Head of Colleague Relations

Salary:

Pension:

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%. Please refer to the Civil Service Pensions website for more information.

Type:

**Please note: The advert will close at 11:59PM the night before the listed closing date.**

SLC offer a blended working model which will typically be 2 days in the office and 3 days from home.

Is it time you unlocked your potential

Student Loans Company is a non-profit making Government-owned organisation to provide loans and grants to students in universities and colleges in the UK. Since 1989 we have enabled our customers to invest in their futures by delivering secure accurate and efficient assessment payment and repayment services.

Our Values

Culture is at the heart of everything we do at SLC and we are guided by our five values which help make SLC a great place to work:

• Honesty: We act with integrity and transparency sharing information openly and addressing challenges with courage.

• Empowerment: We enable people to take initiative make impactful decisions and continuously learn and grow.

• Accountability: We deliver on commitments own our successes and mistakes and strive for quality outcomes.

• Respect: We value diverse perspectives actively listen and create an inclusive environment where everyone belongs.

• Trust: We collaborate across teams build dependable relationships and work as one to deliver for our customers.

These values are more than wordsthey guide our decisions shape our collaborations and strengthen our impact on the students we serve.

About the Role
This newly created role will lead SLCs Colleague Relations function setting strategic direction and guiding a 15strong team to deliver consistent highquality advisory partnering and policy support across the organisation. You will shape how SLC navigates complex employee relations organisational change and workforce risk ensuring decisions are fair legally compliant and aligned with our values.

Working closely with senior leaders you will influence organisation design workforce planning and cultural initiatives while steering enterprisewide projects that modernise processes and enhance colleague experience. Through datadriven insight and preventative action you will strengthen colleague engagement and operational outcomes building a highperforming collaborative team environment with clear priorities and accountability.

As a senior leader within the People Directorate you will play a key role in driving SLCs People evolution helping us to step into the future of a modern strategic and digitally enabled Directorate.

What You Bring:

• Deep expertise across core HR disciplines including people policy strategic partnering and advisory services with a clear track record of improving business performance and colleague experience
• Strong knowledge of UK employment legislation case law and bestpractice application including experience managing complex ER issues up to Employment Tribunal level
• Strong judgement and decisionmaking capability with the ability to balance legal risk organisational values and practical business needs
• Evidence of driving continuous improvement and modernisation across people processes systems or services
• Strong capability in analysing complex people data case trends and workforce insights to inform strategic recommendations and/or preventative interventions for different audiences
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience preparing boardlevel papers presenting complex issues and influencing diverse stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to apply a pragmatic solutionsfocused approach to complex people challenges while maintaining fairness consistency and organisational values
• Proven ability to build and sustain strategic relationships across HR senior leadership and external providers to influence outcomes at scale
• Significant experience operating in complex organisations ideally across both publicsector environments and large multistakeholder settings
• Extensive experience leading specialist HR teams with clear evidence of developing capability setting strategic direction and creating a highperforming engaged team culture
• Proven experience leading seniorlevel discussions and influencing Executive leaders on sensitive highimpact people matters
• Experience managing constructive relationships with trade unions including navigating consultation negotiation and disputeresolution
• Experience shaping and implementing organisationwide people strategies frameworks and policies that support organisational transformation cultural consistency and workforce resilience
• CIPD or equivalent experience with a commitment to ongoing professional development
• Deep experience applying HR expertise across multiple people specialisms including policy partnering and colleague relations

You can expect more from a career with SLC. We support colleagues to unlock their potential through our Career Pathways development programme and offer an excellent benefit and rewards package that includes:

• 28 days annual leave plus 8 public holidays

• Option to buy/sell annual leave

• Flexi-time and enhanced flexible working options available

• Option to join the Civil Service pension scheme

• Life insurance cover for 4 x annual salary

• Enhanced company sick pay and family leave including maternity paternity and adoption

• Contributory lifestyle benefit options including discounts at hundreds of retailers cycle to work scheme access to the Civil Service Sports and Leisure Club for discounted gym memberships and an optional dental insurance scheme

• To find out whats its like to work at Student Loans Company click here SLC Careers

The Legal Bits

Well need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. If we offer you a job and you accept there are some background checks we need to complete before you can start with us. This will include employment history criminal record check credit reference check and fraud check.

SLC are committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are inclusive for all candidates and will make reasonable adjustments for those who consider themselves to have a disability or long-term condition in line with the Equality Act 2010. Our application process provides candidates with the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments but if you would like to discuss this in more detail please email