Head of Talent and Organisational Development

Lead on the design and delivery of a full range of organisational and employee development programmes and services that will develop and retain excellent staff and that will build current and future organisational capabilities that are aligned with the University’s People Strategy and Institutional Plan.

The Human Resources & OD Directorate is focused on supporting a wide range of strategic and change projects that are directly relevant to the achievement of the aims of the University’s Kent 2030 programme and People and Culture strategy. The Head of T&OD team plays a key role in this, with a remit that now includes leading on strategic workforce planning and staff resourcing, as well as an integrated University-wide approach to equality, diversity and inclusion

Key accountabilities

The following are the main duties for the job. Other duties, commensurate with the grading of the job, may also be assigned from time to time.

• Develop and implement talent and succession planning strategies, policies, programmes and interventions, including the development of competency and behavioural frameworks to support the realisation of organisational values and objectives;

• Develop and implement a strategic approach to workforce planning and resourcing to ensure the University workforce has the capabilities required to meet current and future organisational needs;

• Lead on the diagnosis of cultural barriers to the achievement of the organisation’s vision and objectives and propose practical strategies to address those issues;

• Diagnose the causes of organisational problems and put in place holistic change consulting solutions in consultation with managers and the business partnering function;

• Lead on promoting equality in the University’s culture, policies and practices supporting the implementation of equality frameworks and objectives (eg the Race Equality Charter and Athena Swan), working closely with stakeholders across the University

Policy & Strategy

• Support and advise the Director of HR &OD in the development of strategy and policy related to talent, organisational development and equality;

• As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contribute to the development and direction of the Directorate and provide corporate leadership within a framework of collective responsibility; 

• Develop, implement and review cost effective T&OD policies and related processes to ensure that the University manages its relationship with its staff in a way that reflects best practice, assists the organisation to meet its objectives and maximises staff engagement, and develops and retains the staff it needs;

• Develop and implement effective strategic approaches to workforce planning and talent attraction, retention and development to meet the objectives of Kent 2030 and to ensure organisational effectiveness can be maintained;

• Develop effective and efficient strategies for the delivery of organisational and employee development services to ensure responsiveness, efficiency and empowerment of line management;

• Play a leading role in the development of a culture of equality, diversity and inclusivity through the development of strategies, policies, practices, related training and people plans;

• Develop and implement appropriate and effective supplier and partner relationships and monitoring arrangements to ensure that the University has fit for purpose and cost effective relationships with external suppliers and partners

Operational Organisational Development

• Lead on the development and implementation of culture change and values programmes as required and in support of University objectives;

• Lead on the development and delivery of large scale employee surveys and gain insights into employee behaviour and expectations to inform the people strategy and practical action planning;

• Lead on identifying talent gaps and talent management requirements and ensure appropriate interventions are in place to support the University’s workforce and succession planning needs;

• Lead on staff retention and resourcing;

• Lead on the induction policy and annual performance management appraisal processes, ensuring they are simple, fit for purpose and focussed on organisational and people objectives;

• Apply change consulting skills in developing teams, including scoping projects, diagnosing issues, identifying and mapping stakeholders, and developing action plans;

• Lead on competency framework development.

Employee Development

• Design and where appropriate specify and commission learning and development interventions and tools to effectively assess learning requirements and meet the University’s developing needs;

• Lead on and oversee delivery, regular evaluation and refining of employee development programmes and initiatives to equip all employees to deliver the University’s objectives;

• Ensure delivery and evaluation of development programmes that advance business critical skills and capabilities;

• Work with business partnering to develop people management capability across the organisation, including design and delivery of initiatives to address skill and knowledge gaps and succession planning within schools and departments;

• Lead on and oversee the successful delivery of induction events, award ceremonies and learning networks;

• Identify the scope for accredited programmes and other standards and to advise on the adoption of such standards;

• Lead on the implementation of employee development projects and programmes including accredited programmes where appropriate;

• Oversee and ensure the development of and support to graduate / apprenticeship / Kent student work experience (employability) schemes.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity

• In collaboration with the relevant staff, propose action plans and initiatives to promote equality and the eradication of inequality – advising senior managers on the actions necessary to achieve an inclusive organisational environment free from unlawful discrimination in which all groups of employees can flourish;

• Lead on and oversee the identification of any inequalities in the impact of the University’s people policies and practices (staff and student) making reference to relevant benchmarking and research data where appropriate;

• Advise managers in the wider organisation on the equality implications and impacts of significant plans and programmes – and otherwise to enable managers to assess these impacts for themselves and plan mitigation;

• Monitor and report on the achievement of equalities based action plans and programmes being delivered across the University – flagging issues and concerns and to propose and develop solutions and action plans;

• Working through the relevant staff to lead on the development, delivery and commissioning of specific equalities based training and initiatives to support the University strategy for equality;

• Oversee the production of the annual EDI report (in relation to staff) and partnership working with Student Services in relation to students;

• Oversee the commissioning and delivery of equality driven projects, standards and accreditations to ensure that appropriate standards are met and the relevant University Equality Action plans are implemented;

• Oversee the commissioning and delivery of equality policy development (with the exception of those with an employee relations/regulatory dimension), guidance materials and tools and equality analysis frameworks and to advise and support Employees Relations in the development of employee relations policies.

