Too many cooks treading on each other's toes? Does RSPB really need another bureaucrat on £43,000-plus?

                                                        

Overwintering avocets - the RSPB's emblem species - in northern Lincolnshire

 

SOMETIMES it's hard not to be mystified by at the convoluted ways of the RSPB.

One of the society's latest job vacancies  is for, wait for it  . . . "a  People Business Partner to work within the People Business Partnering function and wider People Directorate".

What does this mean? What does it involve? 

Here (take a deep breath) is the explanation:

"Reporting to the Head of People Business Partnering, this role will be a vital link between the People Business Partners, Human Resources Operations and Learning and Organisation Development teams."

It continues: "We are looking for somebody with knowledge of the Business Partner role whose skills will meet the flexible needs of the business, who is able to oversee the end-to-end delivery of work and someone who can work on multiple activities at a time. 

"The People Business Partner role aligns and works in partnership with the respective directorate/business area to add value through the provisions of a range of people initiatives and interventions linked to directorate and organisational objectives and priorities. 

"Working as part of the People Business Partnering team, the role will support ongoing transformational change by providing business insight, manage business and people risks and develop people solutions."

And there is more:

"This role will support the development and implementation of the Delivering our Strategy Sustainably work that underpins the RSPB wider business strategy and priorities.

"The core part of the role of a People Business Partner is the ability to develop effective working relationships that influence across a range of stakeholders up to Leadership and Executive level.  

"In addition, People Business Partners are expected to work collaboratively across functional areas and Directorates in the successful delivery of people services, initiatives, and outcomes.

"Through providing support to senior managers and leadership teams, People Business Partners play a key role in planning, developing, and identifying solutions that create value and ensure organisational and directorate level strategies are realised."

The salary? Between £43,095 and 346, 264 per annum.

The Wryneck says: Many, if not all, the RSPB's members will surely be bemused . What this gobbledegook  recruitment  ad indicates  is that the society's numerous work-from-home managers operate  in silos, sometimes silos within silos. Another manager is therefore being recruited to liaise with all of them in the hope of achieving at least some degree of co-operation  -  in everyday parlance, to get them all singing from the same hymn sheet. At a time when expenditure is outpacing income and nature reserves are being offloaded, yet another bureaucrat is the last thing the RSPB needs. With each passing week, the society seems to be digging itself  into an ever deeper hole. Chief executive Beccy Speight and new board chairman Sir Andrew Cahn need to get a grip - and they need to get it pronto.