Deputy Head of Recruitment

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Responsible for contributing to and implementing the Trust's recruitment strategy with an aim to reducing the reliance on temporary staffing in line with the Trust's longer-term goals and objectives.
• Plan and deliver the Recruitment & Retention Strategy required to deliver the key organisational, business and clinical plans. This will reflect future needs of the service(s), future skills shortage areas, demographic changes and the need for skill mix review.
• Work in partnership with Divisional HR Business Partners, managers and clinical leaders to ensure the Trust has robust, up to date and sustainable resourcing and recruitment plans that support the immediate operational plan and longer term strategic objectives in delivering best care by the best people.
• Deliver flexible recruitment services based upon the needs of the Trust.
• Work with recruiting managers to ensure the Trust is attracting the best talent through various recruiting methods, using new and innovative ideas.
• Ensure appropriate use of recruitment systems to ensure the Trust utilises its workforce resources to its maximum capabilities.
• Continually benchmark the recruitment methods and service provision and explore all models of service delivery and maximise the use of technology to drive innovation, efficiency and productivity.
• Auditing and challenging recruitment decisions made by recruiting managers where correct process has not been followed.
• Responsible for implementation, maintaining and monitoring of recruitment software systems.
• Liaising and building relationships with external service providers. Auditing activity for the most cost effective solutions.
• Advise on highly complex and sensitive issues around talent attraction and recruitment to a range of audiences including staff, managers, applicants and key stakeholders.
• Responsible for managing and coaching the recruitment team, designing processes and tools to train the teams and hiring managers in effective attraction and selection practices.
• Continuously improve and maintain an excellent recruitment and staff "joining experience" service in line with best practice and quality standards
• Promote the Trust's image, reputation and values and behaviours as the employer of choice in as many potential marketplaces as possible and enhance the reputation as an anchor institution in Bedfordshire.
• Develop project plans and manage the roll out of recruitment campaigns and projects locally, regionally, nationally and where appropriate, internationally.
• Act as a key contact for external bodies such as BLMK and NHS Improvement / England.
• Proactively develop recruitment pipelines and talent pools so there is a ready supply of staff ahead of demand.
• Create supporting policies and procedures and design appropriate training and support materials.
• Further develop and consolidate the Trust's approach to selection techniques, including any assessments required for the process.
• Review in liaison with the Communications Team the Trusts existing social and published media and web presence and develop and implement ideas to effectively promote Bedfordshire Hospitals as an employer of choice.
• Ensure recruitment is cost effective, legally and ethically compliant and delivers robust, value for money outcomes whilst still being people focussed and customer led.
• Develop and implement marketing and recruitment plans aligned to long term strategic objectives. Ensure appropriate resources are available from the Trust to be able to be represented at market place events and coordinate activities in this respect with other agencies and internal key stakeholders.
• Develop, maintain and produce regular management information reports on performance of campaigns, identifying numbers of candidates at each recruitment stage, successes, trends and recommendations for future campaigns.
• Develop auditing tools to ensure best practice is followed in recruitment activity.
• Agree, develop and deliver recruitment KPIs, oversee the generation, validation and interpretation of recruitment related management information and present the information in the relevant forums.
• Oversee the sponsorship function to ensure the Trust adheres to Home Office rules and regulations advising recruiting managers and the recruitment team as and when required.
• Working with the internal stakeholders, analyse workforce data to support specialties/departments' understanding of trends within the workforce and develop strategies to address areas of challenges (e.g. recruitment & retention, vacancy rates, turnover & stability index).
• Recognise and monitor external market place trends and adjust overall recruiting strategy to hire the best people. Develop attraction strategies that encourage the highest calibre candidates, in particular attracting candidates from skills shortage/hard to recruit areas, utilising innovative and creative strategies and maximising the use of the latest technology.
• Work with Training and Development Team on the design and delivery of recruitment and selection training and the development of robust selection methods e.g. Psychometrics and other assessment techniques. Design and present training events, presentations and guidance material to ensure that directors, managers and staff are aware of their employment responsibilities and rights.
• Ensure any complaints are managed, ensuring appropriate action is taken
• Advise on complex scenarios and act as point of escalation on situations of conflict and sensitive situations
• Provide specialist expertise on multi - layered recruitment issues and escalations up to and including board level.
• Assist with budget planning and management
• Provide specialist advice and support on resourcing issues to the Trust's senior managers, Clinical directors and Leads.
• Manage team performance, providing the full breadth of line management for direct reports (sickness absence, disciplinary, grievances, performance etc), developing their skills and resilience. Carry out annual appraisals for direct reports and ensure that all statutory and mandatory training is up to date.
• To ensure that the Trust's values and behaviours are embedded in all processes.
• To ensure accurate, timely management information on recruitment and retention activity, trends and KPI's is provided and to monitor and report on these.
• To ensure appropriate communication methods and forums are in place to enable regular feedback and review the recruitment and resources processes and procedures between the team and vacancy managers.
• To work as a key member of the Human Resources team and develop effective, supportive relationships and channels of communication to ensure that the services provided meet operational needs and support the strategic plans of the Trust.
• Lead and co-ordinate audit and benchmarking activities, ensuring that these result in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of delivery against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and action plans to improve service provision.
• Continually develop strategies and plans for continuous service improvement.
• Assisting with internal and external investigations and grievances
• Supporting with Trust Tribunal cases
• Lead on Trust digital transformation

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to Masters level or equivalent
• CIPD qualified or equivalent level of experience

Experience

Essential criteria

• A professional with experience of working in a complex, multi-sited organisation.
• Significant HR/Recruitment experience in a large complex, unionised organisation
• In depth experience of leading and managing an operational team and processes to tight deadlines.
• Understanding of HR practices and employment law related to recruitment best practice and immigration legislation.
• Significant experience of recruitment planning and delivery.

Desirable criteria

• Power Automate, Power BI

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Leadership skills with a strong focus on timely delivery of outcomes and achievements
• Significant experience and ability in analysis and interpretation of numerical/ statistical workforce data.
• Strong IT skills including good knowledge of all MS Office packages.
• Able to lead, develop and motivate team working

It is an exciting time to join the newly formed Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We run two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Our 7,500 staff provide high quality care for a growing population of around 700,000 across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. Travel between hospital sites may be required. We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

• Job Description (PDF, 240.6KB)
• Person Specification (PDF, 48.5KB)
• Functional Aspects (PDF, 144.4KB)
• L&D Hospital site map (PDF, 96.8KB)
• Disclosure & Barring Information and Recruitment of Ex-Offenders (PDF, 78.5KB)
• Staff Diversity Network (PDF, 140.3KB)
• Information for Disabled Applicants (PDF, 98.7KB)
• Bedford Hospital Site map (PDF, 2.6MB)
• Staff Benefits (PNG, 1.6MB)