Purpose
This is an exciting time with Croydon placing an important focus on the strategic pay and reward agenda and supporting the council’s transformation. This role covers both pay and non-pay elements including innovative approaches to our pay awards, introducing solutions which will change and modernise our pay structures and promoting the wider staff benefits offer.
Reporting to the Head of Workforce Strategy, the Strategic Reward Lead, you will provide leadership and expertise on Croydon’s reward strategies with responsibility for developing and delivering reward policies and strategies that align with the organisation’s goals, budgets, and expectations. You will be the subject matter expert, providing specialist knowledge and expertise as we enter the next phase of our Council-wide transformation.
This role will lead on pay modelling, job families, and terms and conditions, and total rewards ensuring that we deliver a fit for purpose pay modelling & reward infrastructure, able to compete in the hyper-competitive London labour market, and beyond. The post holder will play a key role in developing the pay and reward strategy for Croydon and the products and interventions to support the delivery of that pay and reward strategy. You will expert advice to colleagues across the HR&OD division, as well as elected Members and senior management. The role requires collaborative working with a range of stake holders across the council, and wider, and will allow you to explore the skills, experience and behaviour required to progress your career within HR.
Organisational Accountabilities
- Roles at this level will provide expert professional advice to inform corporate management and development of the council as a whole. You will lead on turning this advice into business cases for political approval. The service delivery requirements and standards are usually clearly defined by the Director with annual staff and financial budgets. The role is accountable for:
- Working collaboratively across the council to support the delivery of best possible outcomes for our residents on a financially sustainable basis
- Maintain and nurture collaborative relationships for the council with external organisations that support the delivery of annual plans and developed a joint understanding of likely longer-term developments
- Identifying opportunities for improvement within your area of work, managing changes so the highest possible levels of service quality are continually delivered.
- Effective utilisation of digital technologies and innovation across the council and with stakeholders and partners
- Implementing commercial and innovative solutions to emerging and complex issues that meet the needs of customers and deliver the best possible outcomes
- Equality and diversity is celebrated and considered as part of all decisions taken
- Using professional expertise to translate council strategies, goals and plans into your area of work that comply with relevant legislation and statutory requirements and manages a level of appropriate risk.
- Manage the delivery of exemplar customer interactions to individuals and communities which support the management of strong relationships and a reputation for achieving outcomes and resolving issues.
Division/Directorate Accountabilities
- Working with business areas and Human Resources Business Partners to understand business issues and develop effective reward strategies and interventions that reflect public sector pay policy, legislation, the strategic needs of the organisation, and the wider political context.
- To strategically lead on all total reward strategies and associated improvements and action plans, ensuring that processes and policies are in place which supports the workforce plans of the organisation as well as meets financial requirements.
- Preparing papers and recommendations for reward interventions
- Using excellent communication skills to effectively manage challenging situations and stakeholders, with the ability to convey complex information to different audiences, including experience of influencing and advising at all levels including up to board.
- Ownership and responsibility for leading on and driving forward key work portfolios within the wider pay and reward agenda.
- Ensure statutory reporting is produced and submitted on time.
- To strategically lead on a comprehensive review of all aspects of the employment contract including pay, terms and conditions and relevant policies to deliver a new approach which achieves parity with internal and external resource markets which supports our attraction and retention approach.
- Building and maintaining strong, credible, and trust-based relationships with key stakeholders across the organisation and external partners.
- Working in collaboration with others to design and deliver timely reward interventions and tackle issues.
- Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.
Key Working Relationships
The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. This will include:
External
- CIPD
- Pluxee (employee benefits)
- Kornferry Hay
- London councils
- Other professional bodies and suppliers
Internal:
- Directorate Management Teams
- Internal HR and OD Colleagues
- Trade Unions
- Mediators
- Staff Network Groups
- Guardians
- Corporate Management Team
- Elected Members
Skills, Knowledge & Experience
- Educated to degree level or equivalent by experience
- Demonstrable experience of developing and implementing reward strategies that achieve desired business outcomes
- Strong professional knowledge of Pay and Reward strategies and approaches
- Up-to-date knowledge of employment law
- Evidence of continuing professional development
- Experience of communicating and working effectively with a range of internal and external stakeholders to a high standard
- Able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information, negotiate with stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and communicate complex information to different audiences.
- Excellent problem-solving skills, and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
- Excellent attention to detail and analytical skills, with the ability to identify risks/issues and develop informed options.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills.
- Excellent written communication skills, including experience of drafting policy, briefings or comprehensive responses to complex queries, challenging for accuracy and sense-checking.
- Significant specialist level experience within a large scale Pay & Reward change programme in large, complex and unionised organisations
- Local Government experience implementing Pay & Reward models and strategies
- Experience in working with Trade Unions, with demonstrable experience of positive results achieved through consultation
- Able to operate as a technical and legislative subject matter expert, within the HR & Organisation Development Team and across Croydon Council
- Experience of applying pay and reward legislation and best practice to implement policy and procedure
- Experience in benchmarking, market analysis and the design, implementation of policies and procedures
- Strong communication and influencing skills
- Ability to build strong and successful relationships with customers and stakeholders
Dimensions of the role:
People – this role does not have line management responsibility but will work collaboratively with HR & OD Colleagues and stakeholders.
Impact – this role will impact whole organisation through reward strategies
Budget – indirect responsibility for £1m
