Job Description
Job title:
HR Business Partner
Department/Faculty:
Human Resources
Reporting to
Deputy Director of HR
Responsible for
HR Advisor
Grade:
8
Location:
This post will be based at the Claverton
Down campus, Bath and any other location
of services run by the University of Bath
Job purpose
To be responsible for the delivery of a high-quality HR service to a designated
Faculty / academic and professional service departments. To lead on all HR
issues for those departments, ensuring that there is the best people
management practice including workforce planning and development and
employee relations.
To be a key member of the Faculty’s / department’s management team,
acting as the HR business partner understanding the business of the
designated departments and providing the value-adding and strategic HR
interventions to enable them to achieve their objectives. To provide high
quality advice, strategic vision, challenge, coaching and support to influence
improvements to the quality, customer-focus, efficiency, effectiveness and
competitiveness of services.
To contribute to the development of Corporate HR policy and practice.
Main duties and responsibilities
1
To work as a business partner with departmental and faculty
management teams to understand their key drivers and objectives
and provide value adding solutions and strategic HR interventions
to support them in achieving those objectives in compliance with
University policy and employment legislation.
2
To ensure the provision of a consistent, professional HR service
across designated Faculty / academic and professional service
departments, underpinned by compliance with University policy
and employment legislation and the principles of HR good
practice.
3
To provide advice and support to managers on a wide range of
employee relations issues including discipline, performance,
grievance and absence issues to enable effective people
management of all staff in line with University policy and
employment legislation.
4
To contribute to the development of managerial and leadership
capability within designated Faculty / academic and professional
service departments. To work with corporate HR colleagues on
actions to increase the people management skills of the managers
and leaders across the University.
5
To advise and support managers in developing effective team
structures and job roles that deliver required services in the most
effective and efficient manner and the recruitment, selection and
appointment of staff with the required competencies to these
posts.
6
To advise and support managers in the effective management of
change, working with trade union representatives and staff to
deliver required changes.
7
To lead the workforce planning process within designated Faculty /
academic and professional service departments as part of the
annual planning process and other strategic planning to ensure
they have the workforce with the right mix of skills to meet current
and future requirements.
8
To line manage the HR Advisor ensuring that they maintain their
continuous professional development and are developed to
maximise their performance in their role. To contribute to
professional development within the whole HR team.
9
To carry out wider development of HR policy and practice, taking
responsibility for developing one or more specific areas of policy
and leading the consultation, ratification and implementation of
these policies.
10.
This job description is intended to provide a broad outline of the
main responsibilities only. The post-holder is required to be
flexible in developing their role in agreement with their designated
manager. In addition they may be required by their manager to
carry out any other duty commensurate with their grading and
expertise
Staff management responsibility:
To line manage the HR Advisor.
STRUCTURE CHART
Director of HR
Deputy Director of HR
HR BUSINESS PARTNER
HR Advisor
Person Specification
CRITERIA
ESSENTIAL
DESIRABLE
Qualifications and training
Degree or equivalent level qualification and / or
validated experience.
X
CIPD Postgraduate Diploma / Grad CIPD status
and evidence of continuing professional
development including specialised training in
related aspects of HR Management.
X
Registered with CIPD as Grad CIPD or higher.
X
Knowledge and experience
Strong knowledge of employment law and HR
best practice and its practical application.
X
Knowledge of Higher Education environment
and current issues in Higher Education.
Successful track record of achieving results in
HR management role or business partner role
in diverse medium to large organisation.
X
X
Experience and strong track record of delivery
of change projects, employee relations and
workforce planning and development.
X
Experience of working effectively with trade
union / staff representatives.
X
Experience of policy development and
implementation.
X
Skills and abilities
Demonstrable ability to lead, manage and
motivate others to deliver team objectives.
X
Excellent communication skills – verbally and in
writing. Able to communicate highly sensitive
and complex issues including employment
issues clearly and straightforwardly to
managers and staff including in contentious
situations.
X
Ability to work autonomously and pro-actively
as the HR Business Partner for the Faculty /
department directing the key actions.
X
Effective coaching skills
X
Strategic vision with strong strategic and
creative thinking skills combined with the ability
to translate strategic issues into practical
solutions.
X
Highly developed problem solving skills – able
to analyse problems and situations and
propose, gain support for, and implement
solutions.
X
Demonstrable ability to gain and maintain
credibility at all levels across designated
departments of the University.
X
Self-starting and pro-active - Strong drive,
commitment, persistence and resilience to lead
and sustain change and improvement and
deliver this role.
X
Strong Business Partnering skills - able to
understand the business of the Faculty /
department and identify the HR interventions
necessary to achieve their objectives.
X
Demonstrable ability to work effectively as a
team member working cohesively with
colleagues within and across teams.
X
Demonstrable ability to identify, design and
facilitate training and development solutions /
interventions.
Able to cope effectively with emotionally
demanding situations and manage own and
others stress when under pressure whilst
continuing to deliver to tight deadlines.
X
Ability to encourage positive change and to
work effectively within a changing environment.
X
Strong customer focus
X
Effective IT skills - Confident in the use and
application of IT solutions to reduce
bureaucracy and promote effective working.
Motivation & ambition to develop personally and
professionally.
X
X
X
Effective Behaviours*
To be most effective in this role the University has identified a set of effective behaviours.
These behaviours do not examine technical competence, rather they identify the
behaviour patterns that are valued due to been consistent with high performance across
the organisation. Part of the selection process will be for candidates to demonstrate
where they have successfully applied these behaviours previously.
Managing self and personal skills:
Willing and able to assess and apply own skills, abilities and experience. Being aware of
own behaviour and how it impacts on others.
Delivering excellent service:
Providing the best quality service to all students and staff and to external customers e.g.
clients, suppliers. Building genuine and open long-term relationships in order to drive up
service standards.
Finding innovative solutions:
Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically and with creativity to analyse problems
and develop innovative and workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.
Embracing change:
Adjusting to unfamiliar situations, demands and changing roles. Seeing change as an
opportunity and being receptive to new ideas.
Using resources:
Making effective use of available resources including people, information, networks and
budgets. Being aware of the financial and commercial aspects of the University.
Engaging with the big picture:
Seeing the work that you do in the context of the bigger picture e.g. in the context of what
the University/other departments are striving to achieve and taking a long-term view.
Communicating vision clearly and enthusiastically to inspire and motivate others.
Developing self and others:
Showing commitment to own development and supporting and encouraging others to
develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential
for the wider benefit of the University.
Working with people:
Working co-operatively with others in order to achieve objectives. Demonstrating a
commitment to diversity and applying a wider range of interpersonal skills.
Achieving results:
Planning and organising workloads to ensure that deadlines are met within resource
constraints. Consistently meeting objectives and success criteria.