Senior HR Advisor (People and Culture) - Campus Services - Human Resources - 103449 - Grade 7

The Senior HR Advisor (People and Culture) - Campus Services has been created for a period of 12 months to proactively evolve the Campus Services People and Culture agenda. The role will focus on 3 key areas of activity: supporting the People and Culture Workstreams to deliver on agreed actions within this period, developing and delivering a Campus Services line manager development programme, focussed on key HR processes and advising on significant people issues.

The Senior HR Advisor (People and Culture) - Campus Services will report to the HR Manager - Campus Services and will deputise for this role, as required. This may include providing advice and guidance to members of the CS Senior Leadership Group (SLG) and attending SLG meetings. The postholder will work in partnership with the HR Advisor - Campus Services to proactively identify and resolve people issues.

Main Duties

People and Culture Workstreams

• Provide professional, timely, expert HR advice to the four workstreams, attending workstream meetings as required.


• Utilise a clear organisational understanding, employment law knowledge and best practice to inform the development and implementation of workstream projects.


• Source, analyse and develop insights from relevant data (e.g. benchmarking, key performance indicators (KPIs)) to inform decision-making.


• Support the implementation of projects, working in partnership with the workstreams and colleagues from CS Business Support and Internal Communications, as appropriate.


• Together with the HR Manager - Campus Services, provide guidance to HR colleagues who are supporting workstream activity as a development opportunity.


• Share data, insights and best practice collated in support of workstream activity with the wider HR function, as appropriate.


Line Manager & Supervisor Development Programme

• Develop and deliver a programme of activity to support the enhancement of line manager and supervisor knowledge in respect of key HR processes (e.g. absence management, performance management etc.) across Campus Services, based on current needs. This programme will support line managers and supervisors to effectively manage/supervise their staff.


• Work with senior leaders/managers to proactively identify knowledge/skills gaps, tailoring the delivery of the programme to suit the needs of Campus Services.


• In discussion with the HR Manager and People and Organisational Development Consultant for Campus Services, agree how skills gaps can be addressed.


• Develop and produce key performance indicators (KPI) to support the identification of knowledge/skills gaps, inform delivery and assess the effectiveness of the programme. Share KPI data with the HR Adviser - Campus Services to inform advice and guidance to the Division.


• Ensure the programme is inclusive, and training can be tailored, as appropriate, for line managers and supervisors of all grades.


• Develop online content (e.g., bitesize podcasts) covering HR processes in conjunction with the Internal Communications Manager - Campus Services, to build an online toolkit for line managers.


• Promote the programme across the Campus Services, for example, through attendance at team meetings, producing marketing material in-conjunction with the Internal Communications Manager, etc.


• Working with the Leadership and Management Workstream and the CS Project Manager develop a community of practice for line managers to share issues and collaboratively develop solutions.


• Share data, insights and best practice with the Leadership and Management Workstream to enable the creation of a Campus Services Line Manager Academy.


Casework

Casework will be assigned by the HR Manager - Campus Services and will typically include but will not be limited to significant/complex employee relations issues and/or organisational change.

• Providing timely expert advice and guidance to line managers on people related issues (e.g. to performance, sickness, occupational health, conduct, discipline, grievance, secondments, TUPE, probation, AWOL). Exercising professional judgement to guide managers to a successful outcome/result, taking into account all relevant factors both HR related (employment legislation, policy and procedure, best practice etc) and commercial factors such as the risk or financial impact on the wider organisation.


• Working in collaboration with HR colleagues to ensure managers are supported through complex ER issues, working proactively with the ER team to progress cases as appropriate.


• Utilising a clear organisational understanding to inform the application of policy and processes, evaluating the impact and amending the approach accordingly. Contributing to the continual development of policy using knowledge and expertise of how this would translate into operational application.


• Developing excellent customer relations, taking the time to understand wider needs and implications of the issues, managing expectations where appropriate.


• Providing proactive support for the HR Manager, Campus Services by ensuring operational efficiency and delivery is provided by yourself and the wider team.


• Utilising our in-house Work Tracking System effectively, ensuring that correspondence is appropriately recorded and stored in line with the Data Protection Act and University Policies and practices.


• Coaching managers on processes ensuring ownership and responsibilities remain in the appropriate places.


• Acting as a role model through championing the University and HR's values through the consistent utilisation of UoB policy and processes.


