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.