Government looking for HR lead as tensions rise

The Cabinet Office is searching for a civil servant to be policy lead for HR, coming shortly after news of friction between Downing Street and the civil service regarding recruitment and the treatment of staff.

The job advert reads:

As the HR policy lead you will play a key role in establishing the cross-government special adviser HR function, scoping change and innovations and providing expert advice and guidance in a unique business area.

Reporting to the Head of Policy and Operations you will have a specific focus on developing and embedding HR policies and principles and providing expert advice and guidance to the Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet and the Prime Minister’s Office. You will also be required to support the team on HR operational tasks.

This position will sit within the Propriety and Ethics team and reports to the head of policy and operations.

The role will also include amending HR policies for special advisers, also known as Spads. In August 2019, one of Sajid Javid’s Spads, Sonia Khan was let go as she was accused of passing information to previous Chancellor Philip Hammond.

Candidates require a CIPD membership and have until 11.55 pm on the 26/02/20 to apply. It offers a salary between £52,500 – £60,635.

In January 2020, Dominic Cummings, chief special adviser to Boris Johnson has said he desires “weirdos and misfits” to work in the civil service and the Government whilst “the horrors of HR need a bonfire”.

Mr Cummings said:

We need to figure out how to use such people (weirdos) better without asking them to conform to the horrors of ‘Human Resources’ (which also obviously need a bonfire).

In August 2019, the Royal Family released a job advert, looking to recruit their next senior HR advisor. The candidate was meant to have a “demonstrable generalist/operational HR experience” with an emphasis on employee relations and management coaching and hold a CIPD qualification or equivalent.

 

 

 

 

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Darius McQuaid

Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.