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Take a look at our current vacancies. If you see a vacancy that is right for you, we encourage you to apply!

Strategic Workforce Planning Manager

As a dynamic Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) Manager, you will collaborate with key stakeholders across the casework teams, our Strategic People Partners, Organisational Capability colleagues and other enabling divisions to spearhead our strategic workforce planning activities. Your mission is to ensure we have the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time to deliver our strategy.

Contract: Permanent

Working hours: 35 hours per week is full time. Where possible, we are open to considering part time/flexible working patterns. Please let us know in your application your desired working pattern.

Salary: Circa £60,000

Reporting to: Head of Organisational Capability

London docklands

Our permanent hybrid policy sees us all working at least four days across a fortnight in the office.

This pivotal role involves owning the SWP process, building SWP capability and analysing data to share insights. It will also facilitate scenario planning workshops with casework colleagues and enabling functions, have a holistic view of SWP activities and develop tools to support decision-making.

You’ll work closely with others to develop a 5 year workforce plan, underpinned by data driven insight into specific areas of the business, critical roles and critical skills.

Key responsibilities

• Develop, implement and continuously improve the strategic workforce planning process to align with the organisations strategic goals.
• Create data driven SWP models to identify future skills and connect them with our location strategy.
• Facilitate the development and implementation of 5 year plans to acquire or develop required skills and capabilities in the business, aligned to our long term objectives.
• Through Strategic People Partners, drive these plans to support the deployment of change projects, ensuring interdependencies, risks and issues are understood and managed effectively.
• Organise and lead scenario planning workshops with the business, HR colleagues and other key enabling stakeholders to gather insights and collaboratively plan mitigation activities.
• Ensure seamless integration of Operational planning &Performance proposals with Strategic People Partners, activities undertaken in Organisational Capability, and our strategic workforce plans.
• Conduct proactive external horizon scanning to identify emerging trends, market shifts, regulatory changes, and technological advancements that could impact workforce planning strategies.
• Integrate these insights into SWP processes to enhance our agility. This includes monitoring industry trends, competitor strategies and global economic factors to anticipate potential workforce challenges and opportunities.
• Analyse workforce data to identify trends, gaps and opportunities.
• Prepare and present appropriately detailed reports to senior leaders, providing actionable insights to guide decision-making.
• Develop and deliver tools and training to build strategic workforce planning capability within the business, ensuring teams are equipped with the data, skills and knowledge.

• Delivering a fair and efficient service, that reflects the diversity of our customers and our people

To be considered for this role, you’ll need to show us that you’ve got the skills and capabilities. You’ll have to meet the following minimum criteria:

Minimum Criteria:

• CIPD Strategic Workforce Planning or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and driving a strategic workforce planning methodology in a similar small to medium sized organisation, including external horizon scanning and adapting SWP strategies based on external environmental factors
• Experience creating workforce planning frameworks from scratch
• Confident in using workforce planning data to influence and justify to Stakeholders
• Solid Project management experience

Desirable Criteria

We would also like you to have the following skills:

• Strong analytical skills, including resourceful in sourcing and validating data to present recommendations
• Ability to think critically, solve problems, and work with ambiguity
• Ability to build partnerships and influence across all levels of the organisation and work through others
• Strategic thinking with a proactive approach to identifying and addressing challenges

Why Financial Ombudsman Service?

We are a values led organisation. Our values define our culture, influence our decisions, and underpin our vision and strategy.  They set out how we play our PART through Purpose, Ambition, Respect and Trust. You can learn more about our values here: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/aims-values

We also offer an attractive, competitive salary and flexible benefits to suit our people. Here’s a list of some of the many benefits and perks you can get for working with us:

• 25 days holiday entitlement, with the option to buy extra or sell days
• Generous pension
• Employer provided benefits such as Private medical insurance, virtual GP, Critical illness cover, Life assurance cover, to name a few
• Choice of voluntary benefits including Technology scheme, Cycle to work scheme, Will-writing service amongst others
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Extensive opportunities for personal and career development
• Fully equipped on-site gym open 24 / 7 (London office only)
• Extensive Well-being resources including on-site therapists (London office only)
• Beautiful and bright London office looking over the Thames and near to mainline stations
• Our employee led networks do fantastic work in educating and raising awareness across a range of experiences and support us in being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. You can get involved, too!

How do I apply?

• Please apply by uploading your current CV, alongside a supporting statement of how you meet the criteria for the position

Applications need to be submitted by 23:59 Sunday 8th September 2024

Successful candidates will be invited to a telephone call with a member of the Talent Acquisition team

Due to high application numbers this advert may end earlier than the date specified, so please don't delay and apply now!

A full job profile is available on request and will be provided to candidates shortlisted to the first stage of the assessment process.

We’re proud to be an inclusive employer

We view diversity as fundamental to our success and welcome applications from underrepresented groups across all communities.

We’re committed to being a great place to work– attracting and developing people from the widest possible range of backgrounds. We want everyone to perform at their best and feel able to be themselves. We understand that if we’re diverse and inclusive, we’ll better understand different perspectives, which is fundamental to our job resolving financial complaints.   

We welcome applications from Black and other ethnic minority candidates, and female candidates, for all positions and particularly so for senior leader positions as they are under-represented within the Financial Ombudsman Service at this level.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. This means that we will put disabled candidates entering under the scheme through to the next stage of the recruitment process should they meet the minimum criteria for a role. A minimum criterion needs to be measurable from reviewing a candidate’s CV/supporting statement. Exceptions may apply if due to the volume of applications we are not able to interview all eligible candidates who qualify under the scheme. If you would like to speak to a member of our team about any reasonable adjustments you need, please email hrsupport@financial-ombudsman.org.uk and let us know your preferred method of contact.

Find out more

Check out below channels to find out more about everyday life at the Financial Ombudsman Service – and don’t forget to follow us while you’re there!

• LinkedIn: Financial Ombudsman Service
• Our careers page: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/join-us

Good luck with your application!