Welcome to Freebridge Community Housing. Recruitment Pack for the role of HR Business Partner

Transcription

1 Welcome to Freebridge Community Housing Recruitment Pack for the role of HR Business Partner 1

2 Dear candidate, Welcome to Freebridge. I am delighted that you are considering joining Freebridge. Freebridge is a truly great place to work. We are a valuesbased organisation and employee satisfaction along with customer satisfaction are the main drivers of our business. At Freebridge, our people truly live our values of Working Together, Customer Focus, Empowerment, Enthusiasm and Integrity. We use our values in recruitment, appraisals, performance planning, recognition and how we work each day. We have a strong community focus, including through our award-winning project to regenerate Hillington Square, a programme on which we are working with a range of partners including Hemingway Design. We are also proud to own and manage a vibrant community centre, providing residents in the heart of the community access to a range of services. And, we are committed to visiting tenants in their own homes through our Out and About visits which allow us to meet hundreds of tenants each year. The role of HR Business Partner offers a great opportunity to make a real impact within Freebridge. The successful candidate, who will report to the Director of Corporate Services & Culture a role we are currently recruiting for - will lead our HR activities and team. The role holder will also be responsible for our training and development, our performance management approach, our employee surveying, and our recognition offer. But that s not all. This is also a Leader Manager role meaning that the successful candidate will work with our other heads of services and business partners to have a real influence in the organisation. This is a really great place to work. If you would like to join us at Freebridge, then please do let us have your application. Yours sincerely, Tony Hall, Chief Executive 2

3 Some of the things we are doing for our community are: Hillington Square Project We are delivering a transformational regeneration project which is changing the face of Hillington Square in King s Lynn, raising aspirations for residents and retaining a part of the town s twentieth-century history for future generations. Working with a range of partners including Hemingway Design and Lovell, the project is changing the physical appearance of the area, offering modern living through a range of flats and studios. The design is maximising the central location of Hillington Square. Millfleet Court, phase one of Hillington Square We are also increasing opportunities for social engagement, part of our efforts to improve the sense of neighbourliness. And we are working to change perceptions about the area through a comprehensive programme of communications activity. All of this is increasing resident satisfaction, and has resulted in the project being shortlisted for a number of awards. Celebrating the completion of phase one on Hillington Square Hillington Square Café Since 2013, Freebridge has operated the Hillington Square café with the Costa Love to Service brand. The café offers a unique hub for engagement in the area, and it also offers healthy food at affordable prices. Housed in a former community centre, the café is a popular venue for residents and is used for a range of community events. 3

4 Providence Street Community Centre Located next to Hillington Square, we own and manage Providence Street Community Centre, which allows local residents to access a range of services around wellbeing. The Centre is thriving, offering sports activities as well as educational and therapeutic sessions. It is operating at full capacity and is fully integrated into the community as a valuable resource. Our community café Marking Providence Street Community Centre s first birthday Out and About Visits Every year, we run a programme of Out and About visits which allows us to get out and meet our residents in their own homes. Each visit is attended by a range of employees, including our own operatives who can carry out on the spot repairs. The Out and About visits are in response to tenants who said that they liked to see us face to face. In 2015/16, we visited 917 properties, completed 83 repairs and carried out 104 inspections. Over 100 employees were involved in the visits. 4

5 Some of the things we are doing for our people are: Coaching and Empowering Conversations We are very proud that a quarter of our workforce is trained in coaching skills and empowering conversations is an important part of our culture. We offer formal coaching sessions, and we have empowering conversations all the time with our colleagues. If you join us, you will also be able to access coaching yourself. Customer Service The Mary Gober Method is at the heart of how we deliver customer service and every single employee has been trained in this method. This approach focuses on the thinking behind good customer service and gives us tools to deliver better customer service, for our internal and external customers. We offer coaching to all our employees Since we introduced this approach, our customer satisfaction has increased impressively. If you join us, you will be fully trained in this approach. Equality and Diversity We treat everyone fairly. We promote equality of opportunity and value the differences between our customers and everyone who works for Freebridge Community Housing. We have a diverse range of customers and colleagues and provide appropriate services to suit different needs and preferences. We want to empower our employees to feel able to be themselves at work. Wellbeing We really care about our employees and we truly believe in a good work/life balance. We offer a range of tools to support your wellbeing at Freebridge including counselling and the Employee Assistance Programme. We also hold an annual Week of Wellbeing when we offer a range of events and activities to support wellbeing. We will also offer you: Generous stakeholder pension Car allowance Generous holiday allowance Annual performance appraisal linked to salary increase Flexible working Company sick pay (qualifying period) Freebridge Together online employee discount site Skillgate online training site Investment in Personal Development/Training High spec ICT equipment Employee Assistance Programme Professional membership fees paid Eye tests Occupational Health Access to counselling and other wellbeing support Support with relocation costs, as appropriate. 5

