Location

Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Swindon

About The Job

Job summary

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme, as well as delivering modern, cost-effective real estate service solutions.

Innovation and progress are at the heart of our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. And we’re dedicated to becoming a leading, inclusive employer both in the external market and throughout the Civil Service. Our strong emphasis on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.

The GPA is committed to representing the communities we serve by making Diversity, Equality and Inclusion part of everything we do.

To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Job Description

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Head of Talent & Organisational Development as a new role reshaping the HR Senior Leadership Team to enable delivery of an ambitious People Strategy. This is a fast paced role, and is varied and challenging, and will give the postholder an insight into the whole of the Government Property Agency and also the machinery of central government. It is a busy and demanding post, in which the post holder will be required to be proactive and build strong working relationships with a range of senior stakeholders across GPA and the wider Civil Service.

The role’s main purpose is to provide strategic direction, design, and implementation of talent management and organisational development initiatives in order to deliver business priorities and the ambitious GPA 2030 plans as a member of the HR Senior Leadership Team. This role encompasses Talent Management, Early Careers, Succession Planning, Leadership Development, Learning and Organisational Capability Building, Wellbeing, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Culture and Values, and Employee Engagement. The role will assess, optimise and deliver Civil Service learning and processes whilst supplementing and enhancing this offer to deliver the GPA People Strategy where appropriate, and will do this by championing and developing an Organisational Development mindset, tools and techniques applied throughout the wider HR team. The role will also involve managing a budget and small team and work collaboratively in partnership with Senior Civil Servants and their management teams, the Senior Human Resources Business Partner, Head of HR Services and the Internal Communications Team and alongside external strategic partners to support, drive and enable organisational transformation including cultural shifts.

Reporting to the Director of HR, the Head of Talent & OD will shape the organisational culture, strengthen leadership behaviours, build learning and career routes and promote an inclusive and supportive environment that fosters employee individual, team and organisational growth and performance.

Direct Reports

Talent & Leadership Lead
Learning & Organisation Development Lead
Culture & Values Lead

External Partners

Strategic Learning Providers
Leadership Development Providers
ED&I Consultancy
Wellbeing Program Vendors

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

Talent Strategy: Develop and execute a comprehensive talent and succession management strategy that aligns with the organisation’s long-term goals ensuring robust pipelines for critical roles and leadership positions, and an early careers (Fast streamers and apprenticeships) pipeline developing future skills and capabilities.
Performance Management: Oversee and develop the performance management process, ensuring it is aligned with the organisation’s strategic objectives and supports employee development and individual performance. Organisational Development and Values Driven Culture: Lead initiatives that promote a high-performance culture guided by aspirational values and performance management framework to deliver organisational effectiveness and change.
Learning & Organisation Development: Oversee the design and delivery of impactful and engaging learning and career routes of employees across all levels in collaboration with the Learning & OD Lead. Drive organisation-wide learning to meet current and future skills and capabilities.
Leadership Development: Oversee the design and implementation of values-led leadership development programmes that develop new and existing leaders, fostering a culture of continuous leadership growth and coaching mindset, driving high-performance and delivering change.
Culture, Engagement, Wellbeing and ED&I Strategy: Champion and embed equality, diversity, and inclusion strategies, ensuring the organisation fosters an inclusive and equitable workplace. Lead the annual employee engagement survey, ensuring insights are effectively analysed and used to shape targeted action plans. Partner with the Culture & EDI Lead to design ongoing engagement initiatives that enhance morale, trust, and alignment with organisational values.

Operational Delivery:

Talent & Leadership Development Programmes: Deliver programmes of development for Leaders, technical experts and professions sponsored and embraced across the senior leadership team. Embrace gold standards representing the professional expertise, knowledge and skills.
Learning & Organisation Development; Oversee the development and delivery of learning across the employee lifecycle to drive a learning culture beyond the learning team. Lead on Organisational Development as an approach to driving organisational performance centred on building people skills and capabilities.
Employee Wellbeing: Lead the development and implementation of comprehensive wellbeing programmes that support the physical, mental, and emotional health of employees, contributing to a positive work environment.
Employee Engagement: Deliver the People Survey and drive employee engagement initiatives that enhance workplace satisfaction, productivity, and retention, using data and analytics to inform strategies.
Partnership and Vendor Management: Manage relationships with strategic external partners, ensuring they deliver value and align with the organisation's talent and development goals.

Team Management:

Leadership: Provide leadership, direction, and coaching to a small team, ensuring they have the resources and support needed to deliver on their objectives.
Performance Oversight: Set clear objectives, monitor performance, and provide regular feedback to team members, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and high performance.
Development: Support the professional development of team members, ensuring they have access to relevant learning and growth opportunities
Stakeholder Engagement:
External Representation: Represent the organisation at external events, conferences, and forums related to talent management, leadership development, and ED&I. Exploit an external professional network bringing new thought leadership and expertise into GPA.
Collaboration: Work closely with senior leadership, HR business partners, and other key stakeholders to ensure that talent and organisational development initiatives support the broader organisational strategy.
Communication: Communicate talent strategies and outcomes effectively across the organisation, ensuring transparency and alignment with organisational goals.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

Key Competencies:

Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop and implement long-term strategies that align with organisational goals.
Leadership: Proven experience in leading teams and managing complex projects with successful outcomes and with multiple stakeholders.
Communication: Strong communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.
Collaboration: Ability to build strong relationships and work effectively with internal and external partners.
Analytical Skills: Ability to use data and analytics to inform decision-making and measure the impact of initiatives.
Change Management: Experience in driving organisational change and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Cultural Competence: Deep understanding of ED&I principles and the ability to embed these within the organisation.
Significant experience in talent and succession management, organisational development, or a related HR function, preferably within the public sector or a similar environment.
Technical Knowledge: Expertise in learning and development, leadership development, ED&I, and employee engagement strategies.
Partnerships: Experience in managing external partnerships and working with suppliers.
Ability to work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
Strong ethical standards and a commitment to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Desirable criteria:

Previous experience of working in the Civil Service
Willingness to travel occasionally to attend meetings, conferences, or training events

Qualifications And Accreditations

Desirable criteria:

CIPD L7 and/ or Associate membership.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Seeing the Big Picture
Making Effective Decisions
Communicating and Influencing
Leadership

Technical Skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

Customer Perspective
Commercial Acumen
Property Market Knowledge
Innovation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £66,045, Government Property Agency contributes £19,133 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Learning and development tailored to your role
An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Generous annual leave

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Sift

The sift is due to take place week comme ncing 27th January 2025.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to include a CV and a 750-word pe rsonal statement. The personal statement should then align with the person specification.

Interview

GPA policy is for interviews to be held face to face, with virtual interviews only by absolute exception. The date and location will be confirmed if you are invited to interview. If you feel this will be a problem for you, please contact recruitment@gpa.gov.uk to discuss prior to submitting your application.

At interview, applicants will be scored agains t 4 behaviours - Seeing The Bigger Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, and Leadership.

Interview questions will be a blend of Behaviour, Experience, Strength and Technical (core skill) questions.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via gparecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in 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 if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to GPA 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

Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

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.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) . See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality Requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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) .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window) .

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : Martin keeler
Email : Martin.keeler@gpa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : gparecruitment.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, in the first instance, you should contact HR@gpa.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission:

Click here to visit Civil Service Commission

Government Property Agency

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