People Consultant

This role has a starting salary of £40,296 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.

We are delighted to be hiring a new People Consultant to join our fantastic People Consultancy team. The team is based in Woodhatch and this role is open to hybrid working meaning you aren't required in the office 5 days a week. Fundamentally this is about working practice and goes beyond the location in which we work - having the freedom and flexibility to work when and where as needed.

Rewards and Benefits:

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

'Hi, I'm Josie. I'm one of the People Consultants in Surrey County Council. My role is to provide advice, guidance and employee relations support to our Managers! One of the best things about my role (other than my team of course!) is that I get to see the impact of my work every day while continuously developing and honing my professional expertise. We do all the stuff you'd expect, coaching and supporting managers and investigating officers to carry out processes such as grievances, disciplinaries and small-scale change projects alongside more complex absence, probation and performance cases.

It's not all fun games and team volunteering days (although feel free to ask our Manager about those too!) it's hard work. The council is a large organisation with a wide range of services, from social workers to librarians and lawyers to youth workers and we are busy. As well as casework there are change programmes and improvement projects we get involved in and you have to manage your time and prioritise effectively. The good thing though is you don't have to do to this by yourself.

There are 10 of us in our team and we're supported by a great manager who works hard to ensure we have access to the learning and support we need to thrive. Everyone is assigned a mentor when they join our team, and you'll get one too. They will support you in your technical HR skills and they'll work with you to hone your skills in critical thinking and judgement.

About the Role

We are looking for someone who is already familiar with the entire spectrum of HR and employment matters, and chances are you're already providing advice and support to managers in these areas ensuring compliance with legislation and best practices. We think this role would suit someone who wants to build their experience and gain exposure to a wider range of casework, restructures, and TUPE. You're probably going to enjoy holding your own caseload and being responsible for progressing your work independently, but in a really supportive environment. You'll benefit from a supportive team and flexible ways of working and we believe in empowering you with the tools and freedom to shine.

Shortlisting Criteria

If this sounds like the team and role for you (and both are equally important) we'd love to see your CV and hear your responses to the shortlisting questions below:

1. Please outline your experience and track record delivering top-notch HR advice in areas such as Disciplinary, Grievance, Managing Absence, and Performance.
2. Can you give us an example of how you have used your exceptional communication skills to build really strong relationships with stakeholders? Collaboration is your superpower!
3. Try and convey your commitment and passion for service improvement with an example where you have challenged the status quo and as a result, improved how something is done.

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on Sunday 5th January 2025, however may close earlier with applications being regularly reviewed and any applications that meet shortlisting criteria may be invited to the selection process prior to the closing date.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups