Join Wigan Council's HR & OD Service

This is an exciting time to join Wigan Council.

As part of our Progress with Unity ambition, we are redesigning our HR & OD Service to help deliver our two borough missions:

  • Creating fair opportunities for all children, families, residents, and businesses
  • Helping our towns and neighbourhood’s flourish

People are at the heart of everything we do. Our service plays a vital role in ensuring the Council has the workforce, leadership, culture, and capability needed to deliver better outcomes for our residents, communities, and places.

We're looking for talented, values-driven people who want to make a real difference. Whether your expertise is in employee relations, organisational development, recruitment, workforce transformation, payroll, job evaluation or customer support, your work will directly contribute to delivering our missions and improving lives across Wigan Borough.

Why Join Us?

HR & OD is more than a support service. We are a strategic partner, helping services attract, develop, and retain talented people, lead change effectively and create the conditions for communities to thrive.

By joining us, you will help:

  • Build a workforce that delivers excellent services and better outcomes for residents.
  • Develop leadership, talent, and organisational capability.
  • Shape a positive, inclusive, and high-performing culture.
  • Lead workforce transformation and service improvement.
  • Harness digital innovation and AI to enhance how we work and serve our communities.

You'll be part of an ambitious, collaborative, and forward-thinking service committed to learning, innovation and continuous improvement.

Our Teams and Opportunities

Our new service brings together expertise across four key areas:

Front Facing Team

Providing strategic and operational HR & OD support across employee relations and organisational development, including learning and talent, engagement, wellbeing, culture and inclusion, and health and safety.

  • HR & OD Assistant Business Partner (Front Facing) - 3 full time roles (2 permanent roles, 1 temporary role for 12 months)

Salary: Grade 8, £36,363 - £40,777 per annum

To find out more info & to apply - click here

  • HR & OD Advisor (Front Facing) - 1 full time role (temporary for 12 months)

Salary: Grade 6, £29,540 - £32,597 per annum

To find out more info & to apply - click here

Front Door Team

Delivering a responsive and high-quality first point of contact for HR & OD advice and support.

  • HR & OD Advisor (Front Door) - 1 full time role

Salary: Grade 6, £29,540 - £32,597 per annum

To find out more info & to apply - click here

Projects and Policy Team

Driving workforce transformation, organisational change, policy development and service improvement.

  • HR & OD Business Partner (Projects, Policy and Trade Unions) 1 full time role (permanent)

Salary: Grade 10, £45,091 - £49,282 per annum

Closing date: Sunday 9th August 2026 at 23:59pm

To find out more info & to apply - click here

  • HR & OD Assistant Business Partner (Projects & Policy) - 2 full time roles (1 permanent role, 1 temporary role until October 2027)

Salary: Grade 8, £36,363 - £40,777 per annum

To find out more info & to apply - click here

  • HR & OD Project Support Officer (Projects & Policy) - 1 part time role - 27.5 hours (permanent)

Salary: Grade 6, £21,955.40 - £24,227.50 per annum

To find out more info & to apply - click here

Closing date for ALL roles (excluding HR & OD Business Partner (Projects & Policy): Sunday 23rd August 2026 at 23:59pm

Be Part of Something Bigger

This is an opportunity to be part of a newly designed service with a clear purpose: enabling Wigan Council to deliver Progress with Unity through its people.

Together, we'll build the workforce, culture and leadership needed to create fair opportunities, help our places flourish, and make a lasting difference for the residents and communities of Wigan Borough.

Location

Wigan Life Centre South, College Avenue, Wigan, WN1 1NJ, United Kingdom

Job ID

3242

Supporting You Through Every Step of Your Journey

We want every candidate to feel welcomed, informed and confident when applying for a role with us.

This section brings together everything you need to succeed - from guidance on writing an authentic application to understanding how to use AI responsibly.

You’ll also find information about our Greater Manchester commitments, including our inclusive employment schemes and standards, as well as tools to help you explore your potential pay, benefits and entitlements. We’re here to ensure you have the support you need at every stage.

Working for a local authority in Greater Manchester

Local authorities across Greater Manchester are proud to be part of a shared commitment to widening access to employment and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

These commitments span a number of long‑standing schemes and initiatives designed to open doors, remove barriers and ensure all applicants feel valued and respected throughout their employment journey.

Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

People in an urban setting with a car, buildings, and recycling bin.

Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

Find out more

Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

Cityscape with people, aircraft and military vehicles.

Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

Find out more

Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

People, buildings, and a van in a purple cityscape.

Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

Find out more

Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

People with disabilities and different backgrounds in a community

Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

Find out more

Your Pay, Your Benefits, Your Future

Explore easy‑to‑use tools that help you understand your take‑home pay and how different employment situations may affect the financial support available to you and your household.

  1. Calculate Your Take‑Home Pay

    Use this salary calculator to estimate your net pay after tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions.

    Estimate your Income Tax for the current year (Gov.uk)

  2. Check Your Benefits Entitlement

    See how changes in employment, hours or salary may affect your benefits and household income.

    Turn2us Benefits Calculator

Applying Authentically With AI: Our Greater Manchester Approach

Across Greater Manchester’s local authorities, we want to hear your genuine experiences, skills and motivations, expressed in your own words.

To keep our recruitment process fair and inclusive, please complete your application personally and follow the instructions carefully. AI can be used to support you - for example, to help structure your answers or as a reasonable adjustment - but your application should still reflect your authentic voice.

Applications that depend too heavily on AI‑generated content may not progress to shortlisting.

This guidance outlines acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI, along with suggestions for using it in a way that supports you while keeping your application true to you.

  1. What Is AI and How Do We Use It Across Greater Manchester?

    AI refers to technology that can create or refine content, such as text, ideas, summaries, or planning. It can help improve productivity, problem-solving, and creativity.

    We’re open to using innovative digital tools where they can help us work smarter and deliver better services for our residents. However, every use of AI is carefully considered to make sure it is ethical, responsible, and aligned with public-sector values.

    When it comes to recruitment, we take a human-centred approach.

    This means:

    • A trained hiring manager reads every application

    • Shortlisting is based on objective criteria required for the job

    • Interviews are conducted in person or via teams by the hiring manager for the role

    • All hiring decisions are made by hiring managers, not algorithms

    AI does not make decisions in our recruitment process and our managers are being upskilled to spot AI in applications, particularly when this might have been used in a way that doesn’t feel genuine. If something in an application raises a question or concern, we will test this out with assessments or at the interview stage to confirm authenticity.

    Our aim isn’t to catch anyone out but to make sure we’re getting to know the real you, giving every candidate a fair chance and finding the right person for the role.

  2. Using AI in Your Application

    When it comes to job applications, what matters most to us is you. We want to see your personality, your experience, and what excites you about joining our team. 

    We recognise that AI can be a helpful tool to support accessibility during the application process. If you choose to use AI for support, please read the instructions carefully and make sure your application is written in your own words, reflecting your genuine skills, knowledge, experience and enthusiasm.

    We’re looking forward to hearing your story.

  3. How to use AI Effectively and Responsibly

    Your application is your chance to show us:

    • Who you are

    • What you can bring

    • The values you hold

    • Why you want to make a difference

    AI can help you organise your thoughts or improve clarity but it cannot express your unique voice, experiences, or motivations.

    AI is most helpful when used to:

    • Help you structure the information you are providing to evidence the criteria

    • Give examples of how to use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)

    • Proof-read to highlight grammar or spelling errors

    • Provide inspiration if you're finding it difficult to find the right words to explain something

    But remember: your honesty, lived experience, and motivations are irreplaceable.

  4. Do’s and Don’ts for Using AI in the Recruitment Process

    Do:

    • Use AI as a supportive tool, not a replacement

    • Ask AI to help tidy up your writing or clarify structure

    • Use it to brainstorm examples, then rewrite them in your own voice

    • Reflect on AI suggestions and adapt them to match your experience

    • Use AI to help with research, but express your understanding yourself

    Don’t:

    • Copy and paste AI-generated content directly into your application

    • Let AI exaggerate or invent experience you do not have

    • Rely on generic statements that don’t reflect the specific role requirements

    • Remove your individuality, we want to hear your voice

Stay Safe When Applying

To protect yourself from recruitment scams, please only apply for roles through the official greater.jobs website and associated recruitment systems. We will never ask for your personal information outside of this process.