Assistant Business Partner

The West Midlands Combined Authority is delivering one of the most important transport agendas in the country, helping people move more easily between home, work, education and opportunity. The Mayor’s plan and the West Midlands Growth Plan are focused on unlocking opportunity for everyone, in every place and delivering that ambition depends on having the right people, skills, structures and support behind our major programmes.

As Assistant People Business Partner (Projects), you will help make sure the people side of change is planned, understood and delivered well. Working closely with the Bus Franchising and wider Transport project, Transport colleagues and People & Culture teams, you will support specifically people initiatives including workforce planning and projections, retention, engagement, trade union activity, people risks and project milestones. This role has real purpose: helping our people feel supported through change, enabling leaders to make confident and fair people decisions, and contributing to WMCA’s ambition to be the best place to work and belong.

Please note that this is a 3-year fixed-term contract.

• Provide proactive and solutions-focused People and Culture support to the Bus Franchising and Transport programme and wider projects, helping ensure people activity is aligned to key milestones and programme priorities.
• Build trusted relationships with Directors, Heads of Service, senior managers and project teams, providing advice, coaching and support on people policies, processes and workforce challenges.
• Support workforce planning projections, retention, engagement, succession, trade union activity and change management, helping identify people priorities, risks and mitigations at the earliest opportunity.
• Coordinate input from People and Culture specialists, supporting governance panels, key papers, establishment changes, resource planning and the management of key people information and data insights.
• Champion fair, inclusive and consistent people practices, supporting managers to make evidence-based decisions that enable an effective Transport function and a positive employee experience.
• Work with Finance and People Business Partners to monitor resourcing costs and ensure people decisions are affordable, evidence-based, aligned with service outcomes and provide value for money.

• Proven experience in a People business partnering setting (preferably as APB)
• Demonstrated ability to work with senior leaders
• Strong understanding and knowledge around people areas specifically TUPE, employment law workforce analysis
• Skilled in excellent interpersonal, coaching, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Educated to at least degree level
• CIPD qualified to level 5 (HR)
• Evidence of continued professional development

The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD
with at least 2 days a week spent in the office.

We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees. Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Local Government Pension Scheme one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK
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• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme where you can build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + Statutory…