—
Senior Consultant in
Leadership and Coaching
Information for applicants
October 2014
OPM
CONSULTANT / SENIOR CONSULTANT IN LEADERSHIP AND COACHING
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OPM
252b Gray’s Inn Road
London
WC1X 8XG
CLASSIFICATION: OPEN
0845 055 3900
www.opm.co.uk
info@opm.co.uk
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OPM
CONSULTANT / SENIOR CONSULTANT IN LEADERSHIP AND COACHING
About the role
OPM is expanding its People, Organisations and Systems consultancy team in response to
growing demand for our development and advisory, services. We are currently recruiting a Senior
Leadership and Coaching Consultant to join our team.
We are seeking candidates who are passionate about providing high quality development support
to leaders and organisations across UK public services and their partners. Ideal candidates will be
knowledgeable about the challenges facing public services, experienced in working with senior
leaders and across systems, and have specific competence in coaching, psychometric profiling
and/or leadership development. The role requires in-depth knowledge of approaches to personal
leadership development, particularly coaching, and a good understanding of organisational
development. A knowledge of and interest in developing our successful suite of ILM coaching and
mentoring qualifications would be a distinct advantage.
An overview of OPM’s work in Leadership
and Coaching
Currently, we work with clients across public services with a particularly strong track record in
health and social care and in local government. Our work includes Board and top team
development in CCGs, hospital trusts, local authorities and with Health and Wellbeing Boards; we
deliver significant leadership development programmes including the Virtual Staff College’s
Leadership for Change programme; hold a number of contracts to provide a range of coaching
services including with Public Health England; we run a highly regarded ILM centre delivering a
range of accredited programmes. Other areas of interest and expertise include equality and
diversity, capacity building, governance and system change. We work closely with our colleagues
in our Engagement, Research and Evaluation division, and with Dialogue by Design our sister
company in the OPM Group. More information is on our website: www.opm.co.uk.
Job description
Main responsibilities
Successful candidates are likely to be able to demonstrate:
— Ability to engage effectively across the range of OPM clients
— An eagerness to make the most of the opportunities offered by a stimulating and varied
work environment and in particular to develop the reach and impact of our ILM centre
— Demonstrable presentation, facilitation and teaching skills
CLASSIFICATION: OPEN
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OPM
CONSULTANT / SENIOR CONSULTANT IN LEADERSHIP AND COACHING
— Experience in designing and delivering learning programmes for senior leaders and aspiring
leaders
— Understanding of the processes of identifying development needs and commissioning and
evaluating development interventions
— A strong personal track record in managing client relationships and projects relevant to
leadership and coaching
— A good understanding of at least one area of UK public policy and practice
— Excellent communication skills
Essential role expectations
— Undertake client work and client relationship management to a consistently high standard
— Win new business, including writing proposals and making presentations
— Manage projects and project teams
— Contribute to ideas development, develop new offers and services
— Contribute to marketing and OPM’s profile by writing for publication, the OPM website and
blog
— Stay abreast of the latest thinking, legislation, policies, practice and consultancy needs
Other responsibilities as a member of OPM
— Act professionally and responsibly in relation to OPM and our clients at all times
— Follow OPM’s policies and procedures and charter; contribute to the maintenance of a
positive and supportive work culture; establish and maintain good working relationship with
colleagues
— Participate in members' days and other corporate activities
— Continue your own learning - engage in professional and personal development activities
While OPM is based in London, our clients are in all parts of the UK. We expect employees to be
available for working in the office when required, and a reasonable willingness and ability to travel,
and to work early morning, evenings and at weekends.
This job description is intended as a general guide. It may be reviewed according to future
requirements and business needs. Our preference is to fill this role with a full-time permanent
employee, but we will consider requests to work part-time.
Key internal relationships
This post reports to the Director, Health and Social Care, and is part of OPM’s change and
transformation team - the People, Organisations and Systems Division. Our client work often
requires teams made up of different specialisms, and we work closely with colleagues in our other
CLASSIFICATION: OPEN
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OPM
CONSULTANT / SENIOR CONSULTANT IN LEADERSHIP AND COACHING
delivery division – Evaluation, Research and Engagement and with our sister company Dialogue
by Design.
Person Specification
Experience
Required
Desirable
— Understanding of the public sector
with a specialism in one particular
area
— Existing network of
contacts in an area of
public services…
— Experience of programme design and
assessment
— Evidence of commercial
skills: business
development; work
winning; contract
management
— Strong interpersonal, verbal and
written communication skills.
— Credibility with senior leaders
— Delivery of accredited learning
programmes to ILM Level 7
Educational
Qualifications
— Degree
— BPS Level A & B
— Level 7 Coaching qualification
— Previous consultancy
experience
— Master’s degree, other
professional, clinical or
management
qualification
— Coaching supervision
qualification
Professional
Skills and
knowledge
You are able to:
— Develop new programmes and
streams of work with existing and new
clients (business development)
— Manage projects and client
relationships
— Manage project teams
— Manage contracts and project budgets
Personal Skills
Excellence in:
— Networking skills
— writing for different audiences
— engagement through presentations
and other media
— qualitative analysis and numerical
competence
CLASSIFICATION: OPEN
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OPM
CONSULTANT / SENIOR CONSULTANT IN LEADERSHIP AND COACHING
— interpersonal communication including
negotiation
— coping with pressure – meeting
deadlines and managing competing
demands while maintaining high
quality
— team working
— self-motivation
General
— A commitment to improving outcomes
and to the OPM charter
— Behaviour consistent with the
principles of fairness and equality;
supporting the implementation of our
Equality and Diversity policies
— Willingness to travel and work with
clients across the UK
— Engagement with OPM’s processes as
a member-owned company
Selection Process
You will need to complete an application form. Please note that CVs will not be accepted. If your
application is taken forward, you will be invited to attend a preliminary interview and to complete
some assessment tasks. If you are successful at this stage, you will be invited to a panel interview.
