People Consultant
"Hi, I'm Josie. I'm one of the People Consultants in Surrey County Council. My role is to provide advice, guidance and employee relations support to our Managers.!
One of the best things about my role (other than my team of course!) is that I get to see the impact of my work every day while continuously developing and honing my professional expertise. We do all the stuff you'd expect, coaching and supporting managers and investigating officers to carry out processes such as grievances, disciplinaries and small-scale change projects alongside more complex absence, probation and performance cases.
It's not all fun games and team volunteering days (although feel free to ask our Manager about those too!) it's hard work. The council is a large organisation with a wide range of services, from social workers to librarians and lawyers to youth workers and we are busy. As well as casework there are change programmes and improvement projects we get involved in and you have to manage your time and prioritise effectively. The good thing though is you don't have to do to this by yourself.
There are 10 of us in our team and we're supported by a great manager who works hard to ensure we have access to the learning and support we need to thrive. Everyone is assigned a mentor when they join our team, and you'll get one too. They will support you in your technical HR skills and they'll work with you to hone your skills in critical thinking and judgement.
I love my team; they are hugely supportive and readily make time to talk through casework and support my learning. We are seeking a new colleague to come and join us on this ride, and I want to make sure that they are as equally as passionate about their work as I am about mine. Does that sound like you?"
The starting salary for this role is £38,746 per annum, working 36 hours per week.
We might be a little biased but we see ourselves as the heart of the HR team. We're there every day collaborating with managers and stakeholders across the council as well as working with our other HR functions to find new ways to build our managers' confidence and expertise. We want them to be able to support their staff in the best possible way and we're in a great position to help them do that.
We need someone who is already familiar with the entire spectrum of HR and employment matters and chances are you're already providing advice and support to managers in these areas, ensuring compliance with legislation and best practices. We think this role would suit someone who wants to build their experience and gain exposure to a wider range of casework, restructures, and TUPE. You're probably going to enjoy holding your own caseload and being responsible for progressing your work independently, but in a really supportive environment.
You'll benefit from a supportive team and flexible ways of working and we believe in empowering you with the tools and freedom to shine.
If this sounds like the team and role for you (and both are equally important) we'd love to see your CV and hear your responses our application questions. We're going to use your answers to these questions to shortlist, so make them count.
Remember, we're looking for a friendly professional who can bring a touch of humour to our team. Good luck!
This role is open to agile working meaning you aren't required in the office 5 days a week. Fundamentally this is about working practice and goes beyond the location in which we work - having the freedom and flexibility to work when and where as needed. Our focus on results, outcomes and collaboration is enabled by high levels of trust and accountability in our people. Supporting our people to work where they are most effective, this can be remotely from a variety of locations including SCC offices, home or any other suitable location. We have a team base to enable you and your colleagues to come together as and when required.
At Surrey we work together openly and honestly to provide our residents with an excellent service that is inclusive and respectful of all. We offer a wide range of benefits that allow you to develop within your career without having to sacrifice your work/life balance.
You can read more about our benefits, vision and values on our website by clicking apply.
The closing date for applications is 26th November 2023 with interviews scheduled for the week commencing Monday 4th December 2023.
Benefits
From flexible working to job sharing we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit MyBenefits for Surrey County Council staff.
Our Commitment
Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:
- The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
- The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form
Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.
We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups. We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.