Human Resources Business Partner

HR Business Partner

Location: Kent

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time, Hybrid, 2-3 days on-site

The Opportunity

Are you an experienced HR professional looking to take on a strategic People Partnering role within a complex organisation?

This is a key role in supporting the delivery and embedding of a new People Strategy, helping leaders translate organisational priorities into meaningful people plans, initiatives and solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with senior leaders to shape and deliver the organisation’s People Strategy, ensuring it is aligned with wider institutional priorities.
• Develop bespoke, impactful People Plans for Professional Services departments, working closely with senior leadership to identify priorities and deliver meaningful interventions.
• Work collaboratively across the People function to develop and implement people practices that improve both staff and student experience.
• Coach and advise leaders and managers on organisational talent, potential, performance and people development.
• Support leaders through organisational change, including complex, high-risk and sensitive employee relations matters.
• Work collaboratively with HR Advisory and wider People teams to provide a seamless, high-quality service.
• Contribute to organisation-wide projects and strategic people initiatives.
• Use professional and employment law knowledge to support the development and implementation of contemporary HR policies and practices.
• Interpret workforce data and metrics to identify trends and recommend data-led people solutions.
• Support continuous improvement, innovation and greater organisational effectiveness across HR service delivery.
• Provide leadership, development and coaching to HR colleagues where required.

About You

We are looking for an experienced HR/People professional who can operate confidently as an internal consultant and strategic partner.

You will ideally bring:

• CIPD membership or an equivalent HR qualification/level of experience.
• Significant HR experience within a large, complex organisation.
• Experience operating at mid-to-senior level within Higher Education or a similarly complex environment.
• Strong knowledge of employment law and its application within complex organisations.
• Proven experience building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and influencing at all levels.
• Experience developing and delivering people strategies and organisational change.
• A track record of successful project management and delivery.
• Experience using workforce data and metrics to inform people decisions.
• Strong coaching, influencing, negotiation and communication skills.
• The confidence to challenge and influence senior leaders while maintaining a collaborative and consultative approach.
• A flexible, empathetic and commercially aware approach to partnering with different stakeholders.

The Ideal Candidate

• You will be credible, approachable and confident, with the ability to operate effectively across all levels of an organisation.
• You will be someone who can balance strategic thinking with practical delivery, build strong relationships quickly and provide thoughtful, evidence-based advice in a changing environment.
• If you are an experienced HR Business Partner, People Partner or HR/OD professional looking for a role where you can genuinely influence organisational strategy and make a measurable difference, we’d be keen to hear from you.

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