Senior HR / OD Lead - NIHR (XN08)

Areyou passionate about health and care research? The NIHR is looking for aHR/OD Lead with experience of providing strategic and operational workforcein the public sector and / or working in a research environment to join ourteams providing HR and OD expertise to strategic and operational businessmaking and developing innovative people solutions to support business plansand strategy working.

TheNIHR enables and delivers world-leading health and social care research thatimproves people's health and wellbeing and promotes economic growth.

Successfulapplicants will be flexible, proactive, responsible, have great communicationskills, and be able to work as part of a team to ensure delivery of therelevant portfolio of work.

Thisposition offers a great opportunity to work as part of an enthusiastic andskilled multidisciplinary team to provide excellent HR/OD support tocolleagues across the NIHR Academy, playing a pivotal role in attracting,training and supporting the best health and care researchers to tackle thecomplex challenges of the future.

Thisis a great time to join NIHR as we look to expand many of our activities anddeliver an excellent experience for those developing their health and careresearch careers.

Weencourage individuals who are considering applying to contact the office andhave a conversation with the hiring manager.

Shortlistingdate: 31 July 2025

Interviewdate: 13 August 2025

Main duties of the job Thesuccessful candidate will:

beresponsible for the provision of strategic and operational workforce support toensure best practice people management within the NIHR Academy.

supportand report into the NIHR Academy Executive Board and will be the main contactfor all strategic and complex workforce matters including learning anddevelopment.

beresponsible for ensuring the contribution of HR and OD expertise to strategicand operational business decision making and developing innovative peoplesolutions to support business plans and strategy working alongside seniormanagers to develop plans to take forward NIHR Academy priorities

leadon initiatives relating to workforce modernisation and service improvementthrough effective people management

identifyand address development needs in relation to people management skills,capacity, and capability within the NIHR Academy.

Thepost holder is required to maintain knowledge on employment case law, changesto employment legislation, NHS national guidance, developments in best practiceHR, and policy within the host LTHT and the NIHR Academy to assess its impactand review ways of working across the organisation.

The post holder is accountable for the HR advice givento management teams, as well, where necessary, the interpretation of differentstrands of HR advice from specialist areas.

About us TheNational Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has a mission toimprove the health and wealth of the nation through research. The NIHR playsa pivotal role in attracting, training and supporting the best researchersand complements the additional NIHR investment in world-class researchfacilities and a skilled research workforce.

Thisrole is hosted by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT) and delivers thework of the NIHR, leading on policy, strategy and delivery in respect ofacademic training in England and working closely with other NIHR centres andthe Science Research and Evidence (SRE) Directorate at the Department ofHealth and Social Care (DHSC).

LeedsTeaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk'members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job advertsare subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or removeadverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in theshortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while thisprocess is completed, and contact the named contact if you have anyquestions.

Job responsibilities Tobe the HR / OD Lead at NIHR Academy working with and reporting into theAssistant Director Finance, Governance and People providing specialisedknowledge and advice on HR/OD. The post holder will be part of the Finance,Governance and People team. NIHR Academy has approximately 130 employees anda budget in excess of £10m. As the HRand OD expert, the post holder will be required to take the lead on strategicHR, OD and Training and Development issues, advising and recommending actionsto the NIHR Academy Executive Board and Senior Leadership teams, therebyensuring compliance with employment law and governance requirements.

Toinform the annual business planning process and support the NIHR Academyagenda by contributing to the workforce planning cycle, service improvementand role design. Develop and implement local workforce plans for the NIHRAcademy as part of the strategic planning process, tailored to the businessensuring delivery of NIHR Academy objectives.

Toadvise and support the NIHR Academy in the development and modernisation oftheir services and related workforce requirements to include effectiveworkforce utilisation, role design, workforce restructuring, skill mix andmanagement of change in line with best practices and LTHT Policies andProcedures.

Tolead on the design and review of strategic organisational development andchange initiatives in partnership with managers and staff to ensure change isimplemented in compliance with good employment practices and the TrustsPolicy in respect of behaviours and values, service improvement initiatives,equality and diversity and corporate social responsibility, and proactivelyengaging with staff representatives if appropriate.

Ensurea culture of succession planning within the NIHR Academy to ensure vacancylevels are appropriately managed and short-term, high-cost interim solutionsare limited.

Leadthe analysis and review of metrics, Staff Survey results and workforceinformation reports for the NIHR Academy highlighting areas for concern.Proactively work with managers and colleagues to put plans in place toresolve areas of concern and/or manage risks, ensuring delivery of HRperformance targets. Ensure that unresolved areas of concern and risks areescalated appropriately through the Trusts workforce governance structure ifnecessary.

Ensurethe delivery of NIHR Academys SLA workforce performance targets. This willinvolve helping managers to identify how targets can best be achieved.

Contributeto the development and review of key workforce performance indicators.

Deviseand deliver cultural change management programmes which will assist in thedelivery of the NIHR Academy and Trusts overarching strategy and are inaccordance with the Leeds Way.

Developand implement interventions and programmes to ensure managers are confident,competent and supported to manage their staff effectively.

Coachand guide senior managers in all staff management related issues - managingchange, maximising individual performance, building high performance teamsand dealing with conflict.

AdviseNIHR Academy Executive Board and line managers on the interpretation andapplication of terms and conditions of employment, LTHT Trust policies,current legislation and codes of practice.

Fostera positive climate of employee relations within the NIHR Academy, to supportthe implementation of a partnership approach and to develop and maintain goodworking relationships with representatives of Trade Unions and stafforganisations if required.

Ensuremanagers are equipped to manage informal issues with their staff effectively,providing best practice advice to minimise escalation to formal processes,where appropriate.

Toprovide coaching and leadership to senior managers and enable them to developthe necessary skills to effectively manage people issues within their teams.

Toidentify and address development needs in relation to people managementskills, capacity and capability within the NIHR Academy.

Tolead on effective appraisal and personal development implementation withinthe NIHR Academy.

Tolead on the implementation of HR, organisational development and trainingsystems and policies across the NIHR Academy as measured by key performanceindicators, reporting progress to the NIHR Academy Executive Board,

Tointerpret HR policy and legislation, providing guidance to managers withinthe NIHR Academy in cases with unique characteristics, or where precedent hasnot yet been set.

Workwith NIHR Academy management teams to ensure that staff within theorganisation have an annual appraisal and personal development plancommensurate with their role.

Inaddition to the general responsibility for equality and diversity, thispostholder should act as a role model in respect of equality and diversityand foster a culture within that encourages inclusion.

Toregularly prepare reports, analyses and position papers as required, for NIHRAcademy Executive Board including regular updating of the relevant areaswithin the NIHR annual business plan and reports to DHSC.

Tomanage a team promoting the NIHR Academy values and positive culture.

Toperform any other duties commensurate with the grade of post under thedirection of the Assistant Director Finance, Governance and People,including leading on strategic projects where required.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Masters degree in HR-related specialism or equivalent experience
• CIPD or similar post-graduate qualification in HR-related subject
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Skills & Behaviours

• Strategic planning and change management skills
• Strong leadership skills
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