About the job

Job summary

Are you an experienced HR Business Partner looking to join a high performing HR department in a world leading organisation?

Join the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and play a key role play building the capacity, capability and commitment of our employees.

About the 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.

You can read more about working at the CMA in our candidate pack.

About you

You will need previous HR Business Partner experience gained with a professional service and/or public sector organisation, in addition to a range of generalist HR experience.

Experience in planning and delivering effective organisational change projects with stakeholders, including interventions to shape culture and overcome barriers to change is equally important.

You will also need experience in supporting managers with complex employee relations matters, using employment law knowledge to mitigate risk and resolve cases. 

Job description

As Senior HR Business Partner, you will be at the heart of all people-related activities, both operational and strategic, enabling the high performance of individuals and teams through a client-facing, diagnostic, coaching and facilitative approach.

Delivering strategic solutions in partnership with CMA senior leaders, your key responsibilities will include:

• Delivering key elements of the People, Capability and Culture plan throughout the year, such as Performance Management, Employee Experience, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and more
• Enabling, coaching and challenging CMA leaders and managers on the implementation and delivery of people management practices
• Providing professional support to leaders and managers on complex and/or sensitive employee relations issues
• Promoting best practice in people management across the CMA
• Monitoring and interpreting HR analytics and sharing these insights with leaders and managers

Person specification

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application. For tips on how to make the most your application, please have a look at our guidance document

• Previous HR Business Partner experience with a professional service and/or public sector organisation, evidencing a range of generalist HR experience. (Lead Criteria)
• Experience in planning and delivering effective organisational change projects with stakeholders, including interventions to shape culture and overcome barriers to change. (Lead Criteria)
• Experience in supporting managers with complex employee relations matters, using employment law knowledge to mitigate risk and resolve cases. (Lead Criteria)
• Significant stakeholder management experience, demonstrating confidence in handling challenging stakeholders and dealing with conflicting priorities.
• Excellent communication and written skills with the ability to provide clear advice, and present and write Board and Executive committee papers to a high standard.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,100, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £15,417 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.

The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review) and interview.

An initial sift based on lead criteria 1, 2 and 3 may be held if a large number of applications are received.

If your application then progresses to a full sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification of the role profile will then be considered.

The sifting dates are 14th June to 19th June 2024.

If your application is successful, you will be invited to attend an interview.

This will be a 45-60 minute panel interview, where you will be asked behaviour-based questions based on the behaviours and experience specified in the role profile.

Interviews will be held on MS Teams or in-person at one of our offices.

You will also be asked to undertake a work based task in advance of your interview. Following this, you will be asked to deliver a short verbal presentation on this task at the start of the interview.

You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account to book your interview slot. You will then be sent an email with full details of your arrangements for interview.

Interviews will be held between 24th June and 28th June 2024.

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.  You can also email recruitment@cma.gov.uk.

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.