Assistant Head DBS People Team

UK Ministry of Defence; Blackpool; On-site; GBP 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in the UK is seeking a Grade 7 People Lead to shape and deliver people strategies supporting Defence objectives. The role involves strategic HR leadership, stakeholder engagement, and operational delivery. Candidates should have a CIPD Level 5 qualification, substantial HR experience, and strong analytical skills. The position offers a salary of £59,690 per annum with a Civil Service Pension scheme.

Benefits

Civil Service Pension with employer contribution of 28.97%

Annual leave provisions

Qualifications

• Qualified to at least Associate member of CIPD and Level 5 qualified.
• Substantial HR experience in a complex organisation.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage the DBS People Team and its programme of work.
• Provide expert HR advice to senior leaders.
• Analyse HR and people data for decision making.

Skills

HR experience

Analytical skills

Influencing senior leaders

Team leadership

Policy interpretation

Change management

Education

CIPD Level 5 qualified

Working towards Chartered membership

Job description

Salary Range

£59,690

per annum (pro rata)

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Location

Tomlinson House, Norcross, Blackpool, Lancashire

Abbey Wood, Stoke Gifford, Bristol

Job description

People are at the heart of DBS, and as such continuing to make Defence Business Services a great place to work is the driver behind the DBS People Team. This aspiration is increasingly important as DBS transforms, and we work with our colleagues to ensure we have the right people, in the right place, with the right skills to ensure that DBS is an organisation fit for our future purpose within Defence.

The DBS people strategy is one of the five key strategic priorities in the DBS five year corporate plan, and provides the overall framework for the team’s deliverables, which include Strategic Workforce Planning & Resourcing, Capability planning and associated activity, Governance and Assurance to ensure compliance with MOD and wider government HR policies, and activity to engage our workforce and continuously improve Employee Experience.

As a Grade 7 People Lead within MOD and Defence Business Services, you will play a key role in shaping and delivering people strategies and activities that directly support DBS and Defence strategic objectives. This role combines strategic HR leadership, stakeholder engagement and operational delivery, helping DBS to build capability, manage talent and drive cultural change in a complex, high-profile environment.

As the DBS People Team Leader, the key responsibilities of this post are:

• Develop, lead and manage the DBS People Team and its programme of work to support the delivery of MOD HR programmes and workforce elements of DBS and MOD Change portfolios, programmes and projects that support MOD objectives and align with Government and MOD people strategies.
• Provide expert HR advice and guidance to senior leaders and managers, in collaboration with central MOD HR business partners, ensuring solutions are pragmatic, legally compliant and aligned with both civil service and MOD policies and HR frameworks
• Develop and oversee the implementation of initiatives to improve workforce capability, employee experience, and organisational culture.
• Analyse HR and other people data and workforce metrics to inform decision making and measure the impact of people interventions.
• Contribute to cross-departmental and cross-organisational HR and People working groups and strategic workforce planning activities.
• Support change management programmes, including organisational design, restructures, and strategic workforce transition.
• Manage and develop a team, fostering a high performing inclusive culture.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including Senior Civil Servants, military colleagues, trade unions and HR partners.
• Contribute to organisational reporting and business planning, supporting the development of people strategies and implementation plans and responsible for reporting progress against agreed annual delivery activity.
• Overall lead on strategic people governance, ensuring organisational policy compliance, risk and issue identification and effective mitigations and management.
• Collaborate with the DBS Communications Team to co-create, develop and deliver annual employee engagement programme for the DBS workforce, including Senior Leadership Team events, annual People awards and People week, and regular staff calls, town halls and other events.

Person specification

Essential:

• Qualified to at least Associate member of CIPD and Level 5 qualified. Willing to work towards and obtain Level 7and/or Chartered membership.
• Substantial HR experience in a complex organisation, with evidence of leading and delivering successful HR/People initiatives/interventions
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and stakeholders, including interpreting employment policies and law.
• Strong analytical skills with experience of using HR data to drive evidence-based decision making.
• Experience of leading teams and developing capability
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver at pace

Desirable:

• Experience within the public sector and another large government department.
• Understanding of Civil Service HR policies and frameworks

Qualifications

Qualifications: CIPD Level 5 qualified and willing to work towards Chartered membership and/or Level 7 qualification

Memberships

CIPD Membership (minimum Associate level)