Job summary
This role will sit in the HR Business Partnering team. The HRBPs work closely with our business stakeholders on bringing the DCMS People Plan to life, and supporting senior leaders to deliver outcomes across a whole spectrum of strategic people activities.
The team forges trusted, strong and influential relationships with senior stakeholders. We are flexible and creative in responding to business challenges in complex, uncertain and ambiguous working environments. It is vital that we are professional, insightful and trusted.
Alongside the HR Business Partners, you will shape, influence and deliver the workforce strategy and ensure our people are at the heart of our organisation.
DCMS has the highest level of engagement of all government departments and on the HRBP team we are just as positive! There is 94% engagement when it comes to our team, with people feeling strongly that we work well together and can rely upon each other.
Job description
Your main responsibilities will be:
- Create and track future plans that show how the organisation’s workforce will change over time. Present these plans to senior leaders.
- Look at workforce data to spot trends and help make evidence-based decisions. Work with our Finance team to improve how we forecast our future staffing costs.
- Complete all workforce-related commissions in a timely-manner.
- Compare our current staff makeup to what we’ll need in the future. Team up with our Learning & Development group to figure out what skills we’re missing and plan how to fill those gaps.
- Make our workforce planning process better over time. This includes:
-
- Creating easy-to-use tools and guides
- Helping different teams develop their own staffing plans
- Setting up clear steps for how we make workforce decisions
- Stay up to date with labour market and emerging trends, incorporating into our workforce strategy.
In carrying out these responsibilities, you operate at the G7 leadership level. You will:
- Set priorities: you are responsible for setting priorities, agreeing targets, and allocating responsibilities to others.
- Manage complex work: you will develop a deep specialism and take on highly complex work. Understand how the work fits with organisational objectives.
- Deliver results: you will be accountable, monitoring, evaluating and outcomes.
- Work collaboratively: you will work with others to create and engage in a shared vision.
- Be innovative: you will be creative and find new ways to engage and influence audiences.
Person specification
Essential requirements:
- Excellent knowledge of workforce planning and experience of delivering results in the people field.
- Significant management and leadership skills, together with effective influencing and negotiating skills.
- Strong written communication skills (creating briefing papers, incorporating evidence and recommendations).
- Confidence to work independently once scope is understood, calling on experts to help as required.
- Good analytical skills. Ideally having experience working with financial and/or workforce data.
Desirable skills:
- Either a CIPD qualification or 2+ years experience working in or adjacent to a people function.
- Experience of designing and embedding a new strategy in an organisation.
We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted by Clare Blain, and will take place on:
- 10.00am Thursday 20th March 2025
The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions.
Please register your interest by filling out this Registration form by 2.00pm Wednesday 19th March 2025 and you will be sent an invitation. Please note that the session will not focus on the DCMS recruitment process – please direct any queries that you have on this topic (timelines, reasonable adjustments, onboarding etc) to recruitment.team@dcms.gov.uk
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership
Benefits
DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. We’re committed to developing talent, and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include:
- Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working – DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home
- 26.5 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 31.5 days after 5 years’ service
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
- Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice
- 3 days of paid volunteering leave
- Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave
- Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year
- Occupational sick pay
- Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice
- Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks
- Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day to day work
- Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!
Terms and conditions at SCS grades will vary. Those applying for SCS roles should refer to the candidate information pack for more information on terms and conditions.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
To apply for this vacancy, you will need to submit the following documents which will assessed against the experience success profile:
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the “Job History” section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
- A Statement of Suitability (max 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed however these will not be considered in the assessment of your application except in circumstances where there are a high number and calibre of candidates.
For the shortlist, we will select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application.
For support in writing your application and interviewing, please refer to the ‘Application and Interview Guidance’ document attached to the job advert.
The interview process will assess behaviours and strengths.
You will first be asked to deliver a presentation, details of which will be provided prior to the interview. The presentation will assess the Seeing The Big Picture behaviour.
Further behaviours to be assessed by questions at the interview are:
● Communicating and Influencing
● Making Effective Decisions
● Leadership
Prior to the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance.
You will finally be assessed on strengths – you will not be made aware of the strengths being assessed prior to your interview.
Your interview will take place remotely via Google Meets.
For indicative sift and interview dates please refer to the attached Candidate Information Pack.
Further Information
If the vacancy is offered as FTA/Loan, existing Civil Servants must join on a Loan basis only. Prior agreement to be released on loan must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Department for Culture, Media and Sport from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
DCMS has a London and a National pay scale. For more information on this, including the circumstances in which each pay scale will apply, please see the ‘Candidate Information Pack’ attached.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Reasonable Adjustment
We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process.
In order to request an adjustment, please:
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or a verbal test rather than a written one.
Alternatively, contact the Government Recruitment Service via dcmsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties with any of the attachments, please contact us. Contact details can be found in the ‘contact point for applicants’ section of the job advert.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Clare Blain
- Email : clare.blain@dcms.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dcmsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment.team@dcms.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit
the Civil Service Commission website
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