Head of HR Investigation Service

Job summary

This leadership role sits within the People and Place function in DWP, with accountability for leading the HR Investigation Service (HRIS) within the HR Advice and Support Team. The HR Advice and Support Team delivers specialist HR services across DWP through four key functions: HR Casework Operations, Employment Tribunal and People Risk, HR Investigation Service, and Continuous Improvement. HRIS provides expert support and oversight for the Department's most complex, sensitive and high-profile HR investigations, while also driving investigative capability and standards across the wider organisation.

The HR Investigation Service has undergone significant transformation in recent years, including professional accreditation of investigators, expansion of the team and the development of a more collaborative and insight-led operating model. The service plays a critical role in supporting organisational risk management, employee experience and continuous improvement across the Department.

The post holder will provide strategic leadership for the HR Investigation Service, ensuring investigations are delivered to the highest professional standards and in line with legislation, DWP policy and recognised best practice. They will lead a geographically dispersed team of specialist investigators, drive continuous improvement and quality assurance, and ensure insights and lessons learned from investigations inform organisational learning, policy development and cultural improvement.

As a member of the HR Advice and Support senior leadership team, you will shape the future direction of HR investigations across DWP, building capability, strengthening partnerships and ensuring the service remains professional, responsive and aligned to departmental priorities.

Job description

Reporting to the Head of DWP Casework and Investigations Team, you will operate with a high degree of autonomy, providing visible and credible leadership for the HR Investigation Service across DWP.

You will play a pivotal role in maintaining professional investigative standards, managing organisational risk and ensuring the effective delivery of complex and sensitive investigations.

Working closely with Senior HR Business Partners, HR Policy, Employee Relations, wider DWP investigation networks and cross-government partners, you will lead service improvement, organisational learning and capability development across the HR investigations profession.

You will be responsible for:

• Setting the strategic direction for the HR Investigation Service, ensuring investigations are delivered consistently, professionally and in line with legislation, DWP policy, ACAS guidance and recognised best practice.
• Leading and developing a geographically dispersed team of specialist HR investigators, building capability, supporting professional accreditation and career development, promoting wellbeing, and fostering a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.
• Managing investigative resources, workforce planning and workload prioritisation, ensuring effective deployment of capacity, appropriate oversight of high-risk and complex cases, and delivery against agreed standards and timescales.
• Acting as the senior escalation point for investigators, HR Business Partners, managers and senior stakeholders, providing expert advice and guidance on complex, sensitive and high-profile investigation matters.
• Driving continuous improvement and quality assurance across HR investigations, ensuring policies, processes, guidance, documentation and investigation outcomes are regularly reviewed and enhanced through feedback, lessons learned, stakeholder insight and best practice.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with senior stakeholders across DWP, wider government and professional investigative networks, promoting the HR Investigation Service, sharing best practice and strengthening investigative capability across the Department.
• Acting as a strategic partner to senior leaders, HR Policy and Employee Relations teams, using investigation outcomes and insights to influence policy development, address organisational and cultural issues, and improve people management practices.
• Leading the HR investigations risk management approach, ensuring robust governance and quality assurance arrangements are in place to identify, assess and mitigate operational, legal and reputational risks.
• Using trends, themes and lessons learned from investigations to drive organisational learning and continuous improvement, while providing strategic leadership and oversight of the Department's most complex, sensitive and high-risk investigations.

Person specification

Your evidence will be assessed against the following essential criteria. You must ensure you provide specific examples to demonstrate these criteria in your personal statement.

Candidates will be able to demonstrate the following:

Essential Criteria:

• Significant experience of leading and delivering HR investigations, with expert knowledge of employment law, HR policy and best practice investigation standards, including alternative and informal resolution approaches. (LEAD CRITERION)

• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex or sensitive messages and influence stakeholders at all levels.

• Experience of interpreting and applying complex policies, procedures and processes to deliver effective and proportionate investigations.

• Track record of leading and inspiring teams and building effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders to drive improvements in investigative standards, organisational capability and service delivery.

• Experience of identifying organisational and reputational risks and applying a risk-based approach to developing and implementing appropriate mitigation strategies.

• Demonstrable resilience and sound judgement when managing complex and sensitive issues, including communicating difficult or unwelcome messages to individuals experiencing challenging circumstances.

• Demonstrated ability to use data, insight and evidence to drive service improvements and address organisational or cultural issues arising from investigations, casework or employee feedback.

Qualifications/professional memberships

• Accredited Investigations Practice qualifications or willingness to achieve this within 12 months.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,946, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £16,786 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join