If you are successful in your application, we will conduct verbal and/or written reference checks
with your approval. We will need to see your original birth certificate and/or passport as well as
your educational certificates. When the enquiries are completed satisfactorily, OPM will make a
formal offer of appointment.
Our provisional recruitment schedule is:
— Deadline for applications
5pm on 14 November 2014
— Numerical and verbal tests
w/c 17 November 2014
— Preliminary interviews
25 November 2014
— Panel Interviews
10 December 2014
CLASSIFICATION: OPEN
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OPM
CONSULTANT / SENIOR CONSULTANT IN LEADERSHIP AND COACHING
Skills testing of disabled applicants
Applicants who satisfy the minimum standards of the role may be asked to take a number of ability
tests before being progressed to the next stage of the recruitment process. These include online
numerical and verbal reasoning assessments supplied by a psychometric test provider. If an ability
test has a feature that, in the opinion of the applicant, places a disabled person at a substantial
disadvantage to other candidates, OPM agrees to take such steps as is reasonable to mitigate the
disadvantage.
Should an applicant be able to demonstrate their ability for the role as laid out in the job description
(able to meet the minimum standards of the role as outlined in the necessary column in the person
specification), by any alternative method, this will be given due consideration by OPM.
OPM agrees that should disabled applicants meet the minimum requirements of the job and are
able to demonstrate their competency through ability tests or any other comparable method; they
will be given an automatic right to interview.
Terms and Conditions
A full copy of the terms and conditions of employment at OPM is distributed upon appointment.
CLASSIFICATION: OPEN
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OPM
CONSULTANT / SENIOR CONSULTANT IN LEADERSHIP AND COACHING
About OPM
OPM is an employee-owned public interest company dedicated to improving social results. We
help organisations make a greater social impact and respond positively to change.
The OPM Group includes Dialogue by Design – specialists in public engagement and online
consultation.
Our clients
We work with organisations in health, social care, local and central government, children’s
services, education, the police and community safety, the voluntary sector, research, regulation
and utilities. All the people we work with share a common commitment: a determination to improve
the well-being of the communities they serve.
Our skills
We have a wide experience in partnerships, innovation, improvement and efficiency, leadership
and management development, research and evaluation, setting up employee-owned mutuals,
commissioning, public service futures, coaching, deliberation and dialogue.
Our knowledge of social policy and public services is unrivalled. We are leading thinkers about the
future of public services and we speak with authority about challenging issues.
Our strengths
We are experts in dealing with complexity and in working across organisational boundaries. When
clients tell us about their needs, we listen intently, identify the most efficient approach, then build
teams with the best fit of skills and experience. It is important to us to equip people with the tools
and skills they need to perform with confidence and excellence. Strong project management, user
engagement methods and the use of evidence underpin all our work.
Quality
We are consistent in our application of corporate policies and guidelines to OPM work and
practices to ensure the highest quality of our work, in particular, operate the ISO 9001 and 27001
standards.
Our values
OPM is made up of enthusiastic members who care about people and public services and work
within a strong ethical framework.
CLASSIFICATION: OPEN
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OPM
CONSULTANT / SENIOR CONSULTANT IN LEADERSHIP AND COACHING
We invest in public interest activities, research and seminars, to improve social outcomes. We are
also involved in our local community: volunteering to help a local community association.
Founded in 1989, we became fully employee-owned in 2006. We belong to the Employee
Ownership Association, ‘the voice of co-owned business in the UK'.
Environmental commitment
We operate to the ISO 14001 environmental system. OPM is accredited by Carbon Smart. This
means that we are ‘implementing practical actions to actively reduce our environmental impact and
carbon footprint’. In 2011, we earned the Carbon Smart Gold Award for the fourth year running.
Equality and diversity
OPM has made a commitment to promoting equality and diversity in all our work. We have a full
programme of activities to support continuous improvement, including regular briefings for all
members, training for managers and practice exchange sessions.
The OPM Charter
Working with you to improve social results
OPM is committed to improving the quality of life for all communities by working with clients and
the public to help them achieve the social results they desire.
As a member of OPM:
— I am committed to delivering high quality work and to helping to achieve social results.
— I am committed to my own development to sustain and increase my contribution to OPM,
and expect others to provide appropriate support and opportunities.
— I will behave with integrity, honesty and courtesy at all times, and expect the same from
others.
— I will contribute to providing a productive and supportive working environment, and will ask
for and offer support when it is needed, and expect others to do the same.
— I will be fair and open in my expectations of others, and expect the same from them.
— I will take responsibility for reflecting and demonstrating the values of OPM outside the
organisation.
All members of OPM are expected to uphold the charter in the organisation, and be active in
ensuring its principles and values underpin all our behaviours, work and the continued success of
the organisation.
CLASSIFICATION: OPEN
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