Senior National Officer – Equality Unit

UNISON Torbay Health; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

UNISON is seeking a leader to join its London-based Equality Unit. You will manage a team supporting the work of our self-organised equality groups, including women, Black members, disabled members, LGBT+ members, young members and retired members.

You will work with colleagues to develop strategies to increase participation across the union. Core skills include influencing and organising, with excellent communication and the ability to run campaigns and shape our equality strategies while

Qualifications

• Proven experience of analysing complex information, solving challenging problems and developing effective strategic plans.
• Experience designing, implementing and evaluating performance standards with monitoring and continuous improvement.
• Successful track record of leading organisational development initiatives and managing change in complex environments.
• Strong ability to operate, influence and build relationships within politically sensitive environments.
• Inspirational leadership with experience managing teams, motivating others and handling complex people management issues.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, exercise sound judgement and make decisions across a broad area of responsibility.
• Experience of project and budget management, with excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, with knowledge of employment law and the role of trade unions in promoting fair representation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Equality Unit staff to support self-organised equality groups and members.
• Develop strategies with colleagues to increase participation across the union.
• Contribute to developing negotiating and bargaining strategies.
• Influence and shape campaigns and public engagement on equality and representation.

Skills

Influencing and organising

Communication skills

Campaign leadership

Team leadership

Strategic thinking

Budget management

Equality knowledge

Employment law awareness

Job description

The role

UNISON has always led the way on equality and is proud of the work we do internally and externally to improve equality for members of our union and wider society. We are proud of the work our Equality Unit does to support the work of our women members, Black members, disabled members, LGBT+ members, young members and retired members. As well as the work on equality, the role requires someone committed to driving up participation across all areas of your union to ensure that we truly represent our whole membership in all our structures and decision making.

We are looking for a leader to join our busy London-based Equality Unit. You will manage a team of staff that supports the work of our self-organised equality groups, as well as young members and retired members. You will also work closely with other UNISON colleagues to develop strategies to increase participation across all areas of the union and be involved in developing our negotiating and bargaining strategies.

Core skills for the job include influencing and organising, along with excellent communication skills and the ability to run and shape our campaigns. A detailed knowledge of equality, a track record in working as part of a team and experience of speaking up on behalf of members in a representative setting and working with elected leaders will be an advantage.

The person

What we’re looking for...

• Proven experience of analysing complex information, solving challenging problems and developing effective strategic plans.
• Experience of designing, implementing and evaluating performance standards, with a strong focus on monitoring and continuous improvement.
• A successful track record of leading organisational development initiatives and managing change in complex environments.
• Strong ability to operate, influence and build relationships effectively within politically sensitive environments.
• Inspirational leadership skills, with experience managing teams, motivating others, encouraging innovation and handling complex people management issues.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, exercise sound judgement and make decisions across a broad area of responsibility.
• Experience of project and budget management, with excellent organisational and time management skills.
• A strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, with knowledge of employment law, workplace equality issues and the role of trade unions in promoting fair representation and democratic values.

Please refer to the job description and person specification for full requirements for this role.

About UNISON

UNISON is the UK’s leading public services trade union, with over 1.3 million members working in the public sector, private, voluntary and community sectors and in the energy services. We employ approximately 1,200 staff, with around 370 at our national centre in Euston in central London and the remainder in our 12 regions across the UK, including Northern Ireland.

UNISON is a dynamic, progressive union, committed to equality. We encourage men and women of all ages, Black and minority ethnic groups, disabled people, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to work with us.