Role Profile – Group Manager

ROLE DESCRIPTION
Key information
Pay Level
Directorate
Reports to
Location
Relationships
10

TBC
Slough Borough Council offices. Some travel may be required
External clients, agencies, partners, community representatives. Internal clients and wider corporate and other departments, elected members.
Core Accountabilities
Direct Reports
Indirect Reports
Operating Budget
Capital Budget



Role Purpose

This role will lead the group of Senior Managers / Senior Professionals within the Business Delivery job family as part of the Group Management Team, managing the Senior Managers across the service. Requires proficiency in a specialised field or profession, together with a sound understanding of relationships between different business areas and professional fields. Will hold a professional qualification or recognised chartered status, or equivalent. Will be required to deal effectively with complex, confidential and sensitive situations in an efficient and timely way.
Provides expert guidance and advice to internal and external customers; develops new approaches to influence and apply their knowledge, with facts and evidence, to support the development of longer term strategies; takes a strategic advisory role and influences the development of business plans, budgets and resource allocation and setting objectives and strategies for the future. Will manage and integrate a range of service demands, deal with serious or complex escalated issues. Influencing, developing, performance managing, motivating and empowering teams and role modelling the Values of Slough Borough Council is pivotal to this role.
Will require attendance at meetings, preparing reports and relevant documents and provision of advice to members of the public, elected members and colleagues on specialist areas relevant to the role.

Responsibilities
People Management
· Lead, organise, develop and motivate a group of senior managers / senior professionals within assigned service areas.
· Management of performance, appraisals, training and development requirements, recruitment and selection, discipline and grievance, absence management.

Service Delivery
· Lead on the business and annual planning processes for the service areas within the group, ensuring clarity of performance indicators and targets to implement agreed strategy.
· Work collaboratively with the senior leadership team and other stakeholders to shape strategic plans to deliver council priorities, achieve objectives and deliver high performance outcomes.
· Ensure processes and systems are in place to monitor and review service delivery and the achievement of agreed objectives and performance criteria.
· Promote and manage the delivery of services across the group to meet customer expectations.
· Ensure the provision of services and provide information in accordance with organisational procedures and guidelines.
· Provide expert advice and guidance to internal and external customers / members of the public on complex processes and situations, responding to serious issues as necessary.

Relationship Management & Networking
· Build and promote effective working relationships with customers internally and externally to provide an integrated service delivery, ensuring smooth delivery of tasks. and activities to provide high levels of customer service.
· Proactively network and engage with organisations to gather ideas and good practice examples that can be built upon for the benefit of Slough residents and businesses.

Financial & Resource Management
· Determine most cost-effective use and deployment of resources to achieve corporate and functional objectives ensuring compliance with statutory and financial obligations, with effective systems to manage performance and risk.
· Proactively monitor budgets in accordance with financial procedures, requirements and audit recording, manage revenue and expenditure, and ensure compliance with the Council’s financial and management control policies and criteria.
· Handle and process computerised data and information with care, accuracy, confidentiality and security.

Planning & Organising
· Manage the planning and delivery of the programme of work / workloads within their area of responsibility to achieve a quality service and ensure any technical and statutory requirements are met.
· Lead or support projects and reviews within the group functions.
· Plan, prioritise and deliver service functions, securing appropriate resources within agreed processes and frameworks, including co-ordinating work of others.

Values
· Uphold and role model the Values and behaviours of Slough Borough Council and ensure that all activities are consistent with organisational and public service values
· Challenge any inappropriate behaviours as necessary.

Equality & Diversity
· Provide leadership on equality issues, working with a range of diverse stakeholders, to proactively promote equality of opportunity and support the Council’s policies and procedures.
· Work inclusively with others and provide direction to generate a positive work environment and remove barriers to accessing services.

Health, Safety & Wellbeing
· Utilise relevant policies and procedures to help maintain a safe and secure work environment for employees and visitors to council premises.
· Adhere to safe working under the health and safety policy. Work alongside colleagues in the maintenance of a safe working environment reporting incidents, accidents, repairs promptly, taking appropriate action as required.
· Have regard to, and comply with, safeguarding policy and procedure as appropriate.





