HR Business Partner
Department for Transport
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.
Are you a HR generalist with experience of business partnering?
Can you work at a strategic level and have a breadth of HR experience in change oriented environments?
Do you want to work in an exciting department where every journey matters?
If so, then we would love for you to apply!
Job description
Very few things affect everyday life the same way that transport does. It’s much more than getting from A to B. It’s about enabling individuals to take part in society. To make connections to work and leisure, education and health, business and the wider world.
At the Department for Transport (DfT) we’re working to improve every kind of journey. We’re harnessing new technology to create safer, more sustainable transport. And, creating better connections between people and places, we’re enabling greater growth opportunities for communities UK-wide. It all means that here, you are part of something very different and special.
Come to DfT and grow your skills and experience across some of the biggest, most complex challenges in UK transport and infrastructure. We are looking to recruit an HR Business Partner to work with our Senior Leaders in the Corporate Delivery Group within DfTc. This is a high-profile role; being part of a team of HRBPs whose primary function is to partner one or more Groups, their Director General and Senior Management Teams (SMTs); building relationships across the Groups and within HR to ensure they deliver against key business outcomes.
Responsibilities
Our HRBPs have exposure across the whole range of HR activity, while at the same time leading the people agenda for the Group they partner. Key accountabilities of the role include:
- Strategic resourcing and workforce planning.
- Implementation and delivery of people strategies for key client Groups in a dynamic change environment.
- Building and developing skills and capability within Groups.
- Implementation of HR policies.
For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile.
Person specification
You will be a strong HR generalist with experience of business partnering. You're comfortable working at a strategic level and have a breadth of HR experience in change orientated environments. You take a proactive approach to work; displaying a high degree of grip, integrity, resilience and resourcefulness, and are happy to use your own initiative and take a hands-on approach to problem solving and bringing constructive challenge.
You will have experience of leading resourcing strategies with workforce planning and use data to provide insight to lead on those strategies. You will have the confidence and ability to influence and negotiate to take senior leaders and teams through organisational change.
You will have excellent time management skills and can make well judged decisions based on sound understanding of customers’ requirements, the business context and wider HR people strategy to drive the right outcomes.
Additional Information
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.
Occasional travel to other DfT offices will be required.
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, Strengths and Experience.How to apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Your CV and Personal Statement should provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:
- Building strong, effective relationships with people at senior levels to understand stakeholders’ needs and priorities.
- Taking senior leaders and their teams through organisational change with excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills and effective coaching of senior management to resolve people issues.
- Leading resourcing strategies, with workforce planning.
- Managing expectations, making timely and well-judged decisions based on a sound understanding of customers’ requirements, the business context and wider HR people strategy to drive the right outcomes.
- Identifying skills gaps and building & developing skills and capability within a business.
Your Personal Statement will be limited to a maximum of 1000 words.
The sift is due to take place from 4th January 2024.
Interviews/assessments are likely to be held w/c 15th January 2024.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert but 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 and presentation.
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.
Please see attached candidate notes for further information about our recruitment process.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.