Head of HR

The Court is part way through its organisation wide Change Programme and the delivery of its People Strategy. The postholder will be required to lead on the Programme’s people and transitional arrangements, as well as supporting other colleagues as they deliver the programme outcomes which support the Court’s vision to be world leading.
The postholder will bring vision and commitment to enable the end-to-end HR function in the Court to be robust and continuously improve to safeguard the people and reputation of the Court and ensure that it is prepared for any future changes. The role will require someone who can deliver at pace and respond quickly to new requirements, while simultaneously directing the strategic vision and leading the team towards new thinking and best practice.
This role offers a unique opportunity to work in a fantastic location, to be stretched through the varied responsibilities of the post and to work as part of a collaborative and values led team. The successful candidate will be given the autonomy to deliver and the support to thrive. As the role carries significant responsibility and accountability, this role is only open to qualified HR professionals (see essential criteria below)., This is a wide-ranging role, given the need to be across the entirity of all HR issues for an entire department The Head of HR will:
+ Lead on all aspects of HR for the UKSC, including payroll and pensions, and maintain strong oversight of the strategic people position at all times, recognising early developments which may impact on the UKSC. The role has responsibility for monthly payroll and pension contributions as well as responsibility for some contract management.

+ Be critical as a Change Lead (Product Owner) for the Court’s Change Programme and vision to be a world leading court having complete oversight of the work of the Court and supporting colleagues to deliver and implement transitional changes through advising on effective change management.

+ Advise on the people implications arising from BAU and significant change initiatives providing technical HR/employment oversight.

+ Work collaboratively with all teams across the Court to develop effective strategies to deliver the UKSC People Strategy, using data, analytic skills and challenge as appropriate.

+ Lead on the development and implementation of effective people solutions across the Court (policies, guidance) to ensure the Court remains a great place to work, engaging with colleagues to ensure people issues and risks are considered at the appropriate time.

+ Drive the agenda in respect of the Court’s Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategy and ensure equality impacts are understood and considered in the implementation of all people initiatives.

+ Advise on talent management and succession planning - supporting building capability through talent reviews, performance validation and capability plans.

+ Lead the identification of employee engagement interventions, using Staff Engagement Survey data to drive increased capability and performance. Ensure appropriate response plans and action plans are in place and happening to meaningfully respond to the key priority areas.

+ Lead and provide oversight of casework, supporting the Court to access the right interventions to address underlying causes and to drive action to manage cases effectively. Use that information to identify where further interventions may be appropriate to address cultural or individual behaviour change and management capability.

+ Advise on and have oversight of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), for example ‘Average Working Days Lost’ and ‘Time to Hire’ to enable managers to respond to, and be held to account for, priority areas across the Court. Lead the identification and support the delivery of the right interventions, facilitating access to appropriate services to meet KPIs.

+ Enable the Management Board to understand the current health of the workforce at the Court and support colleagues to access wellbeing services.

+ Build strong relationships across the wider HR community, including the HMT, the Finance Profession, the Ministry of Justice and others in a professional manner which builds cross functional relationships and maintains the stability and trust in the Court through sound people management. Lead the Court’s relationship and engagement with the Trade Union side.

+ Lead the team to continuously improve the Court’s HR activities, engaging with Non-Executive Directors, Board members and colleagues to seek feedback as appropriate.

+ Be a fully participative member of the Court’s Management Board (executive team), organiser of the Remuneration Committee, and periodic attendee of the Change Programme Board, UKSC Board and Audit and Risk Assurance Committee when required, offering sound and robust advice and assurance.

+ Role model leadership behaviours that emphasise an inclusive / participative approach to management and tackle inappropriate behaviours / poor performance, whilst proactively living the Court’s values.

+ Lead the HR team in respect of recruitment (notably the annual Judicial Assistant recruitment campaign).

+ Lead on Statutory Returns to Cabinet Office / the Office for National Statistics etc and work closely with the National Audit Office and the Government Internal Audit Agency.

+ Perform the role of Honours Secretary.

+ Act as Learning & Development / Training lead which includes planning and delivering training sessions or workshops and support other members of the HR team to do so too., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Leadership
+ Working Together
+ Managing a Quality Service
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Changing and Improving, Candidates will be assessed at interview and asked to give a short presentation, the subject of which will be shared upon invitation.
Interviews are likely to take place week commencing 14th October 2024.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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)

This role will be the driving force within the senior leadership team in respect of enabling the Court to deliver its strategic priority: focusing on our people. The postholder will be an effective and dynamic HR professional with a proven track record of contributing to an inclusive, values-driven, high performing culture. The role requires an excellent communicator and relationship builder who can work strategically internally, and externally with stakeholders across the judiciary and civil service, to ensure the Court attracts and retains the right people to enable us to deliver our vision of being a world leading court., This post requires an experienced HR professional with evidence of strong and visible leadership.
You must be fully CIPD qualified and be able to demonstrate Continuous Professional Development.
In addition, you should be able to demonstrate evidence of:
+ Excellent communication and networking skills with the ability to persuade and influence others, establishing collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders including the Chief Executive and members of the judiciary.

+ Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work effectively across a range of tasks and under pressure.

+ Sound judgement and the ability to think strategically and creatively, recognising where improvements can be made and implementing them.

+ Ability to think and act strategically under pressure and having the confidence to provide advice, guidance and constructive challenge when necessary, and provide regular reporting up to board level.

+ Ability to find solutions to complex and often sensitive issues.

+ Strong experience of leadership in a HR team, with experience of leading on HR strategy or previous experience as a HR Business Partner.

+ The ability to demonstrate creative thinking to provide valuable solutions.

+ The ability to deliver at pace and under pressure and whilst multitasking and delivering to short deadlines.

+ Proven ability of operating with confidentiality, integrity, reliability and role model leadership principles.

+ You will have a high level of attention to detail and drive yourself to deliver work to a high standard

Alongside your salary of £51,000, The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom contributes £13,770 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ Learning and development tailored to your role
+ Generous annual leave entitlement
+ Hybrid working
+ Corporate Membership to Benenden Healthcare
+ Onsite cafe
+ Reward voucher scheme
+ Cycle to work scheme and bike storage facilities
+ Eyecare vouchers
+ Employee Benefit scheme with EdenRed
+ An environment with flexible working options
+ A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity, plus an additional L&D day to support this
+ A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%