The Lead People & Project Partner plays a pivotal role in supporting the delivery of the people strategy across a fast-paced, regulated clinical organisation undergoing sustained significant growth and transformation.
Reporting to the Head of People Experience, this role provides strategic leadership across the People Partnering team, ensuring the effective delivery of people strategies that enable business success. The postholder will lead a team of People Partners, drive organisational transformation projects, and with your team, act as the people lead for organisational change initiatives, including TUPE, restructures, and mergers & acquisitions (M&A).
Working collaboratively across the People function together with the Head of People Experience, this role will support embedding a culture of high performance, engagement, and operational excellence, ensuring people, compliance, and business priorities are fully aligned.
Accountabilities and Deliverables
1. Leadership & Strategic Direction
Lead, manage, and develop the People Partnering team, ensuring high performance, accountability, and professional growth.
Design and deliver the People Partnering strategy in alignment with business plans, workforce priorities, and the wider People Experience agenda.
Provide thought leadership on organisational design, culture, and workforce planning, ensuring readiness and resilience for ongoing expansion and diversification.
2. Strategic Partnering and service delivery
Oversee the delivery of strategic people partnering across all divisions and or business units, ensuring people initiatives drive business outcomes and employee engagement.
Champion initiatives and manage projects to strengthen colleague engagement, collaboration, and communication, including across the clinical and contingent workforce.
Drive the People Partnering team s role in performance management, talent identification, and leadership development.
Collaborate across the wider People team, Talent Acquisition, Development, and Operations to ensure a seamless, integrated One People Team approach.
Build strong partnerships across business functions to deliver consistent, compliant, and high-quality people outcomes.
Act as a key representative of the People function in cross-organisational forums and projects.
3. Change & Project Leadership
Lead the people workstreams for complex organisational change, including TUPE, restructures, and mergers and acquisitions, ensuring successful transition and engagement.
Sponsor and oversee key people projects, defining project scope, deliverables, and success measures, utilising third party relationships where necessary.
4. Employee & Workforce Relations
Act as a senior escalation point for complex or high-risk employee relations issues, ensuring consistent, fair, and compliant outcomes.
Coach and empower People Partners and managers to manage ER matters confidently and proactively.
Oversee cyclical People processes relevant to People Experience, including pay reviews, gender pay gap reporting, and performance development reviews (PDR).
5. Workforce Compliance & Risk Management
Provide sound guidance on employment law, regulatory compliance, and contingent workforce management (including IR35) considering the mixed hybrid model we operate within.
Partner with internal stakeholders and suppliers to ensure processes and frameworks meet CQC and NHS standards and reflect best practice.
6. Continuous Improvement & Data Insight
Lead a culture of continuous improvement within the People Partnering function, leveraging data and feedback to refine processes and decision-making.
Use workforce analytics and insights to influence strategic priorities and measure impact.
Essential
* CIPD Level 7, HR/Business degree, or equivalent professional qualification.
* Proven experience as a lead HR/People Business Partner and leading People projects, ideally in clinical or regulated environments.
* Track record in organisation development, change management, complex employee relations, and workforce planning.
* Experience managing both permanent and contingent workforces (bank, agency, contractors).
* Experience delivering People support across hybrid mixed model workforces.
* Experience leading transformation, change initiatives.
Desirable
* Project management or process improvement qualification.
* Experience in healthcare, regulated sectors, or fast-growing organisations navigating frequent change.
* In-depth, current knowledge of UK employment legislation and employee relations, organisational change, and workforce planning within fast-moving, multidisciplinary teams.
* Proven experience providing HR or People Partner support in clinical or similarly regulated environments, balancing compliance with practical, people-centred solutions.
* Working knowledge of CQC (Care Quality Commission) standards and requirements, including their impact on workforce management and clinical governance.
* Understanding of safeguarding legislation, safer recruitment practices, and DBS processes, ensuring a safe and compliant workforce.
* Experience in a scaling or rapidly growing organisation, adept at navigating change, complexity, and competing operational priorities.
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