People Advice and Support Advisor

Overview:

Do you have a passion for helping and supporting people?

Are you looking to develop your career within Human Resources?

If so, our People Advice and Support Advisor role could be for you and we’d love to hear from you. This is an exciting opportunity to be at the forefront of work to deliver one of the Scottish Government’s key priorities: delivering a stronger and fairer Scotland by providing accurate, measured and sound HR advice and support to our staff and management teams.

In this role you will work closely with all areas of Social Security Scotland, supporting colleagues in their delivery of services to the people of Scotland.

The role sits within the People Advice and Support team, which currently comprises the Senior People Advice and Support Manager, 4 Managers, 6 Specialists and 7 Advisors. We are expanding to add another 2 Advisors to our team.

This is a crucial role which delivers professional, efficient and effective Human Resource advice and guidance to support Social Security Scotland staff at all levels. This will include case management of conduct, performance and attendance procedures. As an Advisor, you will work closely with line managers across the organisation, providing them with invaluable coaching and support to ensure they fulfil the people management aspects of their roles in adherence to our core values of dignity, fairness and respect. You will have a positive approach with an innate ability to connect with people, embodying teamwork and tackling HR challenges with confidence and composure.

What do we offer you?

Access to our flexible working system with potential to accrue up to four additional days’ leave in a four-week period
Minimum five weeks’ annual leave (pro rata) in addition to 11.5 public and privilege holidays
Full and comprehensive training, and access to learning and development opportunities to support your personal and professional growth
Career progression – join a developing organisation with excellent opportunities for career advancement
Attractive Civil Service pension (employer contributions between 26.6% – 27.9%)
Workplace adjustments for everyone who needs them to ensure your comfort and safety in your new role
Health and wellbeing support including 24-hour access to our Employee Assistance Programme, plus counselling support available for all

Hybrid Working

We embrace a hybrid working style where all colleagues will spend time in either our Glasgow or Dundee offices. There is an expectation of two days per week in your assigned location however role specific attendance will be discussed and agreed with successful candidates.

Your base location will be either Dundee or Glasgow. Travel to other offices will occasionally be required and overnight stays may be expected on occasion.

About Us

Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government.

Our benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve.

Find out more about us here
Responsibilities:

Manage and monitor the People Advice and Support email inbox, ensuring all HR queries are actioned appropriately in a timely manner
End to end HR case management, coaching and monitoring, applying risk analysis throughout
Conduct formal HR meetings, ensuring all guidance is followed and individual circumstances have been considered in order to arrive at a fair and reasonable outcome
Ensure that equality and diversity considerations are included in all advice and guidance given in relation to people management
Identify and work with line managers to ensure HR advice and guidance is discussed at the earliest opportunity
Knowledge of employment law and GDPR legislation
Note taking as part of formal disciplinary, performance management or attendance processes
Work with managers in ensuring Occupational Health Referrals are clear and concise and result in valuable reports being provided. Monitor reports produced by Occupational Health to ensure quality and consistency of advice and report issues and concerns
Build capability within the business either through the delivery of awareness sessions or by supporting Learning colleagues in the delivery of learning events
Analyse various sources of data to identify HR trends which will help address potential challenges and inform any coaching or upskilling required
Support the wider People Advice and Support team of Specialists and Managers in embedding organisational culture and values
General administration tasks in relation to the smooth running of the People Advice and Support Team. This may include Freedom of Information and Subject Access Requests
Involvement in HR projects relating to the work of the team
Contribute to the training and development of managers, helping to produce people initiatives in line with our People Charter
Qualifications:

Associate Member of the CIPD or currently working, or willing to work, towards an appropriate qualification.

How to apply

To apply for this post, you will need to provide the information requested below via the online application process.

In your application form, we will ask you to provide specific examples of how you meet the Essential Criteria below. You will have 300 words for each to showcase your knowledge, skills, and personal qualities. Further information on what makes a good application can be found here.

1. Experience of working with and supporting people to reach fair, effective and practical solutions to sensitive HR situations.
2. Demonstrable ability to analyse evidence, having a keen eye for detail with excellent written, verbal and numeracy skills.
3. Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills with the ability to develop effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders, adapting your communication style and approach to meet the needs of others.
4. An ability to work well under pressure, demonstrating flexibility, resilience and positivity and planning ahead to prioritise your workload.

Social Security Scotland – Further_information for job applicants

Information Session

If you are interested in applying for a role as a People Advice and Support Advisor, we highly recommend attending one of our online Information Sessions.

We are holding candidate information sessions for this role to provide you with information about the application and interview process as well as further information on the role and team. These sessions will be held on Wednesday 1st and Tuesday 7th November, and will offer the opportunity to find out more about the role, how to make a great application and speak to a member of the People Advice and Support team. Please click on one of the below links to join the workshop.

Wednesday 1st November at 1.00pm – 2.00pm – Link

Wednesday 1st November at 6.00pm – 7.00 pm – Link

Tuesday 7th November at 1.00pm – 2.00pm – Link

Tuesday 7th November at 6.00pm – 7.00pm – Link

Interview/Assessment Information

Here are details of the Competencies required for this role which you will be tested against if you are invited to attend the interview/assessment:

Self-Awareness
People Management
Communication and Engagement
Improving Performance
Analysis and Use of Evidence

Interviews will be held in person in either our Glasgow or Dundee office, depending upon candidates’ locations.

Reserve List

In the event that further posts are required, a reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for up to 12 months

Recruitment Contact

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Ailsa Travers who can be reached at ailsa.travers@socialsecurity.gov.scot

Further Information

The successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.

Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment, should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process, please contact us at Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot.

Social Security Scotland’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition – Recruitment – Civil Service Commission (independent.gov.uk)

If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you can make a complaint, by contacting Social Security Scotland at recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioner.

If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form, please contact the Resourcing Team via recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot

If you are interested in us contacting you about further available vacancies, please sign up to our mailing list to receive job alerts.