HR Operations and Wellbeing Lead

Job summary

Pattern of Working: 0.8 FTE, equating to 29.6 hours per week. Flexible working arrangements will be considered, subject to meeting the needs of the Senedd and its Members.

The Wellbeing and Operations Lead plays a pivotal role in ensuring that People Services operates effectively, consistently and in a way that actively promotes employee wellbeing across the organisation. The postholder provides strategic and operational leadership to the HR Operations and Wellbeing teams, driving high-quality service delivery while building capability, resilience and continuous improvement within those teams. The role has overall responsibility for the design and delivery of key operational and wellbeing projects, ensuring that policy, process and practice are aligned, evidence based and support a positive employee experience.

The post leads on major, organisation wide initiatives to improve efficiency, productivity and outcomes within People Services, including the development of systems such as occupational health provision, query management solutions and the use of AI enabled tools. Acting as the HR policy lead, the role provides oversight and coordination of cross organisational policy development, supports complex and sensitive casework investigations, and ensures clear, planned and timely HR communications. Through active engagement and consultation with Commission leaders, managers and external networks, the Wellbeing and Operations Lead ensures that People Services is responsive, compliant and well positioned to support organisational priorities.

Ultimately the role needs to ensure that the services provided by the team are proactive, with a continuous improvement ethos; customer focused; and efficient.

Job description

About the role:

The HR Operations and Wellbeing Lead provides senior professional leadership to the Wellbeing and HR Operations team. As well as Wellbeing and HR Operations, the People Services team comprises of Payroll, HR Systems and HR data/management information functions.

The post holder leads on complex programmes and provides expert consultancy to senior leaders and the HR Operations and Wellbeing teams. This role works closely with senior colleagues across HR and other service areas, influencing at senior level while remaining grounded in delivery reality, as well as in close partnership with the Head of People Services.

Core Responsibilities:

Strategic leadership

• Lead the design and evolution of HR Operations and Wellbeing roadmaps, to ensure that projects and BAU work are identified annually and then continually reviewed. Ensure projects and BAU work is aligned to the People and Culture strategy and workforce needs .Work with the teams to ensure clear delivery roadmaps based on priorities and resource availability
• Accountable for ensuring the HR Operations and Wellbeing teams deliver BAU and projects identified on the roadmap. Ensure there are clear expected outcomes and measures as to whether these have been achieved.
• Act as a senior expert adviser / point of escalation for HR Operations (including complex casework) and Wellbeing queries and issues
• Work with the teams to identify efficiencies and streamline process, either through utilising technological solutions, or developing clearer processes and supporting documents, to create capacity in the team and ensuring work is value added / meets customer needs
• Develop KPIs for HR Operations to define expectations in key areas of service delivery, and then monitor the team against these

Key areas of responsibility

• Lead major HR Operations and Wellbeing programmes with the focus or either driving efficiency and productivity gains, or managing risk. This will include leading on:
  • The introduction of a new occupational health system /
  • The introduction of a new query management system
  • Identifying how AI can be utilised across the team
  • The implementation of the Dignity and Respect framework
  • HR Risk Champion – oversight of HR risks, working with other teams to ensure that risks are identified and up to date on the HR risk register
  • Lead on HR Policy development: Personally responsible for reviewing and updating circa 5-10 policies per year, facilitating feedback and managing consultation processes to ensure these are up-to-date, accurate, reflect legislation, and reflect internal processes
  • Overall responsibility for working with other members of HR to ensure that HR policies are up-to-date, accurate, reflect legislation, and reflect internal processes.

Provide guidance to others across the organisation to ensure compliance with policy governance procedures, and ensure policy updates are tracked centrally

• Develop and deliver training on HR Operations policies

• Support the development and delivery of the Wellbeing Strategy
• Work with the Wellbeing manager (who has strategic responsibility for the Wellbeing Strategy) to ensure the Wellbeing Strategy aligns to HR Policies, HR Operations projects, and People and Culture strategy.
• Work with the Wellbeing Manager to develop KPIs for Wellbeing to define expectations in key areas of service delivery, and then monitor the team against these
• Escalation point for decision making on complex wellbeing and reasonable adjustment cases, taking into account advice and recommendation from the Wellbeing manager

People and professional leadership

• Manage, coach and mentor direct reports, providing clear direction, professional challenge and oversight.
• Set clear standards for delivery, ensuring work is pitched appropriately by grade and aligned to organisational need.
• Working with the Head of People Services and Data and Insights Lead, develop and the People Services team, including chairing team meetings and supporting talent development, professional growth and succession planning within the team
• Develop a CPD culture within the HR Operations and Wellbeing teams, ensuring the team is up to date with legislation
• Have oversight for ensuring that People Services communications are managed effectively and in line with the HR communications schedule, working with others in the team to develop and publish communications in their own area of responsibility, including general communications to staff to reflect policy or process changes, projects and updates

Partnership and influence

• Build strong partnerships with senior leaders and services to align HR Operations and Wellbeing initiatives with real organisational challenges.
• Work in partnership with Trade Unions to engage and consult with them regarding new / evolving policies and initiatives
• Present papers / facilitate discussion on key topics at Exec Board and Leadership Team
• Work collaboratively across HR to ensure joined‑up people solutions.
• Stay connected to external practice, benchmarking and professional networks to strengthen organisational capability.
• Build relationships with external organisations, including other parliaments

Person specification

Job Specific criteria:

1. In-depth knowledge and experience of managing HR Operations ie complex casework / employee relations
2. Understanding and experience of managing employee wellbeing functions, initiatives and strategies in a large or complex organisation.
3. Strong consultancy and influencing skills with senior stakeholders.
4. Excellent written and analytical skills; experience drafting policies, and the ability to research and use data and insight to shape policy and strategy.
5. Proven ability to lead, coach and develop prof