Senior Organisational Development Advisor

About the Borough

Joining us, you get to work for not just one high performing London Borough, but two.

Sutton and Kingston councils have a number of shared services serving both authorities, with some teams and roles more focussed on one Council than the other, but the majority are shared across both, meaning you get multiple opportunities to learn from a wider pool of activities and two different political bodies.

We work flexibly in both Sutton and Kingston offices, and support working at home or flexible working patterns that enable you to tailor your working and personal life. We provide the equipment and tools to enable you to work flexibly, and in return ask you to use that flexibility to be creative and ambitious in the services we deliver.

There are some really exciting things happening in both Sutton and Kingston. We are developing the London Cancer Hub, a world leading cancer research and treatment hub that will bring together professionals from across different sectors to identify and test new treatments and therapies. We are undertaking the largest housing regeneration programme ever delivered in Kingston, building new energy efficient housing that will transform some of our oldest Council owned housing. Both boroughs have publicly committed to doing what they can to tackle the climate emergency and are investing in new technologies and societal change that will help bring carbon emissions down and improve our climate impact.

You should choose Sutton and Kingston if you are looking for an opportunity that will challenge you to deliver more, support you to achieve personal ambitions, and expect you to put borough residents at the heart of what you do.

Sutton is a well connected attractive part of London that has a reputation for excellent schools, green and leafy open spaces, and a history that drives a thriving heritage and culture offer through our museums and libraries. The Council is controlled by a long established Liberal Democrat Administration and has high ambitions set out in its corporate plan "Ambitious for Sutton", that will ensure Sutton remains a great place to live, work and raise a family. The Council plays a leading role in a number of local partnerships and places great emphasis on engaging effectively with its residents, listening to local voices and making their message heard across London Government.

Kingston is a beautiful Royal borough with a historic setting on the banks of the Thames with excellent schools and a bustling retail centre, all surrounded by open green spaces such as Richmond Park and Bushey Park, former recreation grounds for Tudor Kings and Queens. The Council is controlled by a Liberal Democrat Administration and has a council plan "Greener, Fairer, Safer, Together", that sets out a vision to be a vibrant, diverse and inclusive borough where residents are active, empowered, engaged and able to remain independent and resilient. The Council engages with residents through a number of forums and events through the year, and like Sutton plays a leading role in developing the South West Region of London.

About the Role and our Ideal Candidate

About the Role

In this role, you will design, develop, and implement organisational development initiatives that support Kingston Council to meet our goals and priorities as well as delivering exceptional performance and customer service.

As a key member of a shared service team, you will work across multiple boroughs and partner organisations to identify opportunities for delivering coordinated solutions. This position offers the chance to make a significant impact by enhancing the effectiveness of our HR services and driving continuous improvement across the board.

This role will make a positive change to the organisation. We have big ambitions and we are looking for someone who will be able to help us achieve them.

The role is within a team that is committed to:

• positively support the delivery of organisational aims and priorities and ultimately improve performance and customer service now and in the future
• to drive the continuous development of a high-performance culture
• design, develop and implement organisational development initiatives across the organisation
• develop wellbeing initiatives with and for the Council
• attract, retain, and develop a wide range of new talent, and developing people's careers throughout their career life cycle.

Our ideal candidate will

• Work with the Workforce Development Manager to engage with the organisation(s) management and leadership to develop an understanding of the current and future business OD needs.
• Dev elop and/or contribute to the commissioning appropriate OD initiatives (local and organisation wide)
• Contribute to the People and OD strategy, and directorate strategies and Inclusive Kingston Strategy.
• Utilising the people policy framework as a guide to the development of people.
• Identify organisational risk and take steps to mitigate and enhance desired culture.

This will role is wonderfully diverse. Priorities include:

• Early careers and talent management
• Employee engagement initiatives
• Management training programmes
• Culture development
• Optimising the use of Learning & Development systems, including self service functionality
• Supporting the delivery of the Councils Wellbeing Plan.

Our Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a dynamic and skilled individual with exceptional interpersonal abilities to join our team. The ideal candidate will excel in communicating effectively with diverse audiences, both within and outside the Council, and possess strong written and verbal communication skills. Additionally, the candidate will have a proven track record of engaging and working collaboratively with colleagues, building trust, and developing strong partnerships with internal and external networks and organisations.

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate excellent time management skills, ensuring work and projects are delivered on time and to a high professional standard. They will have the ability to solve problems and make decisions independently, adapting to changing circumstances while embodying the Council's values and behaviours. Technological proficiency and experience in utilising digital technology to enhance services are essential. The candidate will also have an understanding of people management and organisational development principles, with experience of addressing complex issues, engaging stakeholders at all levels, and coordinating resources effectively within a large public sector organisation.

About Us

This is an exciting opportunity to join a progressive HR and Organisational Development (OD) Shared Service that focuses on our customers' needs across Sutton Council, Kingston Council and our traded services. We are building a strategically focused OD service that is responsive to our internal customer needs and enables them to provide the services needed for the communities we work with. This is a great place to be a HR and OD Professional.

OWD is a small, friendly and supportive team. We are fortunate to have colleagues with a wealth of experience, knowledge and skills on all aspects of HR & OD. This role focuses on Kingston Council initiatives. It benefits from having a close working relationship with OD staff who have a Sutton Council focus.

Our Offer To You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we're committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We're constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps. Our Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme embraces new ways of working. It provides improved work life balance for our staff as it allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Car parking scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership

Application Process
Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Additional Information

We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve - the key highlights from our recent Equalities Workforce Report can be seen here. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.

We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

Important Information - Criminal Records
This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory result to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).
Job Profile
RDPS Senior OD Advisor (Organisational and Workforce Development) Kingston Focus - Google Docs.pdf - 192KB Opens in a new window