) will then be considered.

• Significant experience of identifying, implementing, and reporting on improvements in a high volume, fast paced HR Operations environment (Lead Criteria).
• Experience of using project management techniques to plan, deliver and evaluate HR improvements.
• Experience of reviewing systems, processes, and policies to make recommendations to improve the user/customer journey or experience.
• Working with a variety of stakeholders both across different HR teams and outside of HR to build effective relationships and achieve challenging goals.
• Strong written and oral communication skills to present and communicate information to stakeholders (often senior) in a clear, confident, and persuasive manner.

The sift will take place week commencing w/c 1 January 2024

If your application is successful you will be invited to attend an interview. You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account and book your interview slot. You will be sent an email with full details of your arrangements for interview.

Interviews will be held on  w/c 15 January 2024 

Your interview will be a 45 minute -1 hour panel interview where you will be asked questions based on the Behaviours, and Experience as outlined in the role profile, more information will be forwarded to you with the interview invite.

Reasonable adjustments

We want to make sure no one is at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process.

For example, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional. You might also require additional time to complete a timed assessment or a sign language interpreter to support with the relaying of information.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.