Skills, Knowledge & Behaviours
Leadership
· Clearly communicates and commits to a shared purpose and direction, aligned to the council’s vision, strategies and plans.
· Set ambitious goals for self and senior managers to deliver successful and measurable outcomes.
· Drive transformational change using innovation and creativity to develop fit for the future delivery models that represent great value for internal and external customers, residents and businesses.
· Experience of leading engagement strategies with residents and other stakeholders to support a strong vibrant Slough.

Managing People
· Experience of ensuring people are engaged and motivated to be their very best and facilitates feedback to people using coaching conversations.
· Ensures senior managers / senior professionals are clear on performance expectations, how they are progressing and provides development opportunities to enhance their personal effectiveness, skills and knowledge.
· Recognise, manage and resolve workplace conflict situations effectively.

Commitment
· Align all work with Council vision and strategies, team goals and business plans to obtain the best outcomes.
· Recognise the importance of governance, strategic influence and applies these principles to work.

Customer Service Delivery
· Experience of excellent customer service to internal and external customers, in line with our Customer Commitments
· Strong customer focus to listen to and understand customers’ needs, expectations and experiences to improve and enhance the services we provide and ensure the provision of excellent services.

Continuous Improvement & Transformational Change
· Explore opportunities to identify innovative and creative approaches and best practice to deliver transformational change in service delivery.
· Constructively challenge where there are issues, risks or inefficiencies
· Develop fit for the future delivery models that demonstrate value for residents.
· Is open to feedback and seeks out personal opportunities to learn and grow.

PERSON SPECIFICATION – GROUP MANAGER
Qualifications
Essential / Desirable
Professional or management qualification – at degree level in relevant professional field + post graduate qualification (e.g. ILM7/MBA) – or equivalent
E
Membership of a relevant chartered or professional body
D
Demonstrable commitment to continuous professional development
E
Experience

Demonstrable successful senior management experience over a number of years in a large, complex, multi-service organisation, managing across a range of technical or professional areas or specialisms.
E

Experienced across specialist field at master’s level or equivalent / generalist manager operating at a corporate level responsible for a range of specialist professional areas
E
Experience of leading and managing significant organisational change with evidence of achieving tangible benefits, including implementing new organisational structures, systems and new and flexible ways of working.
E

Proven experience of financial and budgetary management with experience in formulating financial strategies that provide value for money and puts stakeholders at the centre of financial decisions.
E
Proven track record of embracing digital approaches and new ways of working to achieve quantifiable efficiencies and improved ways of working.
E
Skills and abilities

Experienced in leading on strategic decision-making, including making evidence-based decisions in a fast-paced environment
E
Strong level of digital literacy, including office software suites and flexible ways of working (e.g. video conferencing, remote working)
E
Evidence of planning and organising work of self and others to produce a high level of output to quality standards, leading on longer term developments of the service
E
Evidence of facilitating change and transformation, developing productive and collaborative ways of working with colleagues and stakeholders in wider internal and external partnerships, leading and motivating others to achieve visible service delivery improvements.
E
Excellent written and oral communication, advocacy, negotiating and influencing skills. Strong networking and presentation skills to relate effectively to employees, managers, elected members, the public and stakeholders and command their respect, trust and confidence.
E
Experience of leading the delivery of major projects and/or programmes, demonstrating excellent project management skills and experience, managing performance to achieve required outcomes.
E
High level numeracy and budget monitoring skills to interpret and analyse complex performance and finance information.
E
Knowledge and understanding

Demonstrates a high level of understanding of the Values and behaviours expected from Slough Borough Council to proactively promote a positive working environment and culture.
E
Demonstrates personal responsibility for proactively enhancing service provision and access to services promoting fairness and dignity and equality of opportunity at work.
E
Understanding of Health and Safety legislation and good practice and how it relates to themselves and others in the workplace
E
Understanding of, and commitment to, the development of policies to promote sustainable development and community resilience.
E

This is essentially a senior management position reporting to an Associate director and will manage the councils HR Function comprising of :

• Recruitment
• Payroll and Pensions team
• Health and Safety
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Workforce development and performance and development business partner team
• Employee relations and HR Business Partner team
We are looking for someone who as extensive / significant experience in running a HR function comprising the functions listed above and
has operated at a senior level advising directors / CX for several years.

This will be for a 3-6 month placement - pending permanent recruitment to the post please