Southend on Sea City Council is a Unitary local authority, providing vital services to meet the needs of the local community. We employ around 1,800 staff who are working alongside our partners and local communities to deliver the city vision and make lives better for the people of Southend.

Working for Southend on Sea City Council offers a challenging and rewarding career in local government within a collaborative and innovate environment, with the benefit of flexible working practices to support a positive work life balance. As a Unitary Authority we are responsible for all local government functions ranging from social services, transport, public health and parks through to planning, trading standards, community safety and education, so we offer a wide range of career opportunities. The diversity of our economy and communities and investment in a number of exciting regeneration projects makes our Council a great place to work, learn and make a difference.

Southend-on-Sea City Council has an exciting opportunity for an Organisational Development Consultant to join our Organisation Development & Learning Team on a full time and interim basis (initially 3 months with potential to extend). This is a unique opportunity to influence how our organisation evolves by leading initiatives that strengthen culture, develop leadership, and enhance workforce performance. In this role, you will be working in a friendly team on a hybrid work pattern which is a combination of working from home and the office.

AS an OD consultant, you will act as a trusted advisor, working collaboratively across services to design and deliver strategic interventions that support our people and organisational goals. You will support delivery of culture change interventions in alignment with the council’s strategic goals, providing tools and support for Council use, alongside providing advice and guidance to leaders and managers around desired behaviours, change frameworks and role-modelling.

You will also support workforce transformation by collaborating with subject matter experts across the Council to modernise key HR policies, adopting best practices from internal and external sources. You will create strategic learning plans for specific service areas within the Council, supporting stakeholders to access learning opportunities within an allocated budget. You will also create and deliver communication plans to keep stakeholders informed and engaged throughout all project work.

To be successful in this role, proven experience in organisational development, culture change, learning and development or strategic HR is essential. You must have excellent facilitation, coaching and relationship-building skills. It is vital that you can analyse organisational needs and design tailored interventions. You must have demonstrable experience of stakeholder management and partnering skills including with senior leaders. A background in public sector, healthcare, education or large-scale transformation programmes would be advantageous but not essential.

To be considered for this role, you should have completed year 5 (electives) CIPD or equivalent in-depth knowledge and experience within an HR environment. 

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV.

Please note: Applications for this vacancy may close prior to the date advertised above so you are advised to apply as soon as you are able to.

If you would like a copy of either the Job Description, please click here

The Council is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications, regardless of race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, age or religion or belief.