Management & Leadership

• Ensure appropriate management and staffing of the team, and effective use of resources;

• Recruit, coach, develop, motivate and manage direct reports in accordance with staffing policies and to ensure that learning and development programmes necessary to enable safe and effective service delivery are in place;

• Oversee and produce budgets and monitor income and expenditure at all levels within the department within area of oversight to ensure the cost effective deployment of financial resources.

Personal Effectiveness

• Pursue appropriate professional development and networking opportunities to ensure that the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for the effective performance of the post are maintained.

Valuing Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity

• In addition to the specific areas noted above, .ensure that the diverse needs and aspirations of all groups of stakeholders are considered in service planning and delivery and that appropriate responses are put in place to ensure access to services and employment opportunities that enable all groups to fulfil their potential.

Key challenges and decisions

The following provide an overview of the most challenging or complex parts of the role and the degree of autonomy that exists.

• Development of a new strategic approach to workforce planning and talent management, including ensuring that current and future resourcing needs are met in a challenging environment.

• Development of an integrated staff and student EDI function ensuring the needs to all groups are adequately met.

• Leading on organisational culture development in support of the aims of Kent 2030 and the People and Culture strategy, particularly given the challenges of change fatigue and low morale.

• The role holder will be expected to work with high level of independence, drawing on professional knowledge and expertise to advise executive and senior leaders across the University.

• To succeed, the role holder will need a flexible skill set, including the ability to think strategically, execute tactically, and collaborate across many teams, levels, and situations. They must understand business priorities, the implications and translate them into an agenda that supports the University.

• The role holder will be required to build and maintain effective working relationships with senior stakeholders, including DVCs, Directors and other senior colleagues to ensure the delivery of University strategies and objectives. This will require diplomacy and competing priority will need to be balanced.

Facts & figures

The role holder has overall control of the training and EDI budget totalling approximately £300k. The role manages the Talent and Organisational Development and EDI teams of approximately 10 people.

The role sits in the HR&OD directorate which is a centralised professional function and is comprised of Service Delivery, Employment Relations, People Partnering and Centres of Expertise. The overall directorate supports the University to deliver its goals of excellence in education and student experience; research and innovation; and engagement, impact and civic mission via the recruitment, retention, reward, recognition, and development activities of our staff.

As a member of the HR&OD Leadership team, the role holder will work closely and effectively with HR&OD senior managers and their teams to provide joined up, bespoke and excellent customer service to the University, which includes leading and supporting on corporate HR projects and responsibilities as needed.

Internal & external relationships

Internal: VC and DVCs, PVCs, Heads of School, Heads of Professional Services and senior managers, other HR Senior Leadership Team members, equality network chairs and members, Kent Union, Student Services

External: External consultants and providers of specialist services, Regional and National T&OD Networks, T&OD contacts at other institutions

Health, safety & wellbeing considerations

This job involves undertaking duties which include the following health, safety and wellbeing considerations:

• Regular use of Screen Display Equipment

• Conflict resolution

• Ability to occasionally travel in a timely and efficient manner between campuses

Person specification

The person specification details the necessary skills, qualifications, experience or other attributes needed to carry out the job. Applications will be measured against the criteria published below. Selection panels will be looking for clear evidence and examples in an application, or cover letter (where applicable), which back-up any assertions made in relation to each criterion.

Essential Criteria:

• CIPD membership plus significant post qualification experience such as MCIPD or Masters-level qualification in Human Resources Management or Organisational Development 

• Experience at a senior level delivering the OD function to high professional standards within a complex, professional based organisation (A,I)

• Track record around developing organisational development policies/programmes and strategies that are context specific – matching OD practice to business needs (A,I)

• Experience of major culture change initiatives (A,I)

• Track record in workforce planning, talent development, succession planning and staff resourcing (A,I)

• Track record of positively and successfully engaging with a wide range of stakeholders (A,I)

• Experience of change consulting including diagnostics and action planning for teams (A,I)

• Experience developing supplier specifications, negotiating positive outcomes and managing supplier relationships (I)

• Strong interpersonal and people skills with experience of effective staff management and team building (I)

• Aptitude for project management (I)

• Able to connect with operational managers and translate business needs and issues into practical plans and programmes (I,T)

• Proactive problem solving skills and initiative (I,T)

• Confident and credible in presentation and approach, a persuasive public speaker with excellent communication skills both written and oral (I,T)

• Able to be flexible in approach to work and attend evening meetings and work at weekends on occasion (I)

• Firm commitment to achieving the University’s vision and values, with a passion for equality and a transformative student experience (I)

• Commitment to deliver and promote equality, diversity and inclusivity in the day to day work of the role (I)

Desirable Criteria:

• Accreditations in the use of psychometrics and executive coaching (A,I)

• Experience in developing performance management, competency and behavioural frameworks (A, I)

• Knowledge and understanding of the higher education sector (A,I)

• Project management methodologies (A,I)