Organisation Design and Transformation Practitioner

The West Midlands Combined Authority is continuing to evolve as an organisation, building the capability, culture and ways of working needed to deliver for the region. Our People & Culture Strategy is focused on making WMCA the best place to work and belong, creating an environment where people feel valued, supported and able to contribute their best.

As Organisation Design & Transformation Practitioner, you will play a key role in helping make that ambition real. You will lead complex organisation design reviews and transformation activity, working with senior leaders to understand organisational challenges, design evidence-led options and support decisions that improve how teams, services and operating models work. Your work will help ensure change is purposeful, well governed and focused on delivering better outcomes for our people, partners and the West Midlands.

What you’ll be doing.

• Lead complex organisation design reviews from initiation through to diagnostics, option design, decision support and implementation planning.
• Work directly with Executive Directors, Directors and senior leaders to scope, contract and lead organisation design reviews, providing constructive challenge and maintaining professional neutrality.
• Design and facilitate organisation design sprints, senior workshops and diagnostic activity to define organisational challenges, desired outcomes, constraints, decision points and governance requirements.
• Develop and test evidence-led organisation design and operating model options against agreed principles, affordability, deliverability, workforce impact and organisational risk.
• Build trust and credibility with senior stakeholders, managing conflicting perspectives, political sensitivities and competing priorities to support robust decision-making.
• Provide assurance that organisation design activity meets required professional, governance and evidential standards, including appropriate identification and management of risks.
• Coach and advise leaders, People Business Partners and colleagues to build organisation design capability and support consistent use of the Organisation Design framework, tools and standards.
• Deliver Change Assessments and provide practical advice to leaders and managers on managing change impacts and creating a positive employee experience.
• Manage multiple concurrent organisation design reviews, balancing pace, quality, stakeholder capacity and organisational risk.
• Drive continuous improvement in organisation design processes, tools and ways of working, collaborating across People & Culture, PMO, Finance, Tech & Insight, Governance and People Business Partnering.

What’s essential.

• Significant experience leading complex organisation design reviews with Director or Executive-level sponsors, from diagnostic through to option development and implementation planning.
• Proven experience of operating model and organisation design programmes or projects within complex organisations, including transformation at functional, business unit or enterprise level.
• Strong stakeholder management, consulting and influencing skills, with experience coaching and advising senior leaders through complex organisational change.
• Ability to maintain professional neutrality, provide constructive challenge and build trust and credibility in high-stakes or politically sensitive environments.
• Applied knowledge of Organisation Design, Organisation Development and Transformation methodologies, frameworks and diagnostic approaches.
• Experience designing organisational structures, systems and operating models using evidence to support clear, practical recommendations.
• Strong facilitation, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret HR, financial, performance and operational information and communicate findings clearly to senior stakeholders.
• Experience working collaboratively across matrix environments and organisational boundaries, managing multiple priorities and competing demands.
• Knowledge of relevant HR legislation, public sector governance and professional standards.
• Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience, with CIPD qualification to a minimum of Level 5.
• Organisation Design qualification, accreditation or equivalent demonstrable professional expertise, with evidence of continuing professional development.

Location.

The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD with at least 2 days a week spent in the office.

How to apply.

Applying for a role with WMCA is straightforward. Follow these steps to get started.

Please note, we reserve the right to close any vacancy from further submissions when we have received sufficient applications from which to make a shortlist. Please apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.

Anonymised Applications.

Your uploaded CV won’t be visible after submission. Our process is anonymised, and only the information in your profile is used for shortlisting. Be thorough in each section. It’s your chance to showcase your skills and experience.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We cannot stop anyone from using AI to help write application content. Used right, it can be a great tool. If you choose to use AI, then use it as a helper rather than relying on it wholly to write your application.

Applications that rely too heavily on AI may be rejected during shortlisting. For help on how to write a supporting statement, please visit the FAQs section of our careers site.

Reasonable adjustments.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that means you might require changes to the application or recruitment process, please get in touch with our Recruitment Team ([email removed]).

Salary and benefits.

We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees. Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Local Government Pension Scheme (one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK).
• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme where you can build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + Statutory days.
• EV car benefit scheme
• Healthcare plans.
• Discounted gym membership, will writing, and mortgage advice.
• An option to buy a bicycle, including e-bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
• 3 days of paid leave each year to volunteer.
• Interest-f