Interim Organisation Design Practice Lead

Essex County Council (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of 2 million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed in the public sector and has worked to deliver better quality at lower cost. We have an ambitious transformation agenda - one with the scope to reach every part of the council. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliver our services. We are committed to becoming a place where individuals, partners and communities feel proud to play their role and genuinely want to belong. We're immensely proud of our flexible working options. The Opportunity The Organisation Design Practice Lead plays a crucial role in enabling the success of the organisation and supporting the delivery of the Councils Business and Transformation Plans by ensuring alignment of the Council structures to organisational strategy, functional priorities and associated plans, optimising service performance across the organisation. This role owns the organisational approach to organisation design, leading the development, implementation, assessment and continual evolution of organisational design strategy, methodologies, frameworks, tools, and solutions acting as custodian of the organisations Design Authority to maintain professional standards, embed ethical behaviour and deliver holistic interventions that drive transformational change and ensure it is successfully implemented and embedded. This role will lead a team of SME's and will provide professional expertise and leadership to organisation design activity across the wider Council, ensuring that leaders are aware of and incorporate, where appropriate, cutting-edge organisation design principles and evolving operating models utilising external insight and benchmarking from other organisations in the public and other sectors to drive efficiency, maximise value and ensure sustainability. As the Organisation Design Practice Lead you will work collaboratively with the Change Practice Lead and Organisation Development Practice Lead to provide a holistic approach to change management to ensure change is well thought through, effectively managed and sustainable across the organisation. You will also work collaboratively across the wider People and Organisational Development service to demonstrate the value add of Organisational Design methodologies tools, frameworks and solutions, showcasing your subject matter expertise to grow capability and evidencing professional proficiency through the application of the consultancy model at a professional standard, constantly evaluating impact to drive a culture of continuous improvement in this field. Organisational Accountabilities Roles at this level will provide expert professional advice to inform corporate management and development of the council as a whole. They will lead on turning this advice into business cases for political approval. The service delivery requirements and standards are usually clearly defined by the Director with annual staff and financial budgets. Working collaboratively across the council to support the delivery of best possible outcomes for our customers on a financially sustainable basis. Maintain and nurture collaborative relationships for the function with external organisations that support the delivery of annual plans and develop a joined understanding of likely longer-term developments. Identifying opportunities for improvement within their area of work, managing changes so the highest possible levels of service quality are continually delivered. Implementing commercial and novel solutions to emerging and complex issues that meet the needs of customers and deliver the best possible outcomes. Effective utilisation of digital technologies and innovation across the council and with stakeholders and partners. Equality and diversity is celebrated and considered as part of all decisions taken. Using professional expertise to translate functional strategies, goals and plans into their area of work that comply with relevant legislation and statutory requirements and manages a level of appropriate risk. Manage the delivery of exemplary customer interactions to individuals and communities which support the management of strong relationships and a reputation for achieving outcomes and resolving issues. Service/Functional Accountabilities Lead the design, implementation, evaluation and evolution of organisational design methodologies, tools, frameworks and solutions, to ensure they are future-focused, relevant, innovative, cost effective and inclusive, aligned to the organisational strategy supporting the delivery of both organisational and functional priorities and enabling the organisations workforce strategy working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders across functional and organisational boundaries, ensuring effective communication and shared ownership Champion thought leadership through a blend of external market awareness and internal insights, blending external industry trends and internal knowledge to drive innovation and influence decision-making. Staying abreast of external benchmarking, emerging technologies, and internal expertise, this role will be responsible for the development of forward-thinking organisation design strategies, frameworks, tools and solutions that shape behaviours, influence culture and drive tangible results. Manage highly complex and difficult conversations at a senior level; present, explain, motivate, engage influence, persuade and challenge up to corporate and political leadership level. Lead, coach, develop and manage your team and wider organisation to ensure work is completed to the highest standard in line with organisation design principles with conflicts proactively managed to mitigate risks and drive positive outcomes. Provide expertise and appropriate professional advice to resolve organisation design issues, ensure the integrity and efficacy of Design Authority is maintained, using data and insight to drive continuous improvement and working collaboratively across the People and Organisational Development function and wider leadership and management population, inside and outside of ECC. Drive delivery through others, efficiently commissioning resources from relevant teams, coordinating projects involving cross-functional teams, and procuring external resource where necessary, ensuring professional application of the consultancy model, continually assessing the impact and contributing to the ongoing development and maturity of the model across People and Organisational Development. Work collaboratively with People Business Partners and People Leads colleagues in the advancement of the People & Organisation Development service, using insight and intelligence to deliver innovative solutions which support delivery of our Workforce Strategy and demonstrate professional expertise and value add to the organisation. Regularly update knowledge and skills to meet the evolving standards set by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) at standards level of Chartered Membership or above, integrating the CIPD profession map and its framework related to organisation design into all actions, including participation in continuous professional development activities and ensuring that ECC's HR practices and strategies are in accordance with the CIPD's ethical guidelines. Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

• Educated to degree level in a relevant professional field such as Human Resources, organisational development and design, business improvement or equivalent by experience.
• Professional membership of CIPD at Chartered Level or working towards this. Evidence of continuing professional development and positive contributions to professional networks and forums to maintain and grow expert knowledge in the field of organisation design.
• Extensive experience of using external insight, internal data and professional judgement to create, implement and assess the impact of organisation design methodologies, frameworks, tools and solutions aligned to organisational strategy and business plans to deliver tangible outcomes, enable data driven decision making and drive continuous improvement in a large, complex matrix organisation.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the critical factors in planning change and practical experience of applying project and programme management approaches with the ability to identify risks and create mitigation plans.
• Strong communication and report writing skills with the ability to influence internal and external stakeholders at all levels including the corporate leadership team, political leadership team and partners. Demonstrable evidence of coaching others to influence behaviours and improve performance.
• Evidence of providing strong, adaptable leadership demonstrating resilience and tenacity in pursuing goals, delivering successful outcomes through others and role modelling ethical behaviours and professional integrity.
• Demonstrable experience of managing complex cultural, systems, process and behavioural change through professional application and proactive development of the consultancy model.
• Strong working knowledge of business technologies and the benefits/limitations this provides to support the organisation design agenda.
  
  Please note that Essex County Council has determined that the off-payroll working rules will apply to this assignment and where a worker elects to provide their services through an intermediary (such as a personal services company) then income tax and primary national insurance contributions will be deducted at source from any payments made to the intermediary.
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