Head of HR Business Partnering

Overview

In this role you will lead the HR Business Partnering function at an NHS Trust, shaping workforce strategy and transformation. You will partner with executive leaders to align workforce plans with organisational priorities and champion staff experience, equality, and wellbeing. You will drive policy development and culture change, contributing to the Trust’s People Strategy and broader NHS objectives. This is a high-impact, strategic leadership position with cross-organisational influence and a focus on sustainable workforce capability.

Responsibilities

• Lead the HRBP & Advice team to ensure best-practice guidance
• Act as coach, consultant and challenger to Directorate Leadership Teams to deliver the People Strategy, improving staff engagement, wellbeing, EDI, and recruitment/retention
• Collaborate with Organisational Development to upskill line managers in HR issues and coaching
• Interpret and communicate new employment legislation
• Coach and mentor HR colleagues to foster ongoing development
• Provide professional HR advice and develop strategic and operational HR activity
• Act as senior lead for HRBP, delivering workforce guidance to Executives and governance bodies on complex matters
• Ensure compliance and knowledge-sharing on professional HR issues
• Support Directorate-level staff development and service modernisation in line with national and local HR strategies
• Manage and monitor budgets for the HRBP function
• Support robust workforce planning aligned to business plans and new service developments
• Ensure BPs work strategically with divisional management and KPI visibility
• Interpret and implement UHP People Strategy across Directorates with workforce plans
• Lead on transformation and service redesign programmes affecting workforce implications
• Drive Trust-wide workforce initiatives to meet future service needs
• Lead workforce redesign programmes, including role redesign and new models
• Assess readiness for change and engage stakeholders, including unions
• Support FOI/ Subject Access requests related to HR within legal timeframes
• Collaborate with HR directorate and Head of Employee Relations to meet KPIs
• Develop, implement and review Trust-wide workforce policies ensuring compliance
• Advise on workforce policy responses to new legislation and NHS guidance
• Research and update HR policies in line with best practice and law
• Deliver training on HR policies to managers
• Embed culture, engagement, EDI and health/wellbeing within the People Strategy
• Champion leadership behaviours and wellbeing as a management priority
• Line manage HR BPs to maintain motivation and value
• Provide strategic leadership for HRBP across the organisation
• Represent the People Directorate in governance forums and regional networks
• Develop strategic partnerships across the Integrated Care System to shape workforce strategy
• Deputise for the Deputy Chief People Officer as needed
• Exercise autonomy in workforce decision-making and interventions

Key requirements

• Demonstrable Data management and reporting experience with large relational databases
• Experience at a strategic HR level
• NHS experience

• Advanced influencing/negotiating/presentation skills
• Coaching and mediation
• Strategic thinking
• Excel
• Access
• PowerPoint

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