Job vacancy: Head of HR Business Partnering, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Plymouth

Job summary

Main area

Human Resources

Grade

NHS AfC: Band 8b

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Part time
Job share
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

216-LH-CO8267844

Employer: University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Derriford Hospital
Town: Plymouth
Salary: £66,582 - £77,368 Per Annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 23/09/2026 23:59

Head of HR Business Partnering

NHS AfC: Band 8b

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Manage the HRBP & Advice team ensuring best practice advice is given

2. Ensure that HR Business Partners act as coach, internal consultant and challenge Directorate Leadership Teams to ensure delivery of all aspects of the UHP People Strategy including measurable improvements on staff engagement, health and wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion and recruitment and retention.

3. Work in partnership with the Organisational Development team to improve skills of line managers in managing HR related issues including earlier and more mediated resolutions to conflict in the workplace and the use of coaching.

4. Take lead responsibility for ensuring new employment legislation is interpreted and communicated appropriately.

5. Coach and mentor members of the HR team, creating a culture of ongoing reflection and development.

6. Provide professional and strategic HR advice and manage and develop the Strategic and Operational

7. Act as the Trust's senior professional lead for HR Business Partnering, providing authoritative workforce advice to Executive Directors, senior leaders and corporate committees on highly complex workforce and organisational development matters.

8. Human Resources service acting as a source of specialist knowledge on professional issues.

9. Provide information and expert advice and support to Directorates across the organisation in order to facilitate the development and management of staff and the modernisation of services, ensuring that they are consistent with national Best Practice initiatives and legislation and agreed local and national Human Resources, Workforce Planning and Workforce Development strategies.

10. Responsible for the management and monitoring of budgets associated with the HR Business Partnering function.

11. Support the development of a robust workforce planning cycle which sees the development of workforce plans which are integral to business plans and form part of the annual business planning cycle and any new service developments

12. Ensure the BPs are working strategically with the divisional management teams, making KPIs visible to support timely completion

13. Interpret the UHP People Strategy in terms of workforce plans and relative to each Directorate and lead the HR Business Partner service in the implementation of those workforce plans.

14. Interpret the implications of the UHP People Strategy, UHP Strategy, NHS People Plan and other relevant strategies for UHP and it’s services and develop programmes of work which will support the transformation of services in line with those strategies, including news ways of working and roles.

15. Lead the workforce aspects of major organisational transformation, service redesign and change programmes, ensuring workforce implications are identified, managed and successfully implemented.

16. Lead on Trust-wide initiatives designed to ensure UHP has the workforce it needs to deliver its services now and into the future in line with the UHP Strategy.

17. Lead the development and implementation of workforce redesign programmes, including skill mix reviews, role redesign, organisational development interventions and new workforce models to improve organisational effectiveness and productivity.

18. Proactively seek to understand readiness for change plans across the directorates and develop and lead initiatives to ensure successful implementation with key stakeholders, including engaging and consulting with trade unions.

19. To support all Freedom of Information and Subject Access requests in relation to Human Resources matters, ensuring that they are responded to appropriately within specific legal timeframes.

20. Work closely with the wider HR directorate and support collaborative working

21. Work closely with the Head of Employee Relations and ensure KPIs are met and interventions in place to meet targets where required

Lead the development, implementation and review of Trust-wide workforce and employment policies, ensuring compliance with legislation, NHS guidance and organisational objectives.

22. Determine and recommend workforce policy responses to new legislation, NHS guidance and emerging workforce issues, influencing organisational direction and decision-making.

23. To research, update and develop HR policies in line with best practice and relevant employment legislation for implementation across the organisation.

24. To keep abreast of employment law issues and forthcoming legislation including identifying and rectifying any impact on the business and organisation wide policies and procedures.

25. To design, plan and deliver formal, informal and ad hoc specialised training or ad-hoc presentations on a range of HR policies as and when required to managers at all levels within the Trust.

26. Ensure that the HR Business Partnering service contributes to the delivery of the culture/engagement, EDI and health and wellbeing aspects of the UHP People Strategy and that these are successfully embedded within the organisation through the work of the HR Business Partnering Service

27. Ensure that the HR Business Partner service constantly champions appropriate leadership behaviours to ensure an engaged workforce and that health and wellbeing of their staff is a key focus for our leaders.

28. Line manage HR Business Partners to ensure that the team is motivated, engaged and productive, adding value to the organisation and it’s people.

29. Provide visible strategic leadership for the HR Business Partnering function across the organisation.

30. Represent the People Directorate at Trust governance forums, major transformation programmes and regional workforce networks.

31. Develop strategic partnerships with system partners across the Integrated Care System to influence workforce strategy and service delivery.

32. Deputise for the Deputy Chief People Officer as required in relation to workforce strategy and organisational development matters.

33. Exercise significant professional autonomy when making workforce decisions and determining appropriate workforce interventions.

For further details please see the attached JD & PS

Person specification

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable Data management and reporting experience including advanced querying and reporting against large relational database management systems
• Demonstrable experience of working at a strategic HR level
• Demonstrable experience of working in the NHS

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Masters level qualification in Human Resources Management or equivalent experience
• Chartered CIPD membership or equivalent experience
• Proven evidence of continuing professional development Abilities

Desirable criteria

• PRINCE2 Practitioner qualification or equivalent
• Quality Improvement methodologies
• Coaching and mediation Skills

Aptitude & Abilities

Essential criteria

• Advanced IT skills, including high level of proficiency in Excel and Access and PowerPoint
• Advanced influencing/negotiating/presentation skills
• Able to analyse and interpret complex, disparate and multi stranded information, drawing conclusions and themes and then presenting these in a coherent and easily understood format

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY INCLUDING YOUR JUNK FOLDER.

If you need support with the online application process or require reasonable adjustments with the application and/or interview process please contact the Recruiting Manager for this post.

We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants about less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. We recommend contacting the manager of the role prior to applying and we commit to giving requests full consideration.

We welcome and encourage applicants who identify with all protected characteristics to apply for our roles. We believe that diversity strengthens our teams and improves our patients' experience. At UHP we aim to create an inclusive workplace and hospital where everyone feels they belong and included.

It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Providing false information is an offence & could result in the application being rejected or summary dismissal/police action if an applicant is successful.

Please note that if you are successful in your application & accept the position you agree that the Staff Health and Wellbeing Department can access your health records from your current/previous employer in order to check the status of your inoculations & screening tests. This is an automated process & the information will only be used for these purposes prior to your taking up the position with us.

For Doctors Roles:

Unsolicited CVs and Candidate Profiles/Details
University Hospitals Plymouth has a commitment to sourcing candidates directly and as such we do not accept speculative CVs from agencies.

We do, however, work with a defined list of preferred HTE Framework suppliers who may be invited to support us in sourcing candidates for particular roles.

In line with our preferred supplier list, we only pay agency fees where we have a signed agreement in place and an agency has been instructed by a member of the Trust’s Medical Workforce team.

We do not pay agency fees where speculative and unsolicited CVs are submitted to the Trust or Trust employees by any other means than the official route above. Where this is not observed the Trust reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and initiate discussions without payment of any agency fee.

Any candidate details (whether written or spoken) or CVs that are referred directly will not constitute an introduction. The Trust will under no circumstances be responsible for any recruitment fees in relation to these contacts.

Submission of any unsolicited CVs, candidate’s details and/or proposals to the Trust will not be considered further and will be deemed evidence of full and unlimited acceptance of this Agency Protocol.

In order to establish and maintain good working relationships with the Trust’s agency suppliers, we ask that this Protocol is adhered to and thank you for your co-operation.