Head of HR & Organisational Development

Head of HR and Organisational Development

Thurrock Council

Permanent - Full Time - Hybrid - 2 days onsite

c.£77,000

• Are you a seasoned HR leader with a proven track record bringing the function together across Business Partnering, Employee Relations, Learning and Organisational Development, enabling collaboration and continuous improvement?
• Looking for the opportunity to develop and deliver a new people strategy, working close with the Associate Director for HR and the wider Executive Leadership team, to drive organisational effectiveness and cultural change?
• Do you have experience operating within complex public sector environments, building strong working relationships with senior stakeholders both internally and externally?

If you're looking for an opportunity to make an real impact, both within an organisation and the local community, then this permanent opportunity with Thurrock Council as Head of HR and OD will allow for just that. This Essex based Local Authority are going through an exciting period of change and transformation, and as part of the HR leadership team, reporting to the Assistant Director for HR & OD, and working alongside the Head of Payroll Pensions Data and Transactional Services, this role will play a pivotal part in the design and delivery of the council new Corporate Strategy and People plan to reach these strategic objectives.

With responsibility across HR Business Partnering, Employee Relations, Learning and Organisational Development, this role will require a dynamic, strategic leader, that can drive collaboration and continuous improvement under the backdrop of change. Key responsibilities and priorities in this post will include;

• Overseeing the development and implementation of the People Strategy and Corporate Plan.
• Providing strategic HR leadership, building cohesion and performance within the department.
• Embedding an effective HR Business Partnering model
• Building out the Employee Relations capability to ensure effective case management and positive working relationships with respective Trade Unions.
• Driving a continuous improvement agenda across the function focused on the optimisation of data to inform decision-making and enhance organisational capability.
• Building strong, trust-based relationship with senior stakeholders both internally and externally.
• Enhancing Learning and Organisational Development initiatives to support continuous learning and resilience to change.
• Working closely with the Head of Payroll, Pensions, Data and Transactional Services to identify trends in people data and develop solutions to improve HR/OD services.
• Implement and manage performance management systems, developing and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) for the HR/OD service.

If you're a passionate, resilient HR leader, looking to join an engaged team, whilst being a part of a wider change journey, then this is opportunity with Thurrock Council offers just that. We're looking for experienced HR and OD professional, preferably with experience across the Public Sector, that have an understanding of how to navigate complex, political environments, understands the governance structures and how to operate within varying degrees of ambiguity. The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate proven success evolving HR and OD teams, and experience driving organisation wide cultural and behavioural change.

If this sounds like you, please don't hesitate, apply today via the link or send your up-to-date CV to or .

Please note; all candidates will be asked to provide a statement of suitability to support alongside their CV.

Applications close: Sunday 5th January 2025

Interviews: w/c 13th January 2025