The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, fire, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.
HR teams enable business leaders to improve organisational performance and efficiency through workforce planning, leadership development, transformational change, workforce capability and upskilling, employee engagement and talent development to create a place where people thrive, feel proud and belong.
Learn more about the work of the HR profession in the Home Office.
About the role
Joining the Home Office as an HR Business Partner will provide you with the opportunity to directly influence senior leaders responsible for implementing ministerial priorities. For an ambitious HR professional, the scope, benefits and development opportunities offered by the role are immense.
Our HR Business Partners work alongside senior managers in different areas of the Home Office to provide an independent view and strategic HR input on a range of critical business issues, often characterised by ambiguity and often at pace. No two days are the same, and resilience and the ability to flex between transactional and strategic activities is key.
As HR Business Partners, you will be central to enabling the organisation to achieve its transformation outcomes. This role is varied: you may be involved with critical incidents, required to provide important data for ministerial briefings and advise on high profile casework or policy that attracts media scrutiny.
This is an opportunity to get involved with driving significant change programmes and strategic initiatives that will fundamentally change how the Home Office operates. As an HR Business Partner, you will be at the heart of driving, developing and delivering change.
Reserve list
In addition to current vacancies, we are also seeking interest for future vacancies for the role of HR Business Partner. If successful, you will be placed on a reserve list. Reserve lists will be held for 12 months, and we cannot guarantee there will be roles available within the period.
HR Business Partners are aligned to the geographical regions of the business areas they partner. We are advertising roles currently in London and Folkestone. We would anticipate future vacancies to arise in London, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield.
Meet the Team
We’ll be holding online events where you can meet members of the team, learn more about the roles, how to apply and ask any questions. There’s no requirement to attend these events in order to apply.
Click on the slot you’re interested in to register for the event.
Hybrid working
Hybrid working enables employees to work partly in their workplace(s) and partly at home. A hybrid working pattern may be available, where business needs allow.
These roles have a degree of flexibility attached due to a combination of flexible working from home and a requirement to be on-site. Travel across regions to multiple ports/ offices/ locations is expected, and a flexible office base may be possible at a location within a geographical region.
Benefits
We offer competitive starting salaries, along with a Civil Service Pension with employer contribution rates of at least 26.6%, as well as a range of other brilliant benefits including flexible working and 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service.
Find out more about some of the other benefits we offer.
More about the roles
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Croydon, Folkestone, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield
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- National: £54,000 – £59,400
- London: £59,000 – £64,900
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Key responsibilities include:
- Working with senior business leaders to lead the design and implementation of directorate Business and People Strategies and Plans.
- Working across HR Expert Teams and Shared Service providers to implement HR basics as well as HR policy and programmes to deliver taxpayer VFM and a high standard of HR service delivery.
- Supporting change initiatives and refining organisation culture, values and environment to improve organisational performance, effectiveness and flexibility.
- Working alongside senior managers to build capability in line with strategic goals to maximise capability and skills across a diverse workforce.
- Acting as the people lead in the development of organisational design, structures and resource plans.
- Advising on options for appropriate talent and resourcing initiatives.
- Supporting senior leaders with Employee Relations and interpreting legal advice.
- Driving the commissioning, development and delivery of HR solutions to meet business needs, improve user/customer experience and to ensure that diversity issues are fully integrated.
- Working collaboratively and with agility to thrive within a business which relies on constant innovation and change.
- Navigating the complex with curiosity to support our diverse business and promote a unified Civil Service HR Profession.
Please note: an employee may be required to carry out other duties within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence and training.
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- Experience of HR business partnering or partnering leaders in operational and strategic HR is vital.
- Ability to credibly partner and influence a range of collaborators across complex networks, on a range of people priorities and plans.
- Ability to use an evidence-led approach to shape, create and implement new people approaches across a diverse workforce.
- Leading self, teams and collaborators through ambiguity and organisational change.
- Ability to resiliently manage a range of conflicting priorities, often at pace, understanding that roles can frequently be pressurised and priorities varied.
- Experience of analysing and interpreting complex data to formulate and engage collaborators on sound people recommendations, decision-making, plans and activities.
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Minimum of CIPD qualified (level 5).
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We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Changing and Improving
- Communicating and Influencing
- Leadership
- Making Effective Decisions
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This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
1. CV
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV detailing your job history, qualifications and skills. Your CV will not be scored.
2. Statement of suitability
You will be asked to complete a statement of suitability (no more than 1250 words) to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description. It is important to use headings for each essential criterion in order to help us accurately assess your application. Poorly written and evidenced applications may result in not passing the sift stage.
The sift will be held on the statement of suitability.
3. Interview
If you are successful at sift stage you will be invited to an interview, which will be comprised of behaviour-based questions. At interview, candidates will be asked to deliver a short presentation. Details will be provided prior to interview.
Sift and Interview dates
The sift is expected to take place from 19th June 2023.
Interviews are expected to take place from 17th July 2023.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert; however on occasions these dates may change.
Interviews will be carried out via video call. Candidates will be required to have access to a laptop with a working webcam, good internet connection and Microsoft Teams.
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Please note: a location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role or similar role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
When completing your application, you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in. Candidates who are successful at interview will be placed in order of merit per location and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order per location preference. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks.
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The closing date for applications is 23:55 on 11th June 2023.
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If you are interested in one of these roles, please apply using the relevant link below.
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What is the minimum level of qualification for the role?
When you submit your application, you must hold a Level 5 CIPD qualification. This is an essential criterion.
I am partway through a HR apprenticeship. Can I still apply?
Being on an apprenticeship does not prevent you from applying. However, you must satisfy the minimum qualification criterion at the time you submit your application of holding a Level 5 CIPD qualification.
I work in another sector and not strictly in a HR partnering role, is it worth applying?
You may have developed your HR career in a different sector which may use a variety of titles to describe your role. What is important is that you are able to demonstrate that you have experience of partnering senior managers on a range of people issues and can demonstrate how your experience meets the essential criteria in the advert.
How many posts are you recruiting to?
We are currently recruiting to fill 3 posts.
Are the roles only offered on a full-time basis only or are other working patterns available?
Flexible working is available for these roles, including patterns such as job share, compressed hours, hybrid working. Part Time working will be considered in relation to any specific post offered to successful candidates.
Is full-time homeworking offered?
A contractual homeworking arrangement is not offered as part of the role. Under hybrid working, you can decide whether you wish to spend part of your working week, working from home or elsewhere, satisfying the requirement to work a minimum of 40% from a work location.
What locations can you work from?
You will be contractually based at any one of the locations cited in the advert for a minimum of 40%, i.e. two days if working full-time. You can also work from other locations, subject to available capacity at those locations, for the remaining 60%.
What is the selection/interview process?
There are two stages in the selection process:
Stage 1 (sift) – following the closing date (11th June 2023), submitted applications will be sifted against the essential criteria
Stage 2 (interview) – candidates who progress beyond the sift stage will be invited to attend an interview. Further details about this stage and any other requirements, will be provided via the applicant’s Civil Service Job account (the portal used to submit the application)
Are interviews held in person?
Interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams.
Do you fund CIPD membership fees?
We do fund CIPD membership fees.
