Organisation Development Officer

Organisation Development Officer

We are recruiting for an Organisation Development Officer to join the team of a large public sector Client based in Antrim on a full-time temporary basis.

ROLE: Organisation Development Officer

LOCATION: Antrim Civic Centre, but may be required to work from any Council site or facility within the Borough

HOURS OF WORK:

• 37 hours per week
• Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm

HOURLY RATE: £20.66

DURATION: Temporary, 3 months

CLOSING DATE: Thursday 25^th September @ 5pm

MAIN PURPOSE:

To assist in the development and successful implementation of the Organisation Development Business Plan. To foster the growth and the continuous performance improvement of the Council by designing and implementing strategies, programmes, and innovative initiatives to enhance organisational performance, learning and development for Elected Members and employees, Leadership skills, Talent development and employee engagement and wellbeing to further enhance the Council's positive culture.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Organisation Development

1. Work in partnership with relevant stakeholders to identify and implement appropriate organisation development interventions to inform the Organisation Development and Employee Engagement and wellbeing work plans.
2. Assess the organisation's current structure, processes, and systems to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to enhance overall effectiveness.
3. Work with internal and external stakeholders to review the competency framework ensuring that it aligns to the Council's Corporate objective.
4. Work collaboratively with the Human Resources team to modernise how we attract and hire new employees including identifying skills gaps to inform workforce planning.
5. Contribute to design and ongoing promotion of the Council's brand, to attract applicants, by developing videos, use of social media and the employee value proposition.
6. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and implement organisational development initiatives, such as process improvements, change management plans, and performance management systems.
7. Conduct research and analysis on industry best practices to identify innovative approaches for enhancing organisational effectiveness.

Elected Member Development

8. Develop and implement an Elected Member Development Strategy and action plan to ensure the continuous development of Elected Members and to ensure Council remains accredited with the Charter Plus Accreditation through NILGA.
9. Design training programmes, workshops and resources, maximising use of the Elected Member's eLearning portal (currently iConnect).
10. Participate in the Elected Member Development Working Group, ensuring providing full secretariat duties, preparing agenda, minutes and actions, reporting these to Corporate Leadership Team and Committee.
11. Identify Member's learning needs and provide targeted development opportunities to enhance the knowledge and skills of Elected Members.
12. Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of professional development initiatives and make recommendations for improvement.

Learning and Development

13. Contribute to design and delivery of leadership development programmes to enhance the capabilities and skills of current and emerging leaders.
14. Ensure the effective and consistent review and implementation of Learning and Development policies and procedures to build capacity across the organisation by guiding Elected Members, Heads of Service and line managers.
15. Conduct leadership assessments, identify skill gaps, and create development plans to strengthen leadership skills across the organisation.
16. Oversee the application process for part-time study and continuous professional development making recommendations to the CLT as appropriate.
17. Identify training needs for Staff and volunteers, develop and deliver relevant training, source specialist training as appropriate.
18. Develop and deliver in-house training tailored to the needs of the Council using innovative techniques and digital technologies.
19. Source and secure within budget, external training programmes which meet the needs of the organisation.
20. Carry out evaluation of training to ensure its effectiveness and provide feedback.
21. Ensure that accurate training records are held for all employees and produce reports as and when required. JR-397 September 2025
22. Identify and recommend appropriate external accreditations and deliver initiatives to ensure the continuous improvement of organisation performance
23. Oversee the organisation and timely delivery of learning interventions identified through the performance management scheme.
24. Oversee the design and delivery of core training, ensuring that employees remain compliant and receive timely reminders of their obligations.
25. Coach and mentor leaders to foster a high-performance culture and drive employee engagement.
26. Participate in external learning and development working groups, e.g. Local Government Training Group.

