Commission for Equality and Human Rights recruits key posts, including HR director

The Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) is ramping up its recruitment ahead of the body’s official start date in October this year.

The commission will enforce legislation on age, disability, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation, combining the current work of the commissions for racial equality commissions for racial equality, disability and equal opportunities.

The organisation is setting up a senior management team to work under new chief executive Nicola Brewer.

CEHR is advertising for an HR director and other senior positions, including directors of finance, communications, law and strategy.

According to the advert, the HR director’s initial focus will be more operational. But candidates will need to have the ability to take “a more strategic view” of HR issues and shift to a more strategic focus once line management responsibilities are established.

Chairman of the CEHR Trevor Phillips has repeatedly called for a change in the law to allow employers to take “special measures” in favouring ethnic minority job applicants.

In a speech last year he said: “We have to consider whether, when there is a clear public need, we must allow our institutions - even if temporarily - to take special measures with the aim of integrating their workforces faster than would otherwise be the case.”

This story was first published in Personnel Today