Strategic People Partner/ Business Partner

Strategic People Partner/ Business Partner

We are seeking a Strategic People Partner/Business Partner with enthusiasm and ambition to match ours. This role is part of our forward-thinking and ambitious People Services Leadership Team, joining a diverse group of People Partners.

As a Strategic People Partner/Business Partner, you will be responsible for developing and delivering professional and highly specialised workforce (HR & OD) advice within a designated Directorate, contributing to the workforce strategy for that area while ensuring alignment with Trust-wide strategies.

You will understand the business strategy of your service area and be an integrated member of the Senior Directorate Leadership Team, acting as a catalyst for people change and organisational improvements.

This role is available on a full-time basis with a mixed model of home and on-site working.

Interviews are planned for Monday 7 July.

Please read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details by clicking on the attachment above.

Main duties of the job

You will be an expert in workforce planning, organisational design and change management, resourcing, learning and development, and staff engagement initiatives.

About us

We provide mental health & learning disability services, along with specialist & secure services for the south west region and nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing, using our resources and partnerships to deliver high-quality, safe, and recovery-focused services.

Our values

We recruit based on qualifications and experience, as well as behaviours that underpin our core values: commitment to quality care, improving lives, respect, dignity, and compassion. We foster a positive environment by being friendly, respectful, open to new ideas, and dedicated to continuous improvement.

We are committed to inclusivity, welcoming applications from all community sections regardless of protected characteristics, and support part-time and flexible working. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health and learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Job responsibilities

Our Strategic People/Business Partners develop and deliver specialised workforce advice and contribute to workforce strategies for their areas, acting as critical friends and mentors to Senior Leadership Teams.

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and implementing workforce plans, including resourcing and development plans.
• Advising on organisational change, new roles, and processes.
• Supporting employee engagement and organisational development initiatives.
• Using workforce data to identify improvement areas and propose solutions.
• Briefing leadership teams on employment policies and practices.
• Supporting the review and development of people policies, tools, and systems.

Please refer to the attached Job Description for further information.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Masters degree or equivalent experience
• Postgraduate diploma in HRM or relevant qualification
• Up-to-date employment law knowledge and continuous professional development
• Chartered CIPD Membership
• Workforce Planning methodology expertise

Skills and Abilities

• Strong collaborative relationship skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Vision articulation and strategic influence
• Interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Politically astute and tactful
• Experience in managing complex, sensitive situations
• Public speaking and presentation skills
• Data analysis and decision-making abilities
• Problem-solving and innovation
• Ability to work under pressure and manage own workload
• Proficiency in MS Office
• Teamwork, flexibility, and motivation
• Self-motivated and emotionally aware
• Travel flexibility between sites

Experience

• Supportive HR experience in senior management contexts
• Change management expertise
• HR policy review and implementation experience
• Union and negotiation experience
• Training design and delivery experience
• Experience within the NHS

Knowledge

• Expertise in strategic workforce issues, legislation, and NHS policies
• Knowledge of employment law and employee relations
• Understanding of change management, job evaluation, and NHS workforce strategy

Head of Strategic Workforce Business Partnering

Full-time, flexible, remote working options available