Office for National Statistics
Employment Relations Specialist
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This role is aligned to ONS hybrid working principles, which are based on attending the office with purpose. The postholder will be expected to contribute to the organisation’s overall 40% office attendance, in line with business and role requirements. The locations for this role are Newport and Titchfield (Fareham).
Please refer to attachments below for terms and flexibilities.
The induction process for the role will be conducted in person.
Job Summary
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime and migration.
The ONS People and Places Directorate (PPD) facilitates and enables the great people-centered outcomes and is at the forefront of implementing industry-leading, game-changing people practices. Multi-award winning, our commitment to improving people fundamentals is coupled with our drive towards more innovative approaches enabling us to attract, nurture and retain the best. We are committed to the continued development of colleagues in PPD. We are actively aligned to the Government People Function.
Job Description
In this role, you will keep our employment policy framework up to date with the latest changes in employment law, best practice, and departmental needs. You will work closely with colleagues in the Government People Group (GPG) to identify emerging trends and introduce new policy products within ONS.
You will lead the review, development, and implementation of employment policies, involving key stakeholders in the process. Keeping the Employment Relations team and HR colleagues informed about legislative developments and best practices will be a key part of your responsibilities.
Building strong relationships with trade unions will be essential. You will lead policy development consultations and contribute to negotiations on contractual issues under our collective bargaining agreement. Your work will ensure that our Employment Relations Framework is effective and future focused.
Reporting to the Head of Employment Relations Policy Team and managing an ER Policy Officer, you will develop and deliver a range of products to complement employment policies and enhance line manager capabilities. Join us in creating a positive and inclusive working environment at ONS.
Key Responsibilities:
- Manage a challenging employment policy portfolio, ensuring policies and procedures are current, legally compliant, future focused and innovative.
- Plan and implement policy launches across the organisation, ensuring that colleagues and managers are well informed and confident in using these policies and their supporting documents.
- Maintain and update the ONS Policy Database, as necessary.
- Stay aware of developments in employment law, case law and best practice and their potential impact on ONS.
- Use people, data, and insights to inform product development.
- Engage positively with departmental trade unions, diversity networks, senior managers, and other key stakeholders.
- Develop an inclusive and positive working environment, modeling good practices across ONS and the HR profession.
- Provide a specialist point of contact for complex employment relations matters.
- Be proactive in using and promoting the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a range of activities across the team.
- Support Employment Tribunal case management where necessary.
- Support HR Business Partner activity of Transfer of Undertakings Protection (TUPE) and Cabinet Office Statement of Practice (COSoP) activities within UKSA where necessary.
- Work proactively and in collaboration with colleagues within the HR profession and wider PPD directorate in the development of people solutions.
- Practice ongoing continuous professional development.
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Please note that this role is open to full time, part time and flexible working. It is preferable that two of the working days are a Thursday and Friday.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria:
- Employment Law: Excellent understanding of current and potential future developments in employment and data protection legislation and best practice, and its practical application.
- Professional Experience: Relevant experience of successfully working in a progressive and complex HR environment.
- Problem Solving: A proactive, practical, and analytical approach to problem solving, with a drive to work innovatively.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to engage positively with a wide range of groups and receive feedback constructively.
- Communication Skills: Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate advice, coach and influence others. The ability to distill complex and contentious messages concisely to a wide and varied audience. Experience of effectively drafting policies, procedures, reports, briefings, and business cases.
- Prioritisation: Ability to work to deadlines and prioritise own work, and the work of others.
- Line Management: Ability to effectively line manage and develop others, building and maintaining a supportive and inclusive team culture.
Qualifications
- CIPD level 5 or willingness to work towards.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Changing and Improving
- Managing a Quality Service
- Communicating and Influencing
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £41,985, Office for National Statistics contributes £12,163 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.
Inclusion & Accessibility
At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Security Clearance:
For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.
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At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:
- Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
- Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
- Security Services records
ONS are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants are expected to hold a valid right to work in the UK when employment commences. If you are applying on a time-limited visa, this will need to be valid for at least 18 months at point of application.
To work at the ONS, candidates must meet both UK right to work and security clearance requirements (where applicable).
Application Process
Number of Stages: 2 stage process
Stage 1: Application
Stage 2: Interview
Stage 1 – Application (2 steps)
Application Step 1: Online Civil Service Judgement Test.
Upon submission of Part 1 of your application form you will be sent an invitation to complete an online Civil Service Judgement test. There will be full instructions on how to complete the test including an opportunity to practice before undertaking the actual test. The test is not time limited. If you fail the test your application will not proceed to the next stage.
Application Step 2 – Application
The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, CV (of no more than 2 pages), skills, experience, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.
A personal statement is required at application stage, the maximum wordcount allowed is 1250 words, which should not be exceeded. You should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.
We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need to go through a further selection process providing the role has the same behaviours, and essential skills.
When a high volume of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted. Candidates will be invited to interview based on their merit order, with those achieving the highest scores being prioritised. Applicants who score below the adjusted pass mark but still pass will be placed on hold and may be invited to interview at a later date.
Stage 2 – Interview
If invited to interview, you will be assessed using techniques aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert.
Interviews will be held in person at our Newport & Titchfield offices, please see below dates for each location. You will be asked to confirm your preferred interview location preference in one of the questions when completing your application.
You will be asked to complete a policy exercise which will be provided on the day of the interview and candidates
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