Other

• Contributing to regular team meetings, 1-1's and performance reviews ensuring that own skills are aligned to team, department and University requirements.


• Developing and maintaining your own professional skills through Continuous Professional Development, proactively gathering knowledge and best practice, including through liaison with colleagues external to the University and through practical experience and related project work.


• Prioritising own workload and monitoring the activities of work ensuring timely completion, managing others' expectations.


• Developing and demonstrating detailed organisational understanding, for example taking into account any resource constraints when formulating and agreeing appropriate solutions.


• Ensuring accurate and timely capture of staff data relating to own work in all HR systems including work tracking.


• Supporting managers to maximise their own use of HR Systems and processes.


• Consistently delivering best practice communication with internal and external customers, regular, two way and fit for purpose.


• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
  
  Qualified to Degree level or equivalent plus practical HR Advisory experience or significant relevant experience demonstrated through increasingly more demanding roles evidencing the experience necessary for this role


• Level 7 CIPD qualified or equivalent experience.


• Significant knowledge of the principles, theory and practice of HR within a professional services/commercial environment or HE context.


• Demonstrable project management experience with knowledge of project management disciplines and of the project management cycle.


• Experience of designing and delivering training sessions for managers.


• Experience of working with senior management within a commercial context and demonstrated ability to advise on people matters requiring a significant degree of judgement.


• The ability to manage the expectations of a diverse range of stakeholders who may have disparate and conflicting views and influence outcomes.


• Demonstrating the ability to apply sound judgement and reach considered decisions as appropriate.


• Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to produce and analyse information and data


• Excellent interpersonal, communication, relationship building, negotiation and influencing skills with the ability to cultivate strong relationships, act as a credible adviser and deal confidently with a range of internal and external stakeholders/contacts including senior leadership, and staff at all levels.


• Excellent organisational and multi-tasking skills with a methodical approach to work and the ability to work simultaneously and manage and progress several different priorities whilst meeting deadlines.


• Ability to adopt a proactive approach, and adapt this in a changing environment.


• Highly proficient IT skills, including the MS Office suite of programmes. You should be confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required


• A good team worker with the ability to work effectively with staff at different levels of the organisation including supporting less experienced colleagues


• Proven track record of ability to integrate with and function effectively as part of a busy, diverse and established team, working with little supervision. Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.


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  The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant city, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open, critical thinking, creating, sharing and disseminating knowledge. Professional Services put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience. Professional Services provide outstanding support to our researchers and help the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally. They ensure the University's resources are used wisely; they manage and improve the University infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution, and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence. Our Birmingham Professional programme operates across the University, supporting colleagues to network and collaborate, offering opportunities to learn and develop, contributing to the delivery of the University's objectives, and

helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work.

Working with colleagues across the institution, HR at the University of Birmingham is critical to the delivery of many aspects of the University's Strategic Framework. Comprising c.140 staff FTE, HR facilitates the recruitment, development, engagement and retention of talented colleagues, helping to create a culture which is both vibrant and inclusive and which facilitates the University's ambition of being a top 50 institution. The HR team is committed to ensuring that the University attracts excellent people who are proud to work in HR and for the University of Birmingham, who engender respect both inside and outside the University for the quality of work they do.

The Professional Services HR team provides a high-quality service to approximately 3,000 staff engaged in a broad range of activity from student support to those functions typically found in a large and complex organisation with a turnover of c£800m. within Professional Services, Campus Services is one of the largest and most diverse functions.

Campus Services (CS) employs over 1000 staff with a turnover exceeding £57m in the last financial year. CS plays a key role in the quality of the student, staff, and visitor experience, providing services across diverse areas such as the University's sporting facilities, food and beverage, cleaning, community safety and security, conferencing, hotel operations, day nurseries, portering, post, branded and own-brand retail outlets, visitor services and attractions (e.g., Winterbourne House & Gardens), student housing, transport, waste disposal and recycling. CS is a highly commercial organisation operating within the University context and has an ambitious strategic agenda, in terms of growing our service profile across both our Birmingham and Dubai campuses.

The Campus Services People and Culture Plan has been developed in support of University's strategic aspirations and is an extension of the Birmingham 2030 People and Culture pillar. The plan has been co-created with colleagues across Campus Services and incorporates staff survey feedback. The plan is initially set out over 5 years and will be delivered through four workstreams, ably supported by CS HR, Business Support and Internal Communications., We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .