HR Content and Change Manager

Job summary

From healthcare to artificial intelligence, energy to national security, we provide legal advice to government departments on nation-changing subjects.

At Government Legal Department we have a vital, single-minded purpose: to help the Government govern well within the rule of law. This is complemented by our exciting vision to be an outstanding legal organisation, committed to the highest standards of service and professionalism and a brilliant place to work where we can all thrive and fulfill our potential.

Our work touches almost every aspect of public life. We are the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters.

Our respected professionals are involved in everything from regulation and litigation to advice on drafting legislation. They provide expertise to the full range of government departments. We are at the heart of delivering the government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary, and employs nearly 4000 people, including nearly 3000 legal professionals. We have offices nationwide, in Bristol, Leeds, inner and outer London and Manchester. Our lawyers can also be located within other departments and overseas.

GLD also depends on a range of cross-functional professionals to provide our corporate services. There are nearly 1000 colleagues playing an essential part in helping GLD to achieve its purpose and truly deliver much more than law.

This is an exciting time to join GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

To find out more about what we do you can view our introductory film. On our website you can hear from team members, find out how to apply and learn about the benefits of working for GLD. You can also read more about the future vision for GLD in our GLD Strategy 2024 – 2027.

Job description

GLD’s HR Division provides strategic partnering, professional advice and in-house HR and payroll services to more than 3,500 employees across the Government Legal Department, the Attorney General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. HR sits within the Strategy, People and Culture directorate, which is dedicated to promoting an environment where our people can thrive and deliver exceptional legal services. It plays a crucial role in shaping the strategic direction of the department, enhancing our organisational culture, and ensuring that our workforce is equipped with the skills and support needed to excel.

HR plays a central role in helping GLD attract, develop, support and retain the people it needs to deliver high-quality legal services across government. The division brings together a broad range of professional expertise, including HR business partnering, resourcing, learning and development, pay, policy, employee relations, workforce strategy, HR operations, payroll, pensions, people data and systems.

HR works closely with senior leaders, managers, employees, trade unions and external service providers to help GLD deliver its strategic ambitions: becoming a National GLD, providing rewarding careers for all, and creating an environment fit for the future. Through workforce planning, organisational change, complex casework, policy implementation and service improvement, the division helps ensure GLD has the right people, capability, culture and employment practices in place to deliver high-quality legal services across government.

The Role

GLD HR is entering an exciting period of transformation as it prepares to migrate from its current HR platform to a new modern Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that unifies GLD’s HR, payroll, finance and supply chain functions.

We are looking for an experienced HR professional with strong communication, change management and project delivery experience to support the effective delivery of HR change activities linked to the ERP programme and wider HR transformation priorities.

The initial focus will be to review and improve HR guidance on GLD’s intranet, confirm process owners for each HR service and activity, and strengthen arrangements for keeping content accurate, accessible and aligned with current policy and process requirements.

Alongside this, the postholder will provide agile project support across priority HR workstreams, helping to maintain delivery momentum while HR subject matter experts are released to contribute to ERP design, build and testing activity.

As the programme progresses, the postholder will work closely with HR service leads and policy owners, the ERP programme team and internal communications colleagues to support operational readiness by developing updated guidance, briefing materials and employee communications that help HR colleagues and the wider organisation understand new processes, systems and ways of working.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a visible contribution to a major organisational transformation programme, working across HR to improve how colleagues access information, understand change and adopt new ways of working.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the review, refresh and reformatting of HR content on Eagle, ensuring guidance is accurate, accessible, easy to navigate and aligned to the employee lifecycle.
• Work with HR service leads and policy owners to identify clear process and content owners for each HR service area, strengthening accountability for accuracy, maintenance and future updates.
• Prepare HR content for future ERP knowledge bank requirements by coordinating input from HR subject matter experts and collaborating with the ERP programme team to ensure guidance and process documentation and is structured, standardised, clearly owned and delivered to agreed timescales.
• Provide short-term project support across other HR areas to release subject matter experts need to focus on ERP system design, build and testing activity.
• Support ERP and HR transformation by leading operational readiness activities and helping colleagues understand changes to processes, systems and ways of working by translating complex HR, programme and process information into clear, practical guidance, briefings, and employee communications for different audiences.
• Develop and maintain project plans, action logs and delivery trackers for HR change activity, escalating risks, dependencies and issues as required.

Person specification

Behaviours

Below are details of the Success Profiles that make up this role. Demonstrating all the behaviours listed below is essential at either application or interview. You can read more about Success Profiles and how they are used as an assessment method before completing your application.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing (lead behaviour)
• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace

Keys Skills and Experience

Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview

• Strong HR experience, with a good understanding of HR policies and processes across the employee lifecycle.
• Experience working across a range of HR roles or service areas, with the associated breadth of HR knowledge.
• Agile and flexible mindset, with the ability to quickly understand new priorities, processes and deliverables to provide effective support across different HR areas within short timescales.
• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear guidance, briefings and messages for a range of audiences.
• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to review existing guidance, identify gaps or inconsistencies, and improve content so it is accurate, easy to locate and straightforward to follow.
• Confident and collaborative working style, with the ability to build trust and productive relationships with senior stakeholders, subject matter experts and project teams.
• Strong planning and project management skills with experience of leading change, communications and project activity in a complex and fast-paced environment.

This is an outline description of the key responsibilities and accountabilities involved in the job and is not an exhaustive list. You may be asked to undertake other duties across the HR team, commensurate with your grade and experience.

Security Clearance Level

All GLD employees must hold BPSS. In addition to this, those based in our London offices must hold or be willing to obtain CTC level clearance for this role. If London based, you can start your position pending this clearance level, however your appointment will be conditional upon obtaining CTC clearance. More information can be found about the vetting and clearance levelsbefore completing your application.

Sponsorship and Visas

Visa sponsorship will not be given to candidates except where they are existing civil servants employed by GLD, who meet the HO/UKVI requirements for sponsorship. If you are an existing civil servant employed by GLD who requires sponsorship, you should confirm your eligibility for sponsorship for this role prior to application. Individuals should seek Home Office guidance on how new positions with the organisation impact on changes to sponsorship eligibility.

Candidates with Limited Leave to Remain can apply but must have at least 12 months remaining on an existing visa which allows them to work for GLD when employment commences. Candidates must ensure that their current visa dates cover the entire period of employment or that they are eligible for non-sponsored immigration routes, to allow their employment with GLD to continue for the duration of this role. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the right to work in the UK and hold an appropriate visa or are on an alternative route that covers the entire period of your employment. Please note, GLD will not be able to provide sponsorship for this role when your current visa arrangements expire and you will not be able to continue in your employment with GLD via sponsorship. Please allow three months for the onboarding process from the point of offer.

Candidates with Indefinite Leave to Remain can apply.

You will be asked to confirm your immigration status and visa type as part of the application process. If you do not meet the above requirements your application will be sifted out of the process, and you will be rejected for the role.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,500, Government Legal Department contributes £12,601 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Benefits of working for the Civil Service

  Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

  Learning and Development at GLD

  GLD has a comprehensive learning and development offer for all employees.

  We offer a programme of in-person/hybrid and virtual sessions providing learning on profession-specific, soft skills, technical skills, and different topics. We also support colleagues through a range of different professional qualifications.

  Cross-Functional Professional

  We support all Professions with building their careers and capability aligning with the wider Civil Service offerings for each Profession.

  There are also talent and development opportunities offered throughout the year these include:

  Senior Leaders and Future Leaders Schemes – cross Civil Service accelerated development schemes.

  Beyond Boundaries – cross government development programme designed to help participants develop the knowledge, skills and networks required to build a satisfying and effective career in the Civil Service.

  Mentoring and Coaching – we encourage all colleagues to share their knowledge, capability, and experience.

  Apprenticeships - We have a range of apprenticeships on offer across all professions with the opportunity for all employees to explore a profession specific apprenticeship to support their development in role.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability and Experience.

Application

To apply for this post you will need to complete the online application on Civil Service Jobs, searching the reference below. The deadline for this application is Friday 18thSeptember 2026 at 12:00 Midday.

In your application you will be assessed on the following:

• A CV setting out you career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. Your CV will be used to assess and score the Key skills and Experience criteria
• A 1,000 wordpersonal statement providing evidence of your suitability for the role with particular reference to:
• the skills and experience outlined in the person specification, and
• the lead behaviour - Communication and Influencing

Civil Service Tests Online

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete 1 Civil Service Online tests: a Verbal Test. You can find out more information and guidance on the tests, including options to take practice tests.

If you are unsuccessful in passing these tests you will be unable to continue any further in the application process. If you successfully pass the test, you will then automatically progress to the next stage of completing the full application.

We suggest you allow enough time to complete the full application online, prior to the closing date and time, Friday 18th Septmeber 2026 at 12:00 Midday as once the application is closed you will no longer have access to the ability tests and the application.

Application Errors

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk . Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – 478740 & vacancy closing date 18.09.2026’.

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the behaviours and key skills and experience outlined in the person specification.

Please note, if a high number of applications are received, we will sift onCValone.

In the eventuality that there are a high number of applicants successful at sift, GLD may operate a longlist, whereby applicants who have been shortlisted and met the minimum pass mark but are not selected for interview will have their application placed on hold. After the initial interview round candidates on the longlist may be offered an interview, should there still be posts available.

AI Usage

Civil Service Jobs states that artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application. However, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

In addition to this please note the use of AI is strictly prohibited during tests, written exercises and interviews.

Interview

If you are invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in the criteria listed in the Person Specification and strength-based questions. These criteria are:

• Communicating and Influencing [Lead Behaviour]
• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace
• Key Skills and Experience

During the interview there will be a skills exercise. More information will be provided for the successful candidates prior to their interview.

Your interview will take place online.

Offer

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

All communications regarding your application will be made through Civil Service Jobs.

All candidates will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible after the interview. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list. We may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Stephanie Timms
• Email : stephanie.timms@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Further information

What do I do if I have a complaint?
You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application hasn’t been treated in accordance with these Principles and wish to make a complaint, please contact recruitment_feedback@governmentlegal.gov.uk in the first instance. Please title your email as follows: Job Reference Number – Job Title – Recruitment Complaint. Complaints must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the incident or the decision which has caused the complaint. To fully engage with the issues raised GLD require that you submit evidence of your complaint.

Attachments

478740 HR Content and Change Manager Opens in new window (pdf, 663kB)