Senior HR Business Partner

Job description

The Vacancy

Senior HR Business Partner

Location: Located in the East or West Midlands with regular travel to London and other Cafcass locations across England as required
Salary: £56,941 - £64,091
Contract: Permanent

Reporting to: Head of HR Business Partnering

Lead Employee Relations with impact at Cafcass

At Cafcass, our work supports children and families at some of the most important and difficult moments in their lives, and the experience and support we provide for colleagues is central to how well we deliver that purpose. This is an exciting time to join a HR function that is continuing to evolve, strengthen and improve how it supports leaders, colleagues and services across the organisation.

We are looking for an experienced Senior HR Business Partner to join our HR Business Partnering team, with a clear focus on Employee Relations, complex casework, policy development, leadership support and continuous improvement. This is a senior role for someone who can provide confident, credible and pragmatic HR leadership across a complex organisation.

About the role

As Senior HR Business Partner, you will be a senior member of the HR function, working closely with the other Senior HR Business Partners, Head of HR Business Partnering and the Chief People Officer to provide professional advice, sound leadership and HR support aligned to Cafcass' strategic plan and people priorities.

You will provide strategic interface between senior leaders, operational managers and HR colleagues, offering consistently high-quality Employee Relations advice, guidance and support. You will coach, support and mentor leaders through complex HR issues and casework, including dismissal and appeal hearings, employment tribunal preparation and organisational change activity.

This role will also play a key part in overseeing and improving ER case management across Cafcass, supporting the coordination and, monitoring of cases, developing management reporting, identifying trends and risks, and helping strengthen the confidence and capability of leaders to manage people issues effectively.

What you will be doing

• Provide expert HR advice and guidance on complex Employee Relations matters, formal procedures, organisational change and people management issues.
• Oversee and facilitate ER case management across the organisation, coordinating and monitoring cases so that they progress in line with policy and timescales.
• Develop weekly ER progress reporting and analysis, providing clear recommendations on hotspots, risks, trends and areas for improvement to support senior leadership discussions.
• Coach, support and mentor senior leaders in the application of HR policies and practices, including complex casework, dismissal and appeal hearings, and employment tribunal matters where required.
• Provide professional leadership, development, challenge, motivation and coaching to HR colleagues, including HR Officers and others within the HR Business Partnering service.
• Lead on policy development with a specific focus on Employee Relations, working with Senior HR Business Partners, HR leadership colleagues and trade unions to support timely policy change and implementation.
• Support the Head of HR Business Partnering with employment tribunal claim processes, liaison with employment lawyers and the development of ER systems that improve the efficiency of ER processes.
• Work with Organisational Development colleagues to support leadership upskilling initiatives that improve managers' confidence and competence in handling people matters.
• Use HR data, insight and management information to inform planning, challenge areas for improvement and support better decision-making.
• Contribute to the development of a high-performing, responsive and innovative HR function that supports Cafcass' workforce and future organisational resilience.

About you

We are looking for a confident and experienced HR professional who can combine Employee Relations expertise with strong leadership, judgement and stakeholder influence.

You will bring:

• Significant experience operating at HR Business Partner or Senior HR Business Partner level in a large or complex organisation, with public sector experience preferable.
• Proven expertise in managing complex Employee Relations cases and organisational change programmes.
• Up-to-date and comprehensive knowledge of employment law, including legislative theory and case law where appropriate.
• Strong experience advising directly on complex HR issues and casework, with the credibility to influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience providing credible support, advice and guidance to stakeholders at all levels on workforce-related matters.
• The ability to work across matrix relationships, influence senior leaders and provide constructive challenge where needed.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data, HR systems and insight to support decision-making.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to be clear, concise and credible in individual and group settings.
• A creative, flexible and pragmatic approach to resolving complex issues, using sound professional judgement.
• A collaborative, inclusive and values-led approach, with high levels of personal integrity, conduct and credibility.

Why join Cafcass?

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in an organisation with a unique and important purpose. You will be joining a HR team with a clear focus on improvement, colleague experience and supporting leaders to make confident, fair and effective people decisions.

In return, you will be part of an organisation that offers:

• A senior HR role with real influence across Employee Relations, policy, leadership capability and organisational improvement.
• Flexible working, with regular travel to London and other Cafcass locations across England where required.
• Access to the West Yorkshire Pension Fund, a Local Government Pension Scheme.
• 28 days' annual leave, rising to 33 days after five years' reckonable service, inclusive of three privilege days between Christmas and New Year, plus eight bank/public holidays.
• The opportunity to help shape a proactive, effective and trusted HR Business Partnering service across Cafcass.

Safeguarding and inclusion

Cafcass is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment.

We are also committed to creating an inclusive and diverse working environment where colleagues feel valued, respected and able to do their best work. We welcome applications from people with a range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

Apply now

If you are an experienced HR leader with strong Employee Relations expertise, sound judgement and the ability to influence across a complex organisation, we would welcome your application. For more information contact [email protected].

