Associate director hr people partnering

Associate Director, People Partnering

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and strategic HR leader to join a large, complex organisation as an Associate Director of People Partnering.

This senior role is responsible for partnering with executive and senior leadership teams to develop and deliver people strategies that support organisational objectives. You will lead a team of HR professionals, drive workforce planning initiatives, and provide expert guidance on organisational change, talent management, employee engagement, and leadership development.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of the organisation-wide people strategy.
• Lead the design and implementation of local people plans aligned to business objectives.
• Partner with senior leaders to support workforce planning, succession planning, and talent management.
• Use HR data and analytics to provide insight and inform decision-making.
• Lead initiatives focused on employee attraction, retention, engagement, and development.
• Support the recruitment and onboarding of senior-level appointments.
• Champion diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the organisation.
• Partner with learning and development teams to build capability and strengthen leadership pipelines.
• Support organisational change programmes and transformation initiatives.
• Coach and develop senior leaders on complex people matters.
• Lead, manage and develop a team of HR Business Partners and People Partners.
• Oversee and deliver strategic people projects.
• Manage departmental budgets and contribute to financial planning activities.
• Build and maintain external networks to share best practice and market insights.

About You

Essential Experience

• Significant senior-level HR leadership experience within a large, complex organisation.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing people strategies with measurable impact.
• Experience leading workforce planning, succession planning and talent management initiatives.
• Demonstrated success in improving employee engagement and retention.
• Experience delivering diversity, equity and inclusion strategies.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to build trusted relationships at senior levels.
• Experience leading, managing and developing high-performing teams.

Key Skills

• Ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders.
• Strong coaching and advisory skills on complex people matters.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Resilient and confident when operating in challenging environments.
• Sound judgement and strong decision-making capability.
• Comfortable managing ambiguity and organisational change.
• Collaborative approach with the ability to work across multiple business functions.

Desirable

• Chartered CIPD membership or equivalent postgraduate HR qualification.
• Experience working within a matrix organisation.
• Experience within a specialist HR discipline such as organisational development, employee relations, or diversity and inclusion.
• Strong analytical capability with the ability to interpret complex data and generate actionable insights.

If you'd like, I can also rewrite this into a more recruiter-friendly advert format that feels less like a job description and more like a marketable opportunity for LinkedIn or direct candidate outreach.