Strictly Confidential – Assignment Brief
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Strictly Confidential – Assignment Brief Director of Human Resources University of Birmingham Prepared by Anne Esler Head of the Education Practice, Harvey Nash Executive Search [email protected] | +44 (0)20 7333 1873 April 2016 Harvey Nash Executive Search | 110 Bishopsgate | London | EC2N 4AY Page 2 Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................. 3 About the University of Birmingham ............................................................................ 4 The University Structure .......................................................................................... 7 Professional Services at Birmingham............................................................................ 7 The Human Resources Department ............................................................................. 8 Job Description .................................................................................................... 10 Person Specification .............................................................................................. 11 The Rewards ........................................................................................................ 13 Process & Timescales ............................................................................................. 13 How to Apply ....................................................................................................... 13 Expenses ............................................................................................................. 14 Health & Safety .................................................................................................... 14 Data Protection .................................................................................................... 14 Harvey Nash Executive Search | Asia Pacific | Europe | Middle East | Nordics | United Kingdom | United States Page 3 Executive Summary Persuasive, persistent and bold, the University of Birmingham is a global university at the heart of an ambitious city. Characterised by a tradition of innovation, research at the University has broken new ground, pushed forward the boundaries of knowledge and made an impact on people’s lives. Our purposeful, pragmatic and pioneering approach, rooted in our region and focused on the common good, has enabled us to redefine the civic university, becoming the standard against which others are measured. Under the leadership of Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir David Eastwood, Birmingham has a well-earned reputation for its ambition, innovation and success, its financial power to invest, and its sector-leadership. With an exciting and aspirational new strategy, the University is embarking on its next stage of development that will embed its work and recognition on the international stage in a highly competitive sector for the best staff, students and funding. Against this backdrop of continued success and focused ambition, the University of Birmingham is seeking to recruit an exceptional Director of Human Resources (HR). This is a rare opportunity to join the senior leadership of a global Russell Group University on the rise. The role combines institution-wide leadership of HR Services with a strategic remit for HR policy advice, development and implementation. People are at the heart of what the University does. The new Director of Human Resources will ensure that the University continues to attract, develop and support outstanding and talented people who enhance the performance of the University and contribute to the achievement of its longer term objectives. The Director will build on sector-leading talent development initiatives, such as the Birmingham Fellows programme, bringing innovation and creativity to the role. The Director of HR leads the University’s HR function, spanning: HR Service Delivery; HR Policy and Strategy; Performance, Transformation and Change; People and Organisational Development; and Workplace Wellbeing, including Health and Safety. The HR Department has recently undergone a major transformation programme with significant investment in new posts. The Director will be responsible for the delivery of streamlined, customer valued and focused HR operations across the University that meet current and future needs efficiently and effectively. He/she will also play a pivotal role in aligning the full resources of the HR team to support the delivery of the new strategic framework, continuing to enhance performance in research and teaching, and supporting an environment for ambitious people to flourish. The post provides leadership, advice and support on all aspects of the University’s HR strategy and policy, and must have a mastery of the latest developments and trends in the national and international policy landscape, including the recent Higher Education Green Paper, Teaching Excellence Framework, and funding and regulatory changes. This is an opportunity to work closely with the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar and Secretary (the University’s Chief Operating Officer) to whom the post-holder reports. The Director will have a particular close working relationship and partnership with the Provost and Vice-Principal on HR matters, including union relations and academic performance issues. Other key working relationships are with members of the University’s Executive Board, including the Pro-Vice- Chancellors and Heads of College, who are responsible for the University’s five academic Colleges. To succeed, the Director must be able to influence at an executive level. As a part of the University’s senior leadership, the Director is expected to be an active member of the Registrar’s Leadership Group, the Senior Officer team, and the University Leadership Forum. They regularly attend and present to the Executive Board and University Council on HR matters. The Director of HR will bring the skills and attributes of a senior level HR leader and practitioner to meet both the strategic aspirations and the operational requirements. While they will have deep knowledge as a human resources expert they will also have the ability and desire to contribute to a wider range of leadership and management issues within Professional Services as well as across the University. Intellectually confident, and with the personal qualities to succeed in a highly complex research intensive University, he/she will have an ability to build rapport and trust with diverse groups and individuals across the University and to empathise with academic endeavour. Harvey Nash Executive Search | Asia Pacific | Europe | Middle East | Nordics | United Kingdom | United States Page 4 As with all senior roles at Birmingham, the Director of HR is expected to be active and influential nationally as well as locally within Birmingham. Given Birmingham’s ambitions in the highly competitive and evolving HE global landscape, the key challenges facing the new Director of HR are: - Development and delivery of an effective and forward-looking HR strategy, which enables the University to continue to enhance its performance in research and teaching, and to attract, develop and retain talented people. The strategy will need to be grounded in a real feel for the academic and intellectual culture of the University, and bring best practice and innovation. - Building on the recent restructuring and investment in the HR Department, to lead and deliver efficient, effective and innovative human resources operations and services for the University, which are valued and respected. - The University is in the process of replacing its Finance, HR and Payroll IT systems in a project called ‘New Core’, which will be implemented by 2018. The executive sponsor of the project is the Director of Finance and the HR Director will work closely in partnership with him to lead and successfully deliver the project, driving this major systems design and implementation programme and transforming institution-wide processes and ways of working. The role is rich and diverse and provides a unique opportunity for a highly motivated and inspirational human resources professional, with appropriate vision and leadership skills, to join this dynamic and forward thinking institution as it enters the next phase of its development. While a good understanding of the changing nature of Higher Education is desirable, the University welcomes applications from high calibre candidates from other sectors. Initial interviews will take place in mid-June with Harvey Nash. Thereafter, the interview process will consist of a mix of formal and informal interviews with key people drawn from across the University. The intention is to conclude the recruitment process by the middle of July and for the successful candidate to join the University close to the start of the new academic year in the autumn. About the University of Birmingham A bold and Influential University With more than 7,000 staff and 33,000 students, the University of Birmingham was the first civic university in the UK. Its heritage as the original ‘redbrick’ is combined with one of the most compelling and ambitious agendas in Higher Education. The University has a clear vision for the future, ambitious leadership, world-class academic strengths, and a secure financial base. Being named The Times and Sunday Times University of the Year 2013-2014 recognised a transformative time in the history of the University, characterised by innovative initiatives such as its much-emulated unconditional offers strategy