HR Business Partner

HR Business Partner – Employee Relations Specialist (Schools)

Full time, permanent

About Redbridge

Redbridge is an ambitious, diverse and exciting east-London borough. What we do is driven by changing our relationship with local people to support our vision. As a result, we’ve developed innovative ways to build our communities and transform our Council.

We’re one of the fastest growing parts of the country and the third most diverse London borough. Our communities are attracted by a mixture of excellent schools, relatively affordable housing, high-quality open space and rapid transport connections into the heart of the City.

About the role

Over the last two years, we have been developing our income generating HR offer to schools and building relationships with our customers. This autumn, a large number of schools are returning to LBR’s Education HR service as a result of the great service we provide and so we are looking to increase our capacity so we can provide our new customers with the service they expect.

This role is key to providing a responsive, professional, customer focused and flexible employee relations HR service to head teachers, governors, business managers and staff in schools across Redbridge. 

You will be the one of our Employee Relations HR Business Partner to schools in Redbridge, responsible for managing cases and providing advice to schools that helps them to support their staff and deliver strong education to the young people in the borough. You would also be supporting any employee relation cases within the Education and Inclusion department and helping the team to develop and engage our staff so they can support schools effectively.

As a member of Education and Inclusion’s HR team, you will be driven to achieve the best and be hardworking, respectful and professional to our colleagues and customers. You will deliver a high-quality customer service in a fast-paced, customer focused environment and be able to adapt rapidly to shifting demands and priorities and be flexible whilst maintaining a high level of professional credibility.

The cases we manage are constantly changing and no two days are the same. You will need to be able to adapt rapidly to shifting demands and priorities and be highly responsive. It is a challenging role but at the same time, highly rewarding as we can see the difference we make to staffing and in turn, the education of children in the borough.

About you

You will be a dynamic, attentive and inspiring leader who has strong relationship building and customer service skills. You will be able to demonstrate the following behaviours:

•    Driving improvement: a continual focus on improvement within the context of increasing efficiency, reducing costs and improving productivity; taking accountability for own and team’s results; clear about personal responsibilities and accountabilities; proactive and will go the extra mile; does not accept unsatisfactory performance.
•    Leading and managing self and others: motivating, demonstrating the organisational values and providing direction and support; effective in persuading and engaging other; skilled at gaining support and commitment to a course of action; effective in coaching and developing self and others; empowers and enables people to make decisions; leads from the front and demonstrates positive and expected behaviours; tackles difficult problems and decisions when appropriate; leads by example.
•    Adaptability: adaptable and responds flexibly to circumstances and a rapidly changing public sector; deals effectively with unpredictability and uncertainty; creates an environment which positively embraces change; actively promotes the exchange of learning, best practices and new ideas; anticipates and shapes opportunities; innovative in problem solving and seeking new solutions/ opportunities.
•    Communicating and influencing others: confident and resilient, convincing others, communicating with impact and skilfully influencing to build support for change plans an approach to engaging others, adopting a style appropriate to the circumstance; builds relationships alliances or networks to establish support for ideas; projects self with impact and presence; is able to influence and networks effectively.
•    Customer service: proud of the service we provide to our customers and the community; acts as a customer champion by continually challenging self and others to think and act in a way that improves the customer experience; acts on feedback to change or develop services to better meet customer needs; considers the needs of a diverse range of cultures, ethnicity and backgrounds when delivering services.
•    Strategic perspective: innovates and improves over the long term, to create a high performing service; develops and/ or explains strategic action plans for practical use; seeks out learning and uses this knowledge to help re-define our strategic approach; anticipates events to create options; prepared to overcome obstacles and challenge; adopts a very positive and optimistic attitude to goals; really wants to succeed.
•    Analysis and judgement: delivers effective solutions; making decisions that will add value in what we do; views situations form multiple perspectives and digs beneath the surface; combines key points and develops clear strategic alternatives; seeks all the relevant information to assess problems and make decisions on how to progress; exercises sound judgment to arrive at a balanced viewpoint.
•    Working together: able to understand and manage within a diversity of cultures; brings others together to solve problems/issues; identifies and takes advantage of opportunities to deliver services collaboratively on an ongoing basis; builds rapport with partners (internal and external) to allow them to deliver services together; sensitive to and respectful of local values and customs when dealing with partners and customers.

Essential experience:
You must have full CIPD membership and/ or substantial experience in employee relations, of which some is within the school environment. You will have substantial experience of managing complex employee relations case work and excellent knowledge of employment law. You will also have experience in managing change programmes including TUPE and reorganisations. As important, is your understanding and experience in providing a high quality customer service and the ability to generate income.

Applications must be submitted through the online portal. If you are unable to access the portal or need support with your application, please contact suzanne.wright@redbridge.gov.uk.

Interviews will be held w/c 16 October 2023.

To apply for this role, please visit https://ce0320li.webitrent.com/ce0320li_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=359864ZvVm&WVID=958433OaLq

All short-listed applicants will need to demonstrate proof of right to work in the UK. At the London Borough of Redbridge, we receive a high volume of great-quality applicants, we therefore may close a vacancy earlier than advertised. Early applications are therefore encouraged.

We are committed to employment practices that promote diversity and inclusion in employment and welcome applications from qualified applicants regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sex, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity status, colour, race, religion, or belief.