Deputy Chief People Officer

Job responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE/SUMMARY

To lead transformation of the People Function at operational level, ensuring resources are maximised and policies, processes, systems and working practices are transferred to simple, effective and easy to follow practices and actions.

To lead highly complex Employee Relations and Industrial Relations issues at Director level advising the Chief People Officer (CPO), Chief Executive and Chair.

To lead the operational activity to achieve the Trusts people strategy.

To further develop the People Improvement Framework and triangulation of performance across people, finance and clinical areas.

To be the principal lead for the performance of the People Function and day to day delivery of a trusted people service to LTHT

To deputise when necessary for the CPO at local, regional and national events and committees including Board, IQIG meetings.

To lead operational activity to align education and learning across LTHT.

To lead the digitalisation of People Services providing 24/7 services to colleagues.

To participate in Executive On-Call duties.

To work in partnership with Deputies across the Trust, collaborating on key issues in relation to regulatory compliance and responses

To continuously prepare and embed practices across the People Function ensuring readiness for external inspections including CQC/SEQOHS/etc.

To work directly with the Deputy Finance Director to ensure clear, accurate progress against the workforce plan and achieve workforce plan at Director level.

To ensure timely and accurate responses to national compliance.

To mentor and coach leaders and managers reporting to this post.

To prepare career pathways within the People Function to ensure a clear successional plan for service level capacity and capability.

To work with the Director of Organisational Development and Inclusion in developing an ongoing programme of engagement and improvement across the People Function, including leadership programme, monthly briefings, quarterly focus groups and annual away days.

OD/HRBPs work with Director of Organisational Development and Inclusion to develop an HRBP and ODBP Target Operating Model and in doing so, provide a a holistic service to LTHT.

To identify and operationalise employment law changes into everyday practices, providing Board level training and development.

To ensure People Function priorities and associated activity are delivered in a timely collaborate way.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Strategy, Policy and Planning

The Deputy Chief People Officer provides senior leadership with responsibility for the execution and evaluation of the Trusts people strategy and associated initiatives.

The role will provide substantial expertise in accomplishing people-related objectives while contributing to broader organisational development efforts. Applying data-driven analysis to detect patterns, assess potential risks, and formulate effective solutions. Proficiency in gathering, managing, and interpreting workforce data and statistical information is essential to provide valuable insights at tactical, operational, and strategic levels.

Provide thorough support and strategic counsel to senior stakeholders, such as the CPO and Executive Directors, to facilitate the identification and advancement of productivity and efficiency initiatives.

Maintain the organisations commitment to people practices according to national, regional, and local policies and legislation.

Provide leadership in executing initiatives that are consistent with the People Strategy, ensuring all actions are informed by comprehensive stakeholder engagement.

Employee Relations and Governance

Operate within governance frameworks to ensure robust decision making and mentor People and OD team members to uphold these standards.

Provide advice and support to the CPO, Chief Executive and other Executive Directors on highly complex employee relations or other workforce issues.

Partnerships

Maintain up-to-date knowledge of national policy developments, workforce strategies, and best practices within the NHS and other sectors, ensuring that the people function continually adopt innovative approaches to people management.

Engage cooperatively with trade unions and professional bodies to facilitate achievement of Trust business goals.

Leadership and Team Management

Attend and chair meetings as required on behalf of the CPO representing both the CPO, & Trust when appropriate.

Offer strategic leadership and guidance to team members through regular meetings to monitor operations, evaluate team performance, and identify opportunities for continuous service improvement.

Actively solicit feedback regarding the contributions within the People and OD team highlighting effective practices and promptly addressing any areas of concern.

Maintain systems to evaluate and review performance based on established workforce targets and performance indicators, taking corrective action as necessary.

Foster a supportive, equitable, and transparent culture that empowers all members of the Workforce to achieve established performance standards.

Support the Chief People Officer as Deputy by assisting with the implementation of the people strategy through the development and execution of operational plans. Ensure that the People function operates proactively and provides influence.

Supervise the operational efficiency of the People function, ensuring effective execution of work streams in accordance with strategic objectives.

Promote ongoing improvement and learning within the People team to maintain its effectiveness in supporting clinical and corporate services.

Provide professional leadership and guidance within the People team, implementing solutions and fostering continuous improvement to support transformational and cultural initiatives aligned with Trust strategies and objectives.

Guide the formation and maintenance of an efficient and effective internal People function.

Contribute to the achievement of the Trust Financial Plan, ensuring that the workforce is deployed as productively and efficiently as possible within the overall pay budget.

Skills and Behaviours

Essential

• Highly developed leadership, negotiation and influencing skills with the ability to motivate, challenge and engage individuals and teams.
• Able to demonstrate a compassionate and inclusive leadership style.
• Able to challenge and promote new ways of working, encouraging a culture of care for others.

Additional Criteria

Essential

• Resilience required to operate in a challenged environment.
• Able to travel to all sites and regionally and nationally as and when required.
• Flexible approach towards their role

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to Masters level or equivalent experience, with additional in-depth professional knowledge/training.
• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and
• Development (CIPD) or equivalent by experience.
• Evidence of on-going personal and professional
• development

Desirable

• Formal training or qualification in management and/or leadership.

Experience

Essential

• Specialist knowledge acquired over a significant period in several functions of HR
• Significant leadership experience within the people profession in a large, complex organisation.
• Recognised leader with influence and personal credibility.
• Track record of developing, shaping and delivering people strategies.
• Significant experience of leading teams across a variety of functions within the people profession.
• Advanced detailed knowledge of employment law.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Successful track record in a sub board level role in Human Resources role in a complex unionised environment.
• Experience in building personal and professional credibility with the Board, management teams and staff.
• Working across professional and organisational boundaries, and in partnership with a wide range of key stakeholders.
• Budgetary and financial management.
• Ability to set out a clear strategic direction, inspire others and assume command, together with an ability to translate strategic objectives into deliverable operational plans.

Desirable

• Significant leadership experience within the NHS
• Broad understanding of the current NHS policy context, financial regime and workforce and training issues and of NHS working practices.

Experience

Essential

• Specialist knowledge acquired over a significant period in several functions of HR
• Significant leadership experience within the people profession in a large, complex organisation.
• Recognised leader with influence and personal credibility.
• Track record of developing, shaping and delivering people strategies.
• Significant experience of leading teams across a variety of functions within the people profession.
• Advanced detailed knowledge of employment law.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Successful track record in a sub board level role in Human Resources role in a complex unionised environment.
• Experience in building personal and professional credibility with the Board, management teams and staff.
• Working across professional and organisational boundaries, and in partnership with a wide range of key stakeholders.
• Budgetary and financial management.
• Ability to set out a clear strategic direction, inspire others and assume command, together with an ability to translate strategic objectives into deliverable operational plans.

Desirable

• Significant leadership experience within the NHS
• Broad understanding of the current NHS policy context, financial regime and workforce and training issues and of NHS working practices.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).