Lead HR Business Partner

On behalf of UKRI, we are looking for a Lead HR Business Partner (Inside IR35) for an initial 6 months contract, based hybrid in either Swindon, Oxford or Warrington. There will be occasional travel to Swindon. Office attendance is at least 2 days a week.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the national funding agency investing in science and research in the UK.

UKRI invests £8 billion of taxpayers’ money each year into research and innovation and the people who make it happen. They work across a huge range of fields – from biodiversity conservation to quantum computing, and from space telescopes to innovative health care. They give everyone the opportunity to contribute and to benefit, bringing together people and organisations nationally and globally to create, develop and deploy new ideas and technologies.

Role Profile:

To play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering a major organisational transformation programme.

This is a strategic leadership position where you will provide specialist HRBP expertise , organisational insight, and people-focused change leadership across a complex programme of transformation workstreams. You will influence senior stakeholders, lead a team of HR Business Partners and Advisors, and ensure that organisational change is delivered fairly, transparently, and in line with employment legislation and best practice.

This role would suit a senior HR leader who has successfully led large-scale organisational change, restructuring, workforce transformation, redundancy programmes, or pay and reward harmonisation initiatives within complex organisations.

As a Lead HR Business Partner , your main responsibilities will be to:

- Lead and develop a team of HR Business Partners and Advisors, driving people-focused outcomes across large-scale transformation programmes.
- Partner with programme leaders and senior stakeholders to deliver organisational change, workforce planning, restructuring and consultation activities.
- Provide strategic HR leadership on organisational design, target operating models and workforce transformation initiatives .
- Lead People Impact Assessments, manage change-related risks, and ensure compliance with employment legislation, governance and best practice.
- Oversee employee relations matters arising from transformation programmes, including consultation, redeployment and redundancy activities.
- Support the design and implementation of organisational restructures, workforce transitions and voluntary exit programmes.
- Develop practical HR toolkits, guidance, consultation materials, leadership briefings and change frameworks to support consistent delivery.
- Coach and support HR teams, managers and leaders to effectively manage change within their areas.
- Produce reports, recommendations and updates for programme boards, governance groups and senior leadership teams.
- Support stakeholder engagement, communications and change implementation planning across multiple workstreams.
- Contribute to pay and reward transformation, including role mapping, job architecture, harmonisation and employee engagement activities.
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders , providing expert guidance on complex people issues, organisational change and workforce strategy.

Essential:

- Significant experience operating as a senior HR Business Partner, Head of HR, or equivalent leadership role.
- Proven success leading complex organisational change and transformation programmes.
- Strong experience of restructuring, consultation, workforce redesign, redundancy programmes, TUPE or similar people-focused change initiatives .
- Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior leaders and programme boards.
- Experience leading and developing HR teams through periods of significant change.
- Excellent communication skills, including the creation of consultation materials, guidance, training content and executive briefings.

Desirable:

- Public sector experience.
- Experience supporting pay and reward harmonisation programmes.
- Familiarity with Oracle Fusion and/or Workday HR systems, with Oracle Fusion particularly advantageous.
- CIPD qualification (or equivalent experience).

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident

As a Disability Confident employer, UKRI encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent candidates . Applications from candidates who identify as having a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

UKRI welcome applications from veterans, service leavers, reservists and military spouses or partners. Applications from eligible candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".