Head of Corporate Services

West Sussex County Council; Chichester; Hybrid; GBP 78,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave

Local government pension scheme

Job summary

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service seeks an experienced HR leader to become Head of Corporate Services, guiding governance, people services and performance in a transforming local government context.

Reporting to the Strategic Authority, you will drive strategic HR and business partnering, organisational change and procurement, with travel across the county and occasional remote work. Strong public sector experience and political awareness are essential.

Qualifications

• Professional strategic HR management qualification (e.g. CIPD) or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Experience leading multiple corporate service functions.
• Strong governance, finance, workforce and performance management knowledge.
• History of leading high performing teams delivering customer-focused services.
• Proven budget management and strategic decision-making on major priorities.
• Excellent leadership, with ability to inspire and empower teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for HR and Business Partnering, governance and performance management.
• Deliver governance, high-quality people services and compliant decision-making.
• Lead areas: HR & Business Partnering, Organisational Change, Governance, Performance & Data, Contracts & Legal.
• Collaborate with senior leaders and elected members to drive transformation and public value.

Skills

Strategic HR leadership

Public sector governance knowledge

Stakeholder engagement

Budget management

Political awareness

Education

CIPD or equivalent qualification

Job description

We are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking HR professional to join West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service as our Head of Corporate Services.

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service are undertaking a significant phase of transformation through local government reorganisation and devolution, positioning ourselves to operate as an independent fire authority.

This transition presents a strategic opportunity to strengthen our organisational capability, enhance resilience, and ensure we are equipped to meet the evolving risks and expectations of our communities.

Salary: £77,791 to £82,992 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week)

Location: Chichester Fire Station, Northgate, Chichester PO19 1BD

Interview Date: Monday 19 October and Tuesday 20 October at Horsham Fire Station, Platinum House, Macfarlane Way, Horsham, RH12 1EP.

This role requires the successful candidate to travel independently to various venues and council locations across and outside of the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes available.

Regular attendance at your base location will also be necessary, and there will be opportunities for remote work. Final arrangements will be confirmed with the successful candidate.

About the Job

This pivotal senior leadership role will ensure that HR and Business Partnering Service strategies and programmes of work, align with the priorities and ambitions of the Service and Strategic Authority.

Working closely with the Director of Fire & Rescue Service, you will play a key role in delivering strategic objectives, fulfilling statutory responsibilities, and driving a culture of continuous improvement, while promoting organisational resilience, accountability, and public value.

You will work to provide strategic leadership to ensure the delivery of effective governance, high-quality people services, legally compliant decision-making, and evidence-based organisational performance management.

The postholder will lead and drive excellence across the following areas:

• HR and Business Partnering,
• Professional Standards & Organisational Change
• Organisational Governance
• Performance & Data
• Procurement & Contracts
• Legal Services

Ready to lead at the highest level? If you are a strategic adviser with the credibility to influence senior leaders and elected members, and a proven track record of leading teams through change to deliver results, we would love to hear from you.

Join us and play a pivotal role in shaping our HR and Business Partnering, governance, workforce, legal and performance services as we transition into the Strategic Authority.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Professional strategic HR management qualification (e.g. CIPD) or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Demonstrable experience of leading multiple corporate service functions.
• Strong understanding of public sector governance, finance, workforce and performance management frameworks.
• Significant experience of establishing, managing and leading high performing business functions, ensuring the delivery of effective, efficient and customer-focused services.
• Experience of providing leadership to staff, ensuring effective budget management and playing a key role in strategic decision-making on major spending priorities.
• Excellent people leadership skills, including experience of performance management, with the ability to inspire, support and empower individuals and teams to achieve outstanding outcomes.
• Excellent political awareness and a strong understanding of the local government landscape, with experience of working successfully within complex political environments.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to communicate confidently and credibly with colleagues, partners, senior leaders and external organisations.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 30 days annual leave plus the opportunity to buy additional leave and an excellent local government pension scheme

A range of discounts give our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.

For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CPP01391.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, satisfactory references, and a health check.

Any candidates wishing to apply for this position, who would require sponsorship can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for the post by assessing their circumstances against criteria specified on the gov.uk website.

Equity, inclusion, accessibility and diversity is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all cultures, ethnicities, identities, backgrounds and lived experiences, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.