Head of HR Operations/Business Partnering

The Commonwealth Secretariat is the principal intergovernmental body of the Commonwealth, responsible for advancing and achieving the shared goals of the association’s 56 member governments in advancing democracy, development and respect for diversity. Our People Management Strategy sets out the Secretariat’s goals as having: the best people; inspirational leaders; an innovative performance culture; sustainable benefits and rewards; a supportive and enabling environment; and effective and efficient use of people analytics.

As Head of HR Operations/Business Partnering, the successful candidate will lead a team of professional HR generalists delivering a broad range of HR operational services, advice and business partnering to their client departments covering the employee lifecycle from recruitment to exit. You will provides highly skilled input into a broad range of HR policy development and either oversees or undertakes complex employee relations cases across a broad range of issues. You will develop and ensure implementation of workforce planning and recruitment policies and practice. Supported by the HR Systems Manager, you will lead maintenance and development of systems to ensure that HR and organizational business requirements are met.

To be considered you will need to have a first degree in any subject from nationally recognised institutions, a post graduate qualification in human resources management, and fully accredited membership of a nationally recognised professional human resource body such as CIPD, SHRM. You will need to have ten years’ or more progressively senior experience in generalist human resources roles including a minimum of five years at senior professional level.

You will also need experience of managing and developing HR professionals, and a broad and deep knowledge of current HR best practice and employment law.

Experience of designing and implementing workforce planning and succession planning/talent management systems; expertise in HR policy development and implementation; significant experience of optimising the use of HR information systems and data; experience of managing, dealing and advising on a broad range of complex employee relations matters; experience of effective working in international and multi-cultural work environments and ability to and willingness to undertake hands on operational work effectively as well as more strategic work.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 member governments and provides guidance on policy making, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member countries. We support governments to help achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.

Please apply by submitting a CV and cover letter. Covering letters should be structured to address the key criteria required in the person specification, giving clear examples.

To join us, you must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country.