About the job

Job summary

We recognise the challenges that people with protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Would you embrace the opportunity to provide essential support to a diverse range of colleagues across the Department for Transport (DfT)?

Do you have experience of working within HR, with an excellent understanding of HR policies and procedures?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity available for a HR Adviser to join our team and would love to hear from you!

Job description

You will join the HR Advice Service, who provide a centralised focal point for staff across DfT and its Executive Agencies, to obtain advice and support with general HR related queries. You will have a pivotal role in providing expert HR policy and procedural advice, that is legally compliant, and business focused.

You will use a Customer Request Service (CRS) system, which offers our customers a web chat function, as well as being able to raise enquiries through the CRS portal and by telephone. You will be responsible for interpreting HR policy and guidance to ensure the advice you provide to staff is accurate and easy to understand. This will include undertaking research and gathering appropriate information from a variety of sources, therefore enabling you to provide the best possible advice and customer service.

In addition, you will provide coaching to line managers in the business with the aim of developing and improving their confidence and capability in dealing with HR matters. Therefore, it is important that you develop and maintain excellent working relationships with both your team and with wider HR and business colleagues.

The DfT HR Advice Service offers hybrid working in a constantly evolving and challenging environment and provides an exciting place to work if you have a passion for the HR profession.

Your key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Providing a day-to-day operational HR Advice Service provision, ensuring the service is open and available to DfT staff between 9am and 4pm (Monday to Friday).
• Using a CRS system with multi enquiry channels to provide expert responses to HR enquiries from DfT staff, while ensuring service level agreements are met.
• Researching and interpreting HR policy and guidance to provide accurate advice.
• Providing coaching and support to up-skill line managers dealing with staff on sick absence and to support managers with difficult conversations.
• Producing and analysing data and identifying trends to raise with appropriate HR or business specialists to facilitate resolution and fill knowledge gaps.
• Keeping up to date with employment law and policy changes across DfT ensuring that current HR advice is provided.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you

You will have a passion for the HR Profession, with experience of providing HR policy and procedural advice across a broad range of HR related subjects, including a good understanding of employment law. You will be discreet and respectful of confidentiality, with the ability to recognise and deal appropriately with potentially sensitive issues.

You will be an articulate communicator, both verbally and in writing, with the ability to interpret complex HR policy and relay this to staff in a manner which is easily understood. You will confidently handle high volume enquiries, whilst managing your time effectively to complete all requests within a timely manner, providing a continuously high level of customer service.

You will be comfortable producing and analysing data and identifying trends, such as knowledge gaps, enabling you to raise these with appropriate HR or business specialists to facilitate resolution. You will display excellent interpersonal skills, enabling you to develop positive, trusting relationships with a wide range of colleagues.

You will either already have a CIPD qualification or will be willing to work towards this once in the role.

Additional Information

This role is available to individuals who wish to be spending their office time in Leeds, Swansea, Hastings or Birmingham. We would also expect the individual to be willing to travel to visit alternative DfT offices for team meetings etc, which may involve overnight stays.

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. 

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport.

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.

How to Apply

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV and Personal Statement (maximum 1000 words) please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Providing HR policy and procedural advice across a broad range of HR related subjects.
• Providing coaching to upskill managers at all levels.
• Dealing with high volume enquiries and managing time effectively to complete all requests within a timely manner.
• Ability to produce, analyse and interpret data.

The sift is due to take place from 03/04/2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from 17/04/2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:

• an interview

This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face at one of our offices. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.

The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

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 instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Pre-employment Checking

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

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.