Head of People

We are looking for a dynamic, forward-thinking HR leader who is eager to help transform our people function. 

Are you a strategic HR professional with extensive experience? 

Do you have strong planning, transformational, and organisational skills to lead the HR function. Can you ensure it aligns with organisational goals and empower your team to create a positive, inclusive workplace culture while managing complex projects and driving change?  

If so, we want to hear from you! Apply now! 

About the role

You will lead the People function, ensuring strategic HR management at a corporate level. Your leadership will drive performance that aligns with our mission, vision, and values. Leading meaningful change, fostering a culture of inclusion, innovation, and excellence. Your work will empower every team member, ensuring they feel valued and supported in their growth and development. 

As a key member of the Service’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT), you will act as the strategic HR advisor, providing expert guidance on complex HR and people management issues to the Executive Leadership Team, Senior Leadership Team, Fire Authority, and other stakeholders. 

Your role will ensure the Service adheres to all relevant legislation, policies, and best practices, safeguarding both the organisation and its employees. Additionally, you will contribute to regional HR strategy and policy, promoting collaboration across the sector.

You will be responsible for a dynamic team of competent specialists. Your role will encompass a broad spectrum of HR functions, ensuring a great people experience. This includes supporting employee relations, HR policy development, HR operations, employee engagement, payroll, pensions, recruitment, selection, workforce planning, succession planning, occupational health, and effective organisational performance. 

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership by developing and delivering the people strategy aligned with the Service’s objectives and the national framework document, collaborating with the Senior Leadership Team to drive high performance, employee engagement, while ensuring HR compliance and embedding inclusivity.

• Oversee and manage all services within the People function, providing expert advice to the Fire Authority, and Executive and Senior Leadership Teams as required in accordance with best practice and legislation.

• Provide visible leadership, coaching, and team development to build a high-performing People team with the right structure and skills.

• Ensure HR compliance with corporate governance including risk management, audit requirements and inspection regimes working closely with trade unions and staff associations.

• Utilise people data and analytics to inform strategic decisions, provide statistical returns and measure the effectiveness of people initiatives through developing and monitoring key performance indicators.

• Promote effective internal and external stakeholder engagement to develop partnerships including formal and informal consultation mechanisms within the area of responsibility and harness positive relationships with the recognised trade unions.

• Maintain control of the People budgets in accordance with the Service Revenue Budget Management arrangements and procedures. Preparing and submitting annually, expenditure and estimates in respect of capital and revenue within the functional areas of responsibility. To create and gain approval of budgets in support of plans and projects and actively contribute to the wider organisation budget setting processes. 

About you

Your ingenuity and critical thinking will enable you to deliver efficient, people-centered, and data-led HR services. You must understand People systems, policies, and processes. As a strategic thinker, you will positively influence senior colleagues, be a role model, motivator, and uphold strong values. High emotional and cultural intelligence, flexibility, and resilience are essential. You will adapt to changing demands while remaining calm and focused. As an authentic communicator with confidence, you will lead quality conversations, inspire continuous improvement, and promote an inclusive workplace. 

You will have:

• Chartered MCIPD level or equivalent professional HR qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience.

• Significant and broad strategic HR experience in a unionised environment.

• Significant experience of leading and managing HR Functions effectively to achieve organisational priorities, including developing and implementing a People strategy.

• An understanding of Local Government.

• Significant working knowledge of employment law, sensitive high-profile casework, HR best practice and industrial.

• Demonstrate openness to change and the capability of transforming ideas into action and reality through project management.

• In-depth experience in managing HR contracts and overseeing budgetary responsibilities.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills both verbally and in writing, capable of engaging, influencing and building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders at a strategic level.

• Understanding of management information systems and information technology within an HR environment.

• Current full driving licence with no pending issues.

Why work with us

We recognise that you are looking for more than just a career. A few of our benefits include:

• Hybrid working patterns
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Holiday allowance of 25 days* (plus public holidays) on joining; increasing to 30 days* after 5 years' service and 32 days after 10 years' service (*pro rata if part time or irregular working pattern)
• Free onsite parking
• Instant access to ‘Lifestyle Savings’ platform includes a range of discount cards from well-known and independent retailers
• Eligible to sign up to ‘Blue Light Card’ with access to thousands of amazing discounts online and on the high street.

How to apply

If this role is of interest, please visit our website where you can find out full details about this position and complete the online application form as instructed. 

KEY DATES

Closing date: Wednesday 12 March 2025

Please ensure you submit your application before the closing date. Once submitted, you will receive an automated confirmation email. If you do not receive one, please log into the system to verify that your application has been successfully submitted and received. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the recruitment team, contact email addresses can be found on our website. 

Shortlisting date: Thursday 13 March 2025

We carefully review all applications against the person specification contained within the job description. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application at this stage.

Online Psychometric Assessments: 14 - 19 March 2025

The online psychometric testing will assess your preferences, motives, talents, and interpersonal leadership behaviours. It will also include a situational judgment exercise to evaluate your preferences and judgment regarding different leadership styles. Additionally, there will be an aptitude assessment measuring your verbal, numerical, and abstract reasoning skills. 

As part of this process, we will schedule a telephone appointment for you, known as a validatory discussion, with an occupational psychologist. During this call, the psychologist will explore your outcomes in more detail. 

The results of these psychometric assessments will be used to shape the questions for your personal interview in the next stage.

Full details and guidance will be provided to you, and you will not need to attend our site for this part. 

Selection process: 24 and 28 March 2025 

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be given a date for the selection process, which will take place on either the 24th or 28th of March. You will only need to attend in person on one of these dates; however, we kindly ask that you keep both days available until your specific date is confirmed.

The selection process will include various elements, and further details will be provided in advance. 

At Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, we are not all the same, and that’s our greatest strength. We draw on what brings us together, not our differences. We expect our staff to model our service values.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. 

We value the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce that reflects our diverse communities across Bedfordshire. We welcome applications from all parts of our communities and are particularly keen to hear from underrepresented groups. 

This post is exempt from the provisions of Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2023. Therefore, applicants are not entitled to withhold information about convictions that are otherwise considered ‘spent’ under the Act. 

The appointment will be subject to satisfactory pre-employment clearances, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance at the level required for the role. 

The selection process has been designed to be fair and to give everyone an opportunity to demonstrate their suitability to be our Head of People. If you need any reasonable adjustments in the application process, please let us know.