Talent Management & Development

27. Develop, manage and review the Council's talent management scheme, ensuring that training is delivered and that appraisals are carried out in a timely manner.
28. Provide guidance and advice to relevant stakeholders (Heads of Service, Line Managers etc.) regarding talent management to align organisational and individual goals.
29. Work collaboratively with the HR team to develop talent management and development strategies, including workforce planning, succession planning, early careers programmes and talent retention initiatives

Employee Engagement, Internal Communication and Wellbeing

30. Contribute to the development and delivery of the Employee Engagement and Wellbeing framework.
31. Organise and deliver staff engagement sessions, continually evaluate feedback to assess performance against Key Performance Indicators.
32. Conduct periodic surveys across the organisation and evaluate and report responses.
33. Maintain the Employee wellbeing portal, keeping it up to date and providing all with relevant wellbeing toolkits.
34. Participate in both internal and external working groups, e.g. coordinating the Employee Engagement and Wellbeing Working Group and representing the section at the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee.
35. Lead on the internal promotion of the Mayor's charities and increase engagement between staff and Elected Members.
36. Coordinate the roll out of Reward and Recognition initiatives and events.
37. Coordinate the planning and arrangements for management conferences and the Corporate Workshop
38. Develop a range of communication channels e.g. app, intranet, prints, digital screens, email as the appropriate means for communicating with staff depending on the nature and context of different communications.
39. Maximise usage and participation of all staff communication platforms and systems. JR-397 September 2025

Corporate responsibilities

40. Ensure compliance with Council's procurement and contract management policies and procedures.
41. Assist the Organisation Development and Employee Engagement Manager to ensure all risks within the section are regularly reviewed and actions addressed and updated on the relevant system.
42. Produce internal and external reports, ensuring that all safeguarding training objectives in the Human Resources Business Plan are met.
43. Ensure Council's retains accreditations, e.g. ONUS Workplace Charter.
44. Participate in recruitment and selection as and when required.
45. Prepare Committee reports. Represent Council at external events and meetings as appropriate.
46. Deputise when required for the Organisation Development and Employee Engagement Manager.
47. To be available from time to time to carry out duties outside of normal working pattern and in addition to basic contracted hours. Such additional hours will be remunerated in line with Council's approved policies at that time.

The principal responsibilities listed above are an indicator of the main aspects of the role as opposed to representing a definite list.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Demonstrate a team approach to achieving the objectives of the Section through full flexibility in relation to tasks undertaken.
2. Provide a high level of internal and external customer service including taking ownership of customer queries and complaints and following issues through to completion.
3. Continuously develop personal knowledge and skills to enhance internal and external customer service.
4. Comply with, and ensure that other staff comply with, Council's policies and procedures including those relating to health, safety, wellbeing and safeguarding.
5. Promote equality and diversity across all service areas through clear leadership, effective policy implementation and demonstrating appropriate behaviours in line with Council values.
6. Carry out any other relevant duties which may be assigned including working in other sections of the Department and Council.
7. To be available to work flexibly in other services during emergencies

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

ESSENTIAL:

• A relevant third level qualification at Level 4 on the UK qualifications framework or above in a business-related subject AND
• Membership of the CIPD at post graduate level (Associate, Chartered, Fellow) Consideration may be given to applicants who do not hold a third level qualification at Level 4 on the UK qualifications framework or the CIPD qualification but who can demonstrate using specific examples a minimum of *4 years' experience as below and a willingness to achieving the CIPD qualification as part of the CPD programme
• 2 years proven experience in an Organisation Development role to include experience of the following:
• Designing and delivering engagement and wellbeing initiatives to support change and improve organisation performance.
• Proven experience of using learning and development methodologies, including eLearning and innovative learning practices.
• Improving internal communication across an organisation using a measured approach.
• Experience of researching and drafting reports with recommendations.
• Confidence to lead and coach others to achieve their potential
• Strong IT and analytical skills with an ability to interpret and use data to support planning and decision making
• Ability to prioritise and manage own work and the work of others
• Ability to work to strict deadlines
• Effective interpersonal skills
• Ability to liaise effectively with all levels of staff and management
• Strict confidentiality
• Good working knowledge and understanding of Human Resources issues
• Good working knowledge of organisation development
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Full current driving licence or if disability prevents driving, access to a suitable form of transport to enable the duties of the post to be carried out in full.

DESIRABLE:

• Additional relevant qualifications in Organisation Development
• A relevant training qualification
• Experience of designing and implementing a coaching/mentoring programme.
• Experience of working within a Local Government or similar public sector environment.
• Experience in facilitating leadership development programmes
• Knowledge of Northern Ireland District Council operations and services

To be shortlisted for this role all applicants MUST meet the essential criteria. If you are interested, please upload your CV to the link provided, and Deirdre Hamilton will be in contact to confirm if you have been shortlisted.