Assistant Director of HR

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is building a new HR team to address the needs of today and ensure the business is fit for the future. There is much to be part of, from developing our new People Strategy, to helping us establish working in a new hybrid environment, to implementing our new HR system and more.

We are seeking an experienced Leader who can shape and inspire a high performing HR team, raise the profile of HR across the organisation and develop and deliver the people strategy.  This is a real opportunity to shape the future, both of HR, and of PHSO.

About us:

We currently have around 450 employees based at our two sites in Manchester and London, with ambitious plans to grow our service, and our staff numbers, to deliver our new Corporate Strategy.  Our vision is to be an exemplary public services ombudsman by providing an independent, impartial and fair complaints resolution service, while using our casework to help raise standards and improve public services.

We look into complaints where someone believes there has been injustice or hardship because an organisation has not acted properly or has given a poor service and not put things right.  If we decide that the organisation has got things wrong, we may make recommendations for it to put them right. This can include explanations, apologies and recommendations for the service to learn and improve.

Our work is central to helping public services recover from the impact of COVID-19.

Our values of independence, fairness, transparency and excellence resonate through everything that we do.

The Assistant Director role

We are currently recruiting for an Assistant Director of Human Resources within our Corporate services team based in our Manchester office.

This role will report directly to the COO, but longer term may report to the Director of Resources. You will be responsible for leading and developing the HR division with a team of nine including two direct reports.

Your role is to create an exemplary HR service which supports the delivery of PHSO’s strategic objectives. You will operate as a trusted partner to the Chief Operating Officer in the development and delivery of PHSO’s People Strategy, working with other senior leaders to drive key projects and priorities.

Managing relationships with senior stakeholders and trade union representatives is an important aspect of this role.

The successful candidate will have a strong track record as a senior HR Professional with experience in the public sector. You will have substantial strategic and generalist HR experience that includes management of services across a range of specialist areas. Experience of advising and supporting organisations through the people aspects of change in conjunction with strong communication, stakeholder skills and team leadership is essential. The position requires up-to-date technical knowledge and best practice in the key areas of Employment Law, Employee Relations, Resourcing and Talent Management, Learning & Development, Reward and Organisation Development.

At PHSO our motto is “live well, work well”.  We offer a generous range of benefits including membership of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, a highly competitive holiday scheme, flexi-time and hybrid working. Alongside this there is also a range of CPD, wellbeing and employee assistance programmes that are geared to support development and growth.

The PHSO is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in employment and welcome applications from all members of the community.

For further information, please speak to our recruitment partners at Hays Executive, Simon Winspear 07525 466 357  and Nick Irow 07715 210 286