Associate HR Business Partner

Role Overview

We are recruiting two Associate People Business Partners – one permanent and one fixed term – to join our progressive People & OD team. In these roles, you will work in close partnership with clinical and operational leaders and managers, developing a deep understanding of the services you support – including performance pressures, quality priorities and financial constraints – and translating these into clear workforce and people priorities.

You will support leaders at all levels, from senior clinicians to newly appointed managers, offering practical, proportionate and credible people advice. You will bring strong judgement, emotional intelligence and professional courage, moving confidently between strategic thinking and operational reality, and understanding that workforce decisions directly affect patient experience.

• Work in partnership with clinical and operational leaders and managers.
• Develop a deep understanding of the services you support, including performance pressures, quality priorities and financial constraints.
• Translate service challenges into clear workforce and people priorities.
• Provide practical, proportionate and credible people advice to leaders at all levels.
• Advise and support organisational change programmes, including restructures, workforce design, consultation processes and TUPE transfers.
• Bring financial awareness, supporting services to manage their workforce within pay budgets and make sustainable workforce decisions.
• Contribute to building confident, compassionate and effective leadership practice across the organisation.
• Lead and advise on complex employee relations and employment matters, ensuring high standards of judgement, preparation and organisational assurance for formal capability and disciplinary hearings.
• Assess complex situations, providing options appraisal and balanced risk based advice.
• Deliver initiatives such as improving staff survey response rates; advancing equality of opportunity; improving attendance; and supporting resourcing and retention plans.
• Influence, challenge and support leaders with confidence and credibility.

• Senior HR professionals who think like business partners, not just HR specialists; are comfortable with ambiguity, complexity and competing priorities; and bring experience of complex employee relations, organisational change and meaningful partnership working with trade unions.
• CIPD Level 7 (or equivalent experience) is essential.

• Career development, flexible working and wellbeing, staff recognition scheme.
• Optional benefits:
  Cycle to Work, car lease schemes, season ticket loan or membership options for onsite leisure facilities.

We are committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and will consider applications to work flexibly, part time or job share. Please talk to us at interview.