Be Their Voice

We are Cafcass - the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service - and we represent children in family court cases in England.

Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 130,0000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard.

Watch our video to find out we don't just listen to children's voices but we can be their voice.

If our purpose resonates with you, and you share our ambitions for children - exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time - then if you join us, you will work alongside like-minded people in a diverse, inclusive and supportive organisation.

You will be trusted to work flexibly and independently using outstanding technology (e.g. touchscreen laptops, iPhone, all with first class support, including IT Trainers) with access to substantial resources (e.g. Cafcass Library has over 27,000 resources on social work, child protection and related topics). You will also have opportunities to develop, whatever team you join, wherever you are in the country and at whatever stage you are at in your career.

Whether you join us in one of our social work roles that work directly with children and families or our corporate and business services teams who provide technology, support and expertise, you will have the chance to make a difference for children and families. You can also find out more at www.cafcass.gov.uk/careers.

Wellbeing

The wellbeing of our colleagues is something we are truly passionate about, as demonstrated by everyone having four dedicated, additional days per year when they are encouraged to spend time focusing on their health and wellbeing.

Colleagues can also have a health and wellbeing cash plan, for which Cafcass pays the basic premium (you can upgrade to include family members), which allows them to claim back some costs of routine health expenses, including dental check-ups, eye tests, physiotherapy sessions and more.

Overall, we foster a holistic approach to supporting our colleagues, benefitting physical, mental and financial health. This is led by a dedicated in-house team, the benefits of which include meaning support is targeted and specific to what colleagues need. Our team can also offer support and guidance when it comes to specific health conditions, such as neuro-diverse conditions, cancer and the menopause.

Our wellbeing offer is further strengthened by an external Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) which provides a free confidential support service 24 hours a day. This means access to clinical and professional expertise which gives you a chance to talk about all kinds of work and personal issues.

If this wasn't enough, we are especially proud that over 125 colleagues have completed training and receive ongoing support to act as Health and Wellbeing Champions. Furthermore, we have nearly 100 people that have trained to be Mental Health Allies.

Diversity

We represent children and families from diverse backgrounds and having a diverse workforce helps us to fulfil this responsibility authentically.

It also helps us to grow, evolve and innovate, so we particularly welcome applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with.

We are proud to be a disability confident leader, we invite you to join our team, we are committed to actively attract and recruit individuals with disabilities including "non-visible" disabilities and mental health conditions. Our inclusive and accessible recruitment process means we aim to accommodate reasonable adjustments as needed. This commitment highlights our dedication to employing, training, retaining, and developing the careers of our colleagues with disabilities.

Our Diversity Networks provide a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience - supported by allies across the organisation. The networks help ensure we provide an inclusive working environment and a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds.

For more information watch our video here.

Our current networks include:

Ability Matters

Colleagues with disabilities and long-term health conditions.

Carers Network

Colleagues with additional caring responsibilities for someone close to them who has a disability or long-term health condition.

Faith Network

Colleagues who are part of, or have an interest in, religious or spiritual faith communities.

Kaleidoscope Network

Colleagues from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

Mental Health Network

Colleagues who experience, or have an interest in, Mental Health issues.

Pride
Network

Colleagues who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans - LGBT+.

Neurodiversity Network

Colleagues who are neurodivergent, or support someone who is.

Together

'Together with Children and Families' (which we just call 'Together') is the name of our relationship-based practice framework. It applies to the work of every individual in Cafcass, from Social Workers to Leaders and includes our Corporate and Business Support teams.

It is at the heart of what we do and is made up of our values, how these values work in practice, the tools to use to incorporate these values in our work and the impact this will have on the children and families we serve.

This framework encourages us to be pro-active and to look for the strengths in ourselves and others. It also enables us to build positive relationships with our colleagues, our partners and most importantly, with the children and families with whom we work.

We look forward to telling helping you learn more about Together should you join us.

Benefits

We know if you join us you want to be rewarded in a variety of ways, including time away from work to spend time with those important to you, manage your financial present and future, whilst also be trusted to manage your work/life balance.

Therefore, in addition to our unique, holistic approach to supporting your health and wellbeing we also provide:

Generous holidays

28 days holiday (including three for Christmas) rising to 33 days with five years continuous service, which could include your current employment. You can also sell any you do not need.

Excellent pension

13.7% employer contribution to Local Government Pension scheme, potentially building on your current pension.

Flexible working

Most colleagues work in a hybrid way, having the benefits of working both from the office and home, we also accommodate flexible working requests (e.g. 9-day fortnights).

Exclusive discounts

Generous discounts with wide range of companies covering leisure, technology, travel, personal finance, fashion and supermarkets.

Professional fees

Social work colleagues have their annual Social Work England membership fees reimbursed.

Car leasing schemes

We offer a personal car leasing scheme which provides vehicles at competitive rates through a third party.

This list is just a selection of main benefits and we have a range of policies and processes that allow us to support our colleagues - and their families - and we look forward to providing you with further information about these in due course.