Head of HR business partnering

Band 8b · Human resources business partner · 592 job evaluation points

Leads the HR business partnering service across the organisation and makes sure every directorate has a people plan that delivers the people strategy.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage the HR business partner and HR adviser teams.
Make sure every directorate has a workforce and people plan linked to its service and financial plans.
Lead the organisation's approach to organisational change, consultation, and partnership working with staff representatives.
Report people risks and workforce performance to executive committees.
Hold the budget for the business partnering service.
Work with leaders of recruitment, learning, and organisational development to deliver joined-up people services.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
People strategy and HR leadershipThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: write and lead people plans for a directorate in line with the people strategy advise senior leaders on people risks and priorities lead part of the HR function, setting its standards and priorities
Organisational change and consultationThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: lead organisation-wide restructures and service transfers design the organisation's approach to change, including partnership working advise the board on the people impact and risk of major change
Workforce planningThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: set the organisation's workforce strategy and long-term plan make workforce trade-offs across services with finance and service leaders shape workforce plans with partners across the health and care system
Employee relations caseworkThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: lead the organisation's approach to employee relations and partnership working handle the most sensitive or high-risk cases, including employment claims negotiate collective agreements and resolve collective disputes
Employment law and people policyThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: set the organisation's people policy framework and approach to legal risk anticipate changes in employment law and plan the organisation's response advise the board on employment risk and liability
Organisational developmentThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: diagnose organisational issues and design interventions to address them lead team development, leadership development, and engagement programmes evaluate the effect of interventions using evidence
Leadership and guidanceUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: make decisions characterised by medium levels of risk and complexity and recommend decisions as risk and complexity increase build consensus between services or independent stakeholders identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them engage in varying types of feedback, choosing the right type at the appropriate time and ensuring the discussion and decision stick bring people together to form a motivated team and help create the right environment for a team to work in facilitate the best team makeup depending on the situation
People managementThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: lead managers and shape the culture of a large area design workforce plans and organisational change coach leaders and resolve complex people issues
Budget managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: hold and manage a budget, forecasting and explaining variances build a business case with costs and benefits
Organisational risk managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: run the risk process for a directorate or programme assess risks against the risk appetite and escalate them report on risks to committees

Typical qualifications and experience

A recognised HR professional qualification at advanced level, or a master's degree in HR or a related subject, or equivalent experience.
Extensive experience of leading HR teams and organisational change.

Band 8b outline

Knowledge: Expert knowledge across several disciplines or a large service.
Autonomy: Shapes policy and strategy for a large area.
Scope: Several services or teams, or a principal-level discipline.
Leadership: Manages managers, or is the principal authority in a discipline.
Accountability: Several services, their staff, and their budgets.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	5	Gives highly complex or contentious information needing developed persuasion and negotiation, presents to large groups, or communicates where there are significant barriers to acceptance.	45
Knowledge, training, and experience	7	Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (master's level or equivalent).	196
Analytical and judgemental skills	5	Judgements on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
Planning and organisational skills	5	Forms long-term strategic plans, with uncertainty and effects across the organisation.	60
Physical skills	2	Skills gained through practice, such as standard keyboard use or driving.	15
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	4	Implements policy and develops policy or services for a service or several areas.	32
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	3	Authorises payments, buys some assets or supplies, monitors or holds a delegated budget, or maintains assets.	21
Responsibility for people	5	Line manages several departments, or manages training or a large part of HR across the organisation.	45
Responsibility for information resources	4	Adapts or designs information systems to others' specifications, or runs information systems for a department as the main duty.	24
Responsibility for research and development	1	Carries out surveys or audits for own work; occasionally takes part in research or testing.	5
Freedom to act	5	Works within general policies, and in most cases decides how to interpret them.	45
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	3	Frequent exposure to distressing circumstances, or occasional exposure to highly distressing ones.	18
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 8b: 585 to 629)			592

People is level 5 because the job manages a large part of HR across the organisation.