Head of HR

Band 8c · Head of people · 637 job evaluation points

Leads a large part of the people function, such as HR operations, employee relations, and business partnering, and sets its standards. Also known as assistant director of people.

Responsibilities

Lead HR operations, business partnering, and employee relations, managing several team leaders.
Set people policies and the organisation's approach to employment law and risk.
Lead partnership working and negotiations with staff representatives.
Oversee the most serious cases, including those involving senior staff or legal claims.
Lead workforce reporting to committees, including equality and pay gap reporting.
Hold the budget for the HR services you lead and improve their value for money.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
People strategy and HR leadershipThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: write and lead people plans for a directorate in line with the people strategy advise senior leaders on people risks and priorities lead part of the HR function, setting its standards and priorities
Employment law and people policyThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: set the organisation's people policy framework and approach to legal risk anticipate changes in employment law and plan the organisation's response advise the board on employment risk and liability
Employee relations caseworkThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: lead the organisation's approach to employee relations and partnership working handle the most sensitive or high-risk cases, including employment claims negotiate collective agreements and resolve collective disputes
Organisational change and consultationThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: lead organisation-wide restructures and service transfers design the organisation's approach to change, including partnership working advise the board on the people impact and risk of major change
Workforce information and HR systemsThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: analyse workforce data to find trends and explain them to managers design dashboards and reports for workforce indicators produce statutory and equality reporting, such as pay gap analysis
Reward and job evaluationThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead job evaluation panels and consistency checks advise on banding for new and changed roles, including digital and data roles advise on recruitment and retention premiums, using market evidence
Leadership and guidanceUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: make decisions characterised by medium levels of risk and complexity and recommend decisions as risk and complexity increase build consensus between services or independent stakeholders identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them engage in varying types of feedback, choosing the right type at the appropriate time and ensuring the discussion and decision stick bring people together to form a motivated team and help create the right environment for a team to work in facilitate the best team makeup depending on the situation
People managementThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: lead managers and shape the culture of a large area design workforce plans and organisational change coach leaders and resolve complex people issues
Budget managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: hold and manage a budget, forecasting and explaining variances build a business case with costs and benefits
Organisational risk managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: run the risk process for a directorate or programme assess risks against the risk appetite and escalate them report on risks to committees

Typical qualifications and experience

A recognised HR professional qualification at advanced level, or a master's degree in HR or a related subject, or equivalent experience.
Extensive experience of leading HR services at senior level.

Band 8c outline

Knowledge: Expert knowledge, and wide organisational and sector understanding.
Autonomy: Sets strategy for a function; accountable to a director.
Scope: A function or department.
Leadership: Leads a function through several management layers.
Accountability: A function's performance, workforce, and budget.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	6	Gives highly complex, highly contentious information where there are significant barriers to acceptance, using the highest level of communication skills.	60
Knowledge, training, and experience	7	Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (master's level or equivalent).	196
Analytical and judgemental skills	5	Judgements on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
Planning and organisational skills	5	Forms long-term strategic plans, with uncertainty and effects across the organisation.	60
Physical skills	2	Skills gained through practice, such as standard keyboard use or driving.	15
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	5	Implements and develops a range of policies or services for a directorate.	45
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	4	Holds or sets the budget for a department or service, or buys or maintains its assets.	32
Responsibility for people	5	Line manages several departments, or manages training or a large part of HR across the organisation.	45
Responsibility for information resources	4	Adapts or designs information systems to others' specifications, or runs information systems for a department as the main duty.	24
Responsibility for research and development	1	Carries out surveys or audits for own work; occasionally takes part in research or testing.	5
Freedom to act	5	Works within general policies, and in most cases decides how to interpret them.	45
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	4	Frequent prolonged concentration, or occasional intense concentration.	18
Emotional effort	3	Frequent exposure to distressing circumstances, or occasional exposure to highly distressing ones.	18
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 8c: 630 to 674)			637

Communication is level 6 for negotiating highly contentious matters with staff representatives; emotional effort is level 3 for frequent exposure to serious employee relations cases.