Rewards and Recognition Business Partner – West Midlands Fire Service

WMFS is a dynamic and innovative organisation, committed to fostering leadership excellence and driving organisational success. We’re dedicated to empowering our people to be the best version of themselves, and are seeking to improve the employee experience through inclusive and equitable workplace practices.

Reporting to the Head of HR and EDI Business Partnering, this role will be vital in ensuring that our reward and recognition strategy attracts and rewards our people. You will lead on the implementation of that strategy.

You will work with leaders, stakeholders and people programme colleagues to shape, develop, and deliver strategic and operational people plans and solutions in line with WMFS priorities, ensuring that the service is always improving. As an experienced HR Professional, you will provide expert advice and guidance on reward and recognition matters, including appropriate avenues of recognition and benefits for our employees.

Responsibilities:

Collaborate with the People Leadership team to understand programme priorities; understand and interpret how these link to the reward and recognition programme of work to be developed.

Design, develop, and implement effective reward and recognition initiatives, aligned with service priorities.

Lead the development and delivery of holistic employee recognition, considering both formal and informal, and local and service-wide methods.

Implement a framework for recognising individual and team achievements, milestones, and contributions – all of which should have clear methodologies.

Work closely with communications colleagues to promote awareness of reward and recognition programmes.

Maintain a clear pay and grading structure – ensuring that the governance of the structures maintains pay integrity.

Directly manage internal job evaluation processes and any external pay benchmarking exercises.

Work closely with Workforce Planning and People Systems colleagues to understand pay, reward and recognition data through a diversity and inclusion lens.

Work closely with Corporate Communications to organise and coordinate events and celebrations, to recognise individual and team accomplishments, including coordinating nominations for internal and external awards.

Ensure all reward and recognition initiatives and events are inclusive and contribute towards a positive culture.

Monitor competitive reward trends, evaluate options, and make recommendations as appropriate to ensure that WMFS attracts and retains talent.

Line management of  Reward and Recognition Advisor.

Essential skills or experience:

Proactive, with strong communication skills (verbal and written).

Strong organisational and administrative skills, including the ability to prioritise based on business.