Interim HR Transformation Business Partner
Location: Leeds or Manchester
Contract: Initial four-month contract, with potential to extend
Day rate: £400–£500 per day, outside IR35
Working pattern: Approximately three days per week on-site, with travel btw Leeds and Manchester
The Opportunity
We are partnering with a leading organisation to appoint an experienced HR Transformation Business Partner to support the next phase of a complex UK-wide transformation programme.
The organisation has completed the first stage of a significant transformation, consolidating several divisions into a single business area. It is now entering a period of strategic discovery, during which several product lines and business areas will be reviewed to determine the optimal long-term operating model.
Potential outcomes may include business expansion, organisational redesign, restructuring, office rationalisation, M&A activity, divestment or business run-off.
As the programme remains at an early stage, the successful candidate must be comfortable operating in ambiguity and supporting a range of evolving transformation scenarios.
The Role
Working closely with senior leaders and executive stakeholders, you will lead and support the people aspects of complex transformation initiatives across a UK employee population of approximately 550.
You will act as a trusted adviser throughout the transformation lifecycle, combining strategic thinking with hands-on delivery. This will include organisation design, workforce planning, project management, employee relations, consultation and change communications.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead people workstreams across multiple transformation programmes.
- Support organisation design, workforce transformation and future operating-model development.
- Deliver restructuring and organisational change initiatives across several business functions.
- Conduct workforce impact assessments and support workforce-planning activity.
- Develop and manage project plans, milestones, governance and reporting.
- Coordinate stakeholder engagement across multiple UK locations.
- Advise senior leaders on the employment-law implications of transformation decisions.
- Support collective consultation, redundancy and office-closure programmes where required.
- Identify and mitigate employee-relations and people-related risks.
- Develop and implement clear transformation communication plans.
- Support leadership teams with employee engagement during periods of significant change.
- Navigate competing stakeholder priorities and challenge constructively to achieve the right business outcomes.
Essential Experience
- Significant HR transformation experience within a complex organisation.
- Strong organisation design and change-management expertise.
- Proven experience leading people workstreams within business transformation programmes.
- Strong project-management capability, including managing multiple projects simultaneously.
- Experience supporting restructuring and organisational change initiatives.
- Sound knowledge of UK employment law.
- Experience advising on redundancy and collective consultation processes.
- Exceptional senior stakeholder-management and influencing skills.
- Confidence engaging with executive leaders and senior management teams.
- The ability to operate effectively within ambiguity and an evolving programme scope.
- A pragmatic, resilient and delivery-focused approach.
Desirable Experience
- Insurance-sector experience.
- Broader financial-services or regulated-industry experience.
- Experience of M&A integration or separation programmes.
- Exposure to business divestments or run-off strategies.
- Experience delivering office closures or rationalisation programmes.
- Multi-site workforce-transformation experience.
- Knowledge of FCA-regulated environments.
Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will be commercially aware, credible and comfortable navigating complex or politically sensitive situations. You will be able to build effective relationships quickly, influence senior stakeholders and balance strategic insight with hands-on delivery.
You must be able to attend the Leeds office regularly, work in Manchester and travel to other UK locations when required.
Please apply or contact us directly for a confidential discussion.