Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Employee Relations and HR Lead
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Locations
Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Salford
Job Summary
At DSIT we’re all about improving people’s lives by maximising the potential of science & technology.
We accelerate innovation, investment and productivity through world-class science, research and development.
We use technology for good by ensuring new and existing technologies are safely developed and deployed across the UK, with the benefits more widely shared.
We are driving forward a modern digital government which gives citizens a more satisfying experience and their time back.
We do all this to enable the Government’s 5 national missions: kickstarting economic growth, making Britain a clean energy superpower, taking back our streets, breaking down barriers to opportunity and building an NHS fit for the future.
Above all, we focus on improving people’s lives. Whether it’s researching new treatments for disease, developing better batteries, reducing burdens through better public services, keeping children safe online, and much more, outcomes for citizens are at the heart of what we do.
Our Inclusive Environment
We offer flexible working benefits, employee well-being support and a great pension. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.
Please note:
Former DSIT recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government’s announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles will be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be in one of the new departments. We will provide more information if you are selected for a role. This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.
Job Description
The Matrix Programme is a transformation initiative involving 7 Departments (listed at end). It is a unique cross-government collaboration that will unlock simpler, better, and more joined up working by bringing together the systems, processes, and ways of working for key government functions such as HR, Finance or Procurement, commonly known as Shared Services.
The Programme Is Part Of The Shared Services Team Within DSIT, a Fantastic Team Passionate About Improving The Existing Shared Services Experience For DSIT And Its Partners, Whilst Working To deliver the Strategic Objectives Of The Government Shared Services Strategy, Which Are:
- Better experience for all users - intuitive systems that are easy to use and mobile-enabled.
- Efficiency and value for money - better systems and services which support productivity and seek to reduce costs.
- Standardised processes and data - support interoperability, making it easier to understand and compare corporate data.
Over the coming months we’ll be preparing to roll out Neo, our powerful new HR and Finance technology and service for the Matrix cluster - driving a more modern, digital government. Neo is a cloud-based system, powered by Workday that will replace legacy HR and finance technology and offline processes. Designed to streamline administrative activities and promote intuitive self-service, Neo is enabling time back to focus on what we value the most – serving the public. Moreover, Neo’s adoption means we are harnessing the power of shared technology at scale. This unified way of working delivers better, more accurate data - eliminating errors, creating one trusted source of truth and accurate reporting. Neo is more than just a new system; it’s enabling us to be data-led, to work smarter, respond faster and deliver services that truly meet the needs of the public.
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The Departments forming the Matrix Programme include: Cabinet Office (CO), Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), Department for Business Trade (DBT), Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Department for Education (DfE), and His Majesty's Treasury (HMT).
Person Specification
The Employee Relations & HR Lead will form part of the core Matrix Programme team, working with and on behalf of seven departments across the cluster to deliver the introduction of modern technologies, services and ways of working. As we prepare to onboard departments to the new service, we are looking for an established HR and employee relations professional to work as part of a small team to lead and deliver central employee relations activities across the Matrix Programme.
The postholder will work with departmental employee relations leads to ensure regular engagement on programme related matters, maintaining effective and open relationships with departmental Trade Unions. The postholder will represent the programme at departmental Trade Union engagement sessions and will have regular exposure to senior stakeholders, including HR Directors. The postholder will shape how the cluster navigates complex employee relations and play a pivotal role in identifying emerging themes and ensuring compliance with trade union agreements and statutory obligations. If you are passionate about building strong trade union partnerships, we’d love to hear from you.
In This Role, You Will Be:
- Working collaboratively with employee relations colleagues from across departments to lead the development and implementation of an agreed employee relations strategy for the Matrix cluster.
- Quickly building trust and credibility with stakeholders across the Programme, using professional HR expertise to support departments in facilitating positive and timely engagement with departmental Trade Unions on programme related matters.
- Assessing and preparing for changes to Trade Union legislation, including Trade Union framework agreements, ensuring the programme is cognisant to the recent Employment Rights Act 2025 changes.
- Advising and briefing senior stakeholders including the Programme Senior Responsible Owner (SRO), Programme Director and departmental HR Directors on employee relations matters, including ahead of key Trade Union meetings, to ensure a consistent and joined up approach.
- Working alongside other HR professionals in the programme team and in departments to advise upon and manage any employee relations issues linked to Cabinet Office Statement of Practice (COSoP) or Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (TUPE) transfers. This includes a working understanding of employee liability information, informing and consulting obligations and treatment of measures.
- Maintaining effective relationships with employee relations colleagues across other clusters.
- Leading on status, risk and issue reporting for employee relations matters in line with programme requirements – ensuring that risks are captured, understood and mitigating actions developed in a timely way.
- Maintaining a detailed audit trail of discussions and actions, ensuring accurate records and follow up.
- Facilitating and chairing trade union meetings, as required; preparing meeting agendas, packs and products that are clear, concise and tailored for effective engagement. There will also be a need to represent the Programme at department led Trade Union meetings, as necessary.
- Using broader HR expertise, provide support and leadership on other people related matters within the Matrix HR Assurance Team in support of driving positive programme outcomes.
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Essential Criteria
We are looking for someone with proven hands-on experience leading complex trade union engagement at scale, with skills in negotiation and influencing, dispute resolution, and advising senior leaders. You will be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of the key HR issues likely to arise from a major change programme such as the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) and the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice (COSoP), including their application in public sector staff transfers. You will bring a strong, practical understanding of UK employment law, including trade union legislation and TUPE/COSoP regulations. You will have experience shaping and delivering effective and appropriate employee relations solutions across multiple teams or departments. You will have experience influencing senior stakeholders, including HR Directors and programme leadership, on ER risks and their mitigation. You will have experience managing high risk ER issues and escalating through formal governance structures, identifying where local / operational issues have the potential to set precedent or become intra programme risks. You will have experience preparing and delivering ER briefings, papers and advice to multiple stakeholders including the drafting and dissemination of Trade Union communications. We are looking for someone who is a strong collaborator, with the ability to influence upwards and outwards with credibility and confidence to constructively challenge and influence, keeping work on track while maintaining good relationships. The postholder must have already achieved or should be working towards MCIPD membership. The postholder would possess the ability to manage their own time, juggling and prioritising workloads whilst working independently or whilst contributing effectively as part of a small team. You will possess deep HR experience and expertise (ideally across a range of specialisms) with the ability to confidently speak and advise on HR / people matters.
Desirable Criteria
- Change management experience
- Ability to work in a rapidly evolving, ambiguous environment, with shifting priorities.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £56,850, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £16,469 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
- A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
- Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
- An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
- Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
- A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.
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