6 Working in West Norfolk In West Norfolk, you will find everything you need for a great quality of life. Beautiful coastline, sprawling countryside and all the facilities of a large town in King s Lynn, West Norfolk has it all. And from our offices in King s Lynn, you are just 40 miles from Norwich and from Peterborough, and just 50 minutes by train to Cambridge and less than two hours to London. There is so much to discover. The Queen s estate of Sandringham occupies glorious countryside and is the scene for the annual flower show which attracts visitors from far away. In the northern part of West Norfolk there is a long stretch of coastline which is extremely attractive, containing a substantial number of wildlife reserves. Parts of the coastline are within the Norfolk Coastal Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The seaside town of Hunstanton in the north and the market town of Downham Market in the south provide different services and facilities for local communities. And the main town King s Lynn combines heritage and the arts with more modern facilities. Each year the town hosts the hugely popular Festival Too music festival which features a range of artists and bands. And the King s Lynn Festival is a true celebration of arts and culture and offers ballet, opera, orchestral concerts, jazz, folk, classical recitals and children's entertainment. Find out more about living and working in West Norfolk here: The beautiful Norfolk coastline 6

7 Advertisement HR Business Partner Competitive Could you lead our HR team and deliver our people strategy? We are committed to engaging, empowering and supporting our employees and we are looking for a talented and enthusiastic business partner to deliver our people strategy. We are looking for someone with excellent knowledge of HR processes and policies balanced with a keen commitment to helping people to be the best they can be. Interested? Please write to us explaining how you fit the role requirements and what our values mean to you, together with your CV. 7

8 Job Description Job Title Department Reporting to Responsible for HR Business Partner Human Resources Director of Corporate Services and Culture HR Advisor, HR Assistant, HR Trainee Job Summary To provide and develop a proactive and reactive HR Management service built upon our values and based around employee engagement. Main Tasks and Responsibilities 1. To lead the HR team, ensuring that proactive HR priorities are delivered alongside meeting the reactive needs of the organisation. 2. To develop and manage the organisation s training and development provision - including the management development programme - and the procedures and policies to support training and development. 3. To keep up to date with employment law, updating policies and procedures accordingly, keeping managers informed and engaged around legislation, and liaising with the company s employment lawyer, as appropriate. 4. To develop and implement the recognition and reward programme, ensuring that it is targeted, appropriate, engaging and represents value for money. 5. To lead the organisation s approach to recruitment, identifying innovation and best practice to support Freebridge to attract the best candidates, and developing and implementing the welcome approach. 6. To support the Director of Corporate Services and Culture to develop the approach to remuneration, ensuring consistency and fairness, including through job evaluation and market testing. In addition, to support the annual pay award discussions, providing reference information and research. 8

9 7. To develop and implement the performance management process, ensuring it is engaging and gives opportunity for two-way feedback. 8. Working with the Director of Corporate Services and Culture, develop the benefits offer, ensuring that they are fit for purpose and represent value for money. 9. To manage relationships with the union reps, and the Pay Panel, and any other employee groups which may be developed. 10. To provide expert advice to managers on all HR matters, empowering managers to deal with HR issues through guidance, advice and coaching. 11. To lead the approach to employee surveying and to monitor key HR trends, reporting these to management, and making suggestions for improvement as a consequence. 12. To deputise for the Director of Corporate Services and Culture as necessary. OTHER TASKS 1. To promote equal opportunities and diversity; 2. To promote and look for opportunities to achieve Value for Money; 3. To deliver Freebridge s Vision, Mission and Values; 4. Other such duties as may be required from time to time. PERSON SPECIFICATION KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE 9

10 Chartered membership of the CIPD Training and qualifications in HR courses Ability to provide in depth practical knowledge to employees at all levels across the organisation. Excellent knowledge of current employment legislation and best practice. Previous experience of delivering information and advice at a strategic level Previous experience of leading and motivating staff and managing a team Experience of making presentations and experience of training one to one or small groups SKILLS An understanding of the strategic operating environment of Freebridge An understanding of the need for continuous improvement, and an ability to continue to innovate Excellent verbal and written communication skills Excellent negotiation skills, with a diplomatic approach The ability and willingness to coach staff The ability to build and develop mutually beneficial partnerships with staff and staff representatives An understanding of risk An understanding of budgets ATTITUDE Work on own initiative Self-starter Resilient Innovative Empathetic Enthusiastic, can-do approach. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES Occasional requirement to attend meeting outside of office hours Occasional need to carry out a home visit (access to a vehicle/clean driving licence/appropriate business insurance) 10

11 Selection Process w/c 3 rd April 21st April April/May Vacancy goes out to advert Closing date for applications First stage assessment: psychometric testing, verbal and numerical reasoning 5 th May Shortlisting 11 th May Assessment Day To apply: Please send in your CV with a covering letter outlining how you believe you are right for the role, and what our values mean to you by Friday 21 st April to jobs@freebridge.org.uk or: HR Team, Juniper House, Austin Street, King s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 1DZ. 11