Head of People & Benefits

KaneHR are working with the United Reformed Church (URC) to help them find strategic and forward-thinking candidates who have a passion for creating a positive and engaging workplace culture for their new Head of People and Benefits role based at their Church House in London.

About the URC

The URC is activist, dissenting and motivated by social justice. It is also committed to theological and cultural diversity. The URC is conciliar which is a core part of its ethos and polity and shapes how the Councils of the Church make decisions.

As the team serving General Assembly, their collective task is to implement the decisions of General Assembly and Assembly Executive. The teams which make up the Office of General Assembly are diverse in their tasks and areas of expertise but are united by a common purpose; in their different ways they exist to support and enable the wider church and its members in local churches and across synods.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the newly created role of Head of People and Benefits will take a lead in developing the culture of the Offices of General Assembly and provide strategic leadership in relation to HR, and associated remuneration and benefits for employees, office holders, ministers and students.

Summary of Responsibilities:

• Develop the People and Benefits team through coaching, mentoring and effective line management
• Oversee and ensure payrolls are run in an efficient, timely and compliant manner
• Ensure that all employees, office holders and students receive all relevant benefits to which they are entitled and that grants are administered following the processes and procedures
• Support wider organisational projects by taking a lead and managing from a HR perspective (team restructures, TUPE transfers or new support frameworks for stakeholders)
• Monitor the ongoing ‘health’ of the overall team and the working culture and, using available data and metrics, suggest appropriate initiatives/solutions/developments
• Oversee the performance development review and role and salary evaluation process, including the annual salary increase recommendations, ensuring appropriate approvals by the Remuneration & Resources Committees as well as action plan follow up with line managers
• Keep under review existing HR practices and documentation and make recommendations for improvement, specifically to establish and maintain a positive culture within the ethos of the URC while also ensuring compliance with changes in employment legislation, and developments in HR best practice
• Provide advice to managers and staff on all HR policies, procedures and employment legislation
• Support and provide comprehensive HR management advice to the General Secretariat and line managers on a wide range of employee relations, such as grievance, disciplinary and capability investigations as well as hearings and other case work as required
• Advise and support managers on selection and recruitment matters in line with safer recruitment principles, including creation of job descriptions and person specifications, selection processes, interview panel participation and appointment processes
• Oversee the preparation and delivery of contractual documentation, in relation to starters, leavers and changes to contract terms and conditions

Aptitude, Essential Experience & Qualifications:

• CIPD Level 7 or equivalent qualification
• Demonstrable prior experience in a generalist HR role
• Proven experience implementing new people initiatives
• Strong knowledge of current and upcoming UK employment legislation
• Experience managing a people and benefits team within an allocated budget
• Willingness to work within the Christian ethos of the URC
• The ability to provide advice and support to senior managers and stakeholders on strategic people and benefit matters
• Proven experience of dealing with challenging and sensitive situations confidentially and effectively
• It is desirable for the successful candidate to have an understanding of the structures of the URC
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent IT skills, particularly in SharePoint and other Microsoft 365 applications

Salary: £62,343 - £66,038 per annum depending on experience