HR PARTNER- The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)

The HR Partner role within the centralised HR Service Centre, is designed to support the delivery of an efficient, professional and effective HR Operations service, supporting Districts and Departments by promoting a partnership culture of consistent, professional HR support with continuous improvement across the Service

The role holder will be responsible for providing consistent expert advice, guidance and support to operational Line Managers in relation to more complex people management issues, particularly through the handling of specific case work. This will include areas such as discipline, fairness at work, attendance management, operational resourcing issues and performance management etc.

• Work in collaboration with line managers on individual cases (e.g. sickness absence, disciplines, grievances, employee relations) allocated via the HR Service Centre.
• Scoping out responsibilities of the Case Consultant and the line manager in order to successfully manage the case and reach an appropriate outcome
• Coach line managers to enhance their people management skills that will enable them to confidently deal with more complex matters over time
• Identify areas for further development in the delivery of expert HR advice that will continue to embed and reinforce the principle of the empowered and competent line manager through regular interaction
• Ensure that all agreed policies, procedures and working practices are adhered to, whilst identifying potential areas for improvement and flagging these to the Head of the  HR Service Centre
• Support other HR personnel on more complex or wide-ranging cases and develop sound working relationships with team members and colleagues, contributing positively to the achievement of organisational objectives
• Provide documentation, witness evidence and review proposed submissions in defence of Industrial Tribunal claims
• Maintain and update professional knowledge of own training and development needs, updating practices and attending relevant training courses.

Contacts and Communication

The role holder will have contact with officers at most ranks and grades for the purpose of providing advice and guidance on HR related matters such as terms and conditions of employment and the interpretation of policies, procedures and legislation

Problem Solving

As an HR policy and advice consultant the role holder will be responsible for managing a portfolio of cases which will typically include disciplinary matters, grievances and absence management cases amongst others.  Problems will vary in size and complexity and will be solved mainly through discussion with line managers, and providing direction and advice on suitable solutions. For example, advising managers on how to deal with a member of staff whose sickness absence record is giving cause for concern, including providing advice on pertinent policies and procedures.

Decision Making

The role holder will be responsible for the provision of advice and guidance to staff/officers and managers and supervisors on a range of issues e.g. grievance, discipline, capability or absence-related issues to enable them to identify appropriate outcomes. The role holder will have a degree of independence in these decision-making areas and will be expected to interpret guidance and legislation in order to recommend appropriate courses of action and ensure advice is acted upon. This will entail analysing information to identify important issues, identify risks and consider alternative courses of action to make good decisions.

Qualifications

• A minimum of formal qualifications equivalent to 2 ‘A’ Levels
• Chartered membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) would be required.

Experience

The role holder would be expected to possess a minimum of 3 years generalist experience in a multi-disciplined HR role to include practical application of employment legislation and Employee Relations policies and procedures in addition to providing advice and guidance on the application of HR practices and procedures

Knowledge

The type of knowledge and experience required for the role includes:

• Significant generalist experience of HR practices and procedures.
• Experience of undertaking HR casework.
• Ability to understand, interpret and apply policies, procedures and regulations.
• Working knowledge of employment law, police regulations, and police and support staff terms and conditions.
• Experience in coaching managers to improve capability with regards to managing people performance.
• Ability to support and advise managers during periods of change.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills at various levels within the organisation.
• IT skills including knowledge of Microsoft Office and Windows in addition to a Personnel IT system

The successful candidate will be required to travel across parts of the province, therefore access to a means of personal transportation will be essential.

The salary will be £29,317 to £31,446 per annum.