Job Description
Job title
Director of People and Culture
Reports to
Chief Executive
Location
Based at the main Hospice in Pembury, Kent, with potential requirement to work at other locations within West Kent and East Sussex.
Responsible for
HR Advisors and HR Volunteers
Scope and Job Purpose
- To provide strategic leadership and direction for people and culture development as part of the executive team (Directors), providing expertise on all staff and volunteer related matters.
- To lead the HR team to provide a high-quality service to the organisation on all matters of people and culture.
- To work as part of the wider Hospice Leadership Team (Directors and Heads of) to support the successful delivery of the Hospice strategy.
- To influence and shape culture in an evolving organisation.
Key Responsibilities
Deliverables/outcomes
- Plan and promote a clear vision for engagement of staff and volunteers, ensuring effective consultation and communication mechanisms are in place that foster productive relationships and maximise staff performance and effectiveness.
- As a member of the executive team, share collective accountability for the overall management of the organisation, ensuring effective decisions are made in the best interests of Hospice in the Weald as a healthcare charity.
- Develop a meaningful plan for equity, diversity and inclusion and ensure that aspirations are realised, embedded and skills and that experience gained from a diverse workforce are maximised.
- Support with the development and maintenance of a sustainable long-term financial strategy that supports the Hospice values, and balances this with the wider economic climate.
- Advise the Chief Executive on matters of people, culture, financial and operational efficiency of the workforce and to be proactive in identifying opportunities for improvement, including in the processes that affect the day-to-day experience of employees, such as orientation and annual reviews.
- Provide strategic leadership for workforce well-being, including occupational health services.
- Review, design, and roll out of HR policy as required.
Management and Leadership
- Oversee the management and development of the core HR database, and its interface with payroll systems.
- Oversee the management and development of modules associated to the core HR database, including applicant tracking system, learning management system.
- Lead, manage and oversee the Hospice payroll and pensions services, ensuring full compliance with statutory requirements and Hospice policy, pension schemes and audit requirements.
- Coach directors and managers on people related matters and build leadership capabilities to ensure a positive environment aligned with our Hospice values.
- Manage a departmental budget ensuring financial targets and good value for money is achieved.
- Develop and implement appropriate recruitment and retention strategies and initiatives to attract capable people as part of a talent management strategy.
- Ensure all staff have regular, meaningful, and constructive performance reviews that contribute to continuing professional development.
- Ensure all new starters receive a thorough, appropriate, and positive on-boarding and induction experience.
- Review and manage the Hospice employee assistance programme (EAP).
- Coordinate at a whole organisation level, volunteer recruitment, retention, and engagement efforts, ensuring an environment where volunteers are recognised for the value they contribute.
- Utilise people data and analytics to measure trends and patterns to influence the effectiveness of people policies and plans to help drive continuous improvements and increase performance.
- Collaborate with the Chief Executive and Board Chair on the recruitment of Hospice trustees, ensuring effective induction and ongoing support to maximise their contribution to the organisation.
- As part of the executive team, actively contribute to the Hospice risk management process to help safeguard the welfare of patients, visitors and workforce and take responsibility for reporting risks and managing risks, as appropriate.
- Act as a Hospice signatory, following relevant policy and ensuring internal controls are maintained.
- Support the HR team to deliver the annual workforce celebration event and well-being days.
Communications & Teamwork
- Shape the HR team, practices, and processes to provide an effective and efficient service on all people management, recruitment, retention and performance matters and information reporting.
- Support the communications team to create an effective and engaging internal communication plan.
- Support the work of the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian to ensure that our people feel safe and able to speak up and know that they will be listened to.
- Provide regular briefings for all people managers on a range of people related topics.
- Design and implement workforce engagement surveys and action plans to enable the Hospice to develop continuously and improve our people practices and be an employer of choice.
- Provide support to other executive team members in accordance with portfolio responsibilities, and adherence to mandatory national guidance and relevant statutory requirements.
