Head of People and Culture

Job Title: Head of People and Culture
Hours of work: 37 per week
Salary: £45,000 – £50,000
Reporting To: Community Director

About One Small Thing

One Small Thing is striving for positive change across the justice system by implementing small things in a big way.

We provide gender responsive, trauma-informed programmes within the prison and community sectors that consider the individual caught in a cycle of crime and incarceration, with the aim of humanising their experiences. We want to shift the voice of blame and judgement and the ‘what’s wrong with them?’ line of questioning to a kinder, respectful and healing approach that asks, ‘What has happened to them?’

One Small Thing’s commitment to systemic change for women and their children in the justice system, has inspired us to build Hope Street.

About Hope Street

Hope Street is an exciting, brand-new, purpose-built residential community-based service, designed in collaboration with women, for justice-involved women and their children in Hampshire. Trauma-informed by design it will offer a safe and supportive environment where women and their children can access education, practical and therapeutic support and activities that build confidence, self-esteem and skills and provide the opportunity to build a fulfilling and happy life and play a meaningful role within society.

Our Values

Hope Street is built on five core values of trauma-informed care that underpin the way we work.

• Safety:
• Trustworthiness:
• Choice:
• Collaboration:
• Empowerment:

About the Role

The Head of People and Culture is an exciting new leadership role that has been created at Hope Street. The role is within the Hope Street Senior Leadership Team and will lead the People and Culture processes and driving people management strategies. This will include coaching, mentoring and supporting the Hope Street team members to identify their individual strengths and development needs, while championing an open, embracing culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) throughout the organisation.

You will have autonomy/scope to shape the HR strategy and will lead initiatives across all areas of People and Culture to support Hope Street to build and support the various teams.

You’ll be a HR generalist who will have experience of key stakeholder relationships supporting them manage and guide their teams. You will also have experience of handling multiple HR actions and will guide and advise on all HR matters.

The Head of People and Culture will lead Hope Street’s HR function, utilising your collaboration, influencing and relationship building skills and human resources expertise to ensure we recruit, retain and develop our people to deliver our vital work.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the People Strategy and core areas of the People and Culture department including Recruitment, Employee Relations, Workforce Administration, Employee Engagement, as well as maintaining and improving HR systems when Hope Street is open (early 2023)
• Ensure the newly recruited team at Hope Street are well inducted and supported to succeed in their roles. This will include supporting managers to manage the probation process, performance management and ongoing development across the team.
• Provide guidance and training on supervision and line management
• Develop the infrastructure needed to successfully recruit, develop and retain our people
• Assist with recruitment and help maximise exposure of roles available to reach a diverse range of candidates
• Onboarding new team members joining the Hope Street team
• Develop and implement the structured training programme for all staff team members
• Work closely with the Leadership and Management teams to ensure that our people are motivated and excited by their work and support the implementation of staff surveys and employee voice to help us to continuously improve their experience
• Participate in the ongoing review and evaluation of the running of Hope Street, in terms of overall impact and cost, to feed into the five-year evaluation being carried out by Southampton University
• Lead proactive stakeholder relationships that can support, develop, and challenge on best inclusive HR practices
• Take a lead role in building Hope Street’s culture, ensuring that Hope Street’s values and approach are displayed
• Execute a plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion that aligns with Hope Street’s values, business strategy and commitments

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience

• Extensive experience of managing detailed HR processes (e.g., recruitment to board level, performance management, employee relations cases).
• Using and adapting HR policies and practices to help create a diverse and inclusive working environment.
• Experience of providing best practice management guidance and training.
• Line management and developing and supporting diverse staff teams.
• Using IT systems and software to manage personnel records, create reports and develop strategies.

Knowledge/Skills

• Working knowledge of UK employment law and GDPR legislation.
• Knowledge of safeguarding and risk management processes.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbally and electronically at all levels.
• Knowledge and understanding of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure that our people are aware of their responsibilities.
• Comprehensive understanding of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Qualifications

• Appropriate level HR education (Degree, CIPD or similar).

Competencies

• Communication: Ability to communicate complex information clearly.
• Attention to detail: attention to detail and an accurate approach to work.
• Management: Ability to provide, fair and motivating line management, mentoring and helping others to develop their own careers at Hope Street and beyond.
• Proactive: Self-motivated and self-directed, able to work independently with a positive approach to problem-solving.
• Leadership: Ability to provide motivation and support and to persuade and inspire others.
• Collaboration: Ability to develop and maintain working relationships internally and externally and board level and with Trustees.
• Systems driven: Ability to improve processes and develop systems to improve efficiency.
• Judgment: Ability to exercise sound judgment and offer strategic insight. Taking an evaluative approach to work, diagnosing what works, what does not, and what needs to change.

Values

• Awareness of trauma and how this can impact on a person’s self-esteem, confidence, and ability to trust others.
• You do not judge people, you are kind and empathetic, and understand the importance of enabling people to make their own choices.
• Desire to create change and develop inclusive practices in building a fair, compassionate, and diverse working environment.

Other Information

• We are strongly committed to ensuring equity and inclusion to ensure the voices of our users and beneficiaries are represented across our organisation to impact on our strategic aims, vision and mission.
• We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, people of colour and people from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. We would also like to encourage applications from those who may have had similar experiences to the women and children we support at Hope Street including those with previous convictions.
• As part of the recruitment we processa vetting and barring check will be carried out for those successful at interview, but this does not necessarily exclude applicants with convictions
• This post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.
• You may be required to attend meetings and other events outside of normal working hours, and/or outside the locality.
• Your main place of work will be 30-32 The Avenue, Southampton, however you will be expected to have a presence across the Hope Street community and undertake any travel around the country on behalf of the organisation when required.
• Safer Recruitment: Safe recruitment is central to the safeguarding of adults, children, and young people at risk. One Small Thing is committed to the safeguarding of every woman and child who is part of the Hope Street community and expects all employees to share this commitment.
• The DBS check for this role will be at Enhanced with Barred check level. Failure to declare any relevant information that is later provided by the Disclosure and Barring Service, may result in any offer of employment being withdrawn.

Please apply via the button below. For a chat about the role, please reach out to Dom Szczecinski in the Inclusive Recruiting team. Call 0203 397 8333 or email dom@inclusiverecruiting.co.uk.