Director of Dispute Resolution, Acas

About the role

This is a unique opportunity to join the Executive Board of Acas at a pivotal moment for employment relations in Great Britain. As the Government implements significant employment law reform and Acas delivers its ambitious 2025–30 strategy, we are evolving how workplace disputes are prevented and resolved through responsive, innovative and technology-enabled public services.

Acas exists to make working life better for everyone, helping employers and employees build positive working relationships, reduce workplace conflict and find fair, effective resolutions when challenges arise. Last year, Acas helped thousands of individuals and organisations reach successful outcomes, making a meaningful difference to workplaces and the wider economy.

Leading a directorate of more than 550 colleagues handling over 150,000 individual cases and hundreds of collective disputes each year, the Director of Dispute Resolution plays a central role in shaping the future of workplace dispute resolution in Britain. Working alongside a committed and highly skilled team, you will help modernise services, champion innovation and ensure Acas continues to deliver high-quality outcomes in an increasingly complex environment. You will also build trusted relationships with ministers, officials, trade unions, employers and other stakeholders to strengthen Acas's impact, share expertise and contribute to the development of employment relations policy and practice.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will bring experience of leading large-scale operational services and delivery transformation in complex, customer-facing or publicly accountable environments. They will be a collaborative and thoughtful leader, able to build relationships, support colleagues through change and bring people together around a shared purpose. They will combine sound judgement with excellent communication skills, a strong commitment to public service and the ability to work constructively with a wide range of stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes.

Please see the candidate pack via the advertisement link www.berwickpartners.co.uk/96469 for the full list of Role Responsibilities and Person Specification criteria.

Application process

Acas has engaged the services of Berwick Partners (an Odgers company), to whom applications should be sent by the closing date of Monday 31st August.

In order to apply, please submit the following:

• A CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements.
• A supporting statement (maximum 2 sides of A4, 12 point font) highlighting your suitability and clearly setting out how you meet the Essential Criteria. Please also take this opportunity to explain your motivations for applying. These responses will be developed and discussed with candidates invited for interview.
• Please state which Acas office would be your preferred base.

The closing date for applications is Monday 31 August at 23:55.

Interview and assessment timeline

• Selected candidates will be progressed to preliminary interviews with Berwick Partners in early September to discuss their experience, interest and the role in more detail.
• Assessments are expected to take place during the week commencing 28 September.
• Final panel interviews scheduled for the week commencing 12 October.

Disability Confident Scheme and Redeployment Interview Scheme

Acas is committed to being an inclusive employer. We operate the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and Redeployment Interview Scheme (RIS). Eligible candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the role will be offered an interview in accordance with the relevant scheme requirements. Further information can be found within the candidate pack.

Reasonable adjustments

Acas is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process. Candidates requiring reasonable adjustments at any stage of the process are encouraged to notify the recruitment team and Berwick Partners via scsrecruitment@acas.org.uk and heather.mcquillan@berwickpartners.co.uk. Requests will be recorded, managed and monitored throughout the campaign to ensure appropriate support is provided.

Contact for enquiries

For a confidential discussion, please contact Alex Albone, Principal Consultant, Berwick Partners, at alex.albone@berwickpartners.co.uk.

For queries relating to the recruitment process, reasonable adjustments, the Disability Confident Scheme or the Redeployment Interview Scheme, please contact Heather McQuillan at heather.mcquillan@berwickpartners.co.uk.