- As part of the Hospice Leadership Team, be accountable for the collective decisions and Hospice-wide communications.
- Participate in the Hospice Leadership Team on call rota.
- Communicate effectively internally and externally – ensuring the flow of appropriate information throughout the organisation.
Working with Due Diligence
- Ensure the organisation has reliable and timely people management information to aid operational activity and effective financial planning.
- Interpret employment law and best practice to ensure advice and guidance from the HR team is clear, accurate and up to date.
- Ensure employment contracts and job descriptions are kept up to date.
- Develop and set a review schedule for people policies and procedures to ensure they meet legal and statutory requirements.
- Monitor training compliance according to organisational objectives as well as legal and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure all HR data is of the highest quality and is managed in accordance with all relevant legislation.
- Maintain remuneration and reward frameworks and ensure regular benchmarking to remain competitive wherever possible and to be the guardian and approver of all reward decisions to ensure equity across staff groups.
- Provide expert advice on all employment contract issues in line with organisational policy and procedure.
- Lead, manage and oversee quality payroll control procedures to ensure that all information and transactions are verified, correctly authorised, and monitored in line with audit and statutory requirements.
- Develop and embed KPIs for workforce related matters and payroll ensuring high standards and expectations are maintained and the effectiveness of the HR service is regularly monitored and evaluated via internal audit.
Training and Development
- Support teams across the Hospice to manage their training and development budgets to support the Hospice strategy and ensure equality of access.
- Champion a high-performance and learning culture with effective teamwork, providing tools, guidance and coaching to support this.
- Ensure an organisation-wide training and development strategy is in place for staff and volunteers, promoting a learning culture for all staff and volunteers.
- Maintain training and development resources, including statutory and mandatory training, in partnership with functional experts.
- Undertake continuing professional development including participating in performance reviews and attending training as/when required.
- Collaborate with the executive team and members of the Hospice Leadership Team to implement strategic workforce and succession planning for all key roles, understanding strengths, development areas and succession risks.
General
- Maintain professionalism through adherence to recognised codes and guidelines and work within the boundaries of Hospice in the Weald policies.
- Maintain personal development through the Hospice Annual Review process, continuously updating and improving knowledge and skills and applying that knowledge.
- Engage in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) and achieve the required level of competence.
- Recognise the growing need for 24/7 working patterns and flexibility.
- Demonstrate Our Values through day-to-day interactions between colleagues as well as patients and those important to them.
- Strive for excellence at all times.
- Any other duties that may be reasonably requested.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Level 7 CIPD qualification, or similar by experience
Experience
- Substantial experience of leading an HR / people team at a strategic level (charity / healthcare setting preferable)
- Influencing key stakeholders internally and externally and collaborating with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders including trustees, external consultants, and professional advisors.
- Developing, implementing, and monitoring a people strategy which aligns to organisational strategy.
- Developing and delivering effective staff engagement strategies.
- A sound HR generalist with in-depth knowledge of employment law and best practice.
Essential Skills
- Strong leadership skills at a senior level, with the ability to motivate, coach, influence and support individuals and teams.
- Ability to think strategically and to analyse issues and trends, identifying and implementing creative solutions.
- An understanding of the charity sector, including the work of hospices, with the ability to relate to the multi-disciplinary healthcare team.
- Analytical and evaluative skills with the ability to interpret effectively and use data to support decision making.
- High level of ICT literacy.
- Attention to
- Effective communicator acting with credibility, tact, and diplomacy.
- High level of professionalism and commitment to confidentiality as appropriate.
Personal Attributes
- Organised, with an ability to prioritise and a tenacity to see projects and tasks through to completion.
- Capable of balancing and progressing multiple priorities and possessing strong organisational skills working autonomously within a broad framework.
- Inquisitive nature – comfortable in challenging positively and sensitvely the status quo to identify areas for improvement.