HR Business Partner

Overview

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to join the People and Education Directorate. This is a newly created role with a closing date of 09 August 2026.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced HR professional to shape and influence the support provided across the organisation. The role offers variety, challenge and partnership working, with a mix of complex employee relations, strategic workforce planning, service redesign and organisational development work.

This role sits within the People Experience portfolio in an evolving Directorate where you’ll have the opportunity to work across the full breadth of the people agenda, acting as a trusted adviser to operational and senior leaders. You’ll influence decision‑making, challenge thinking, drive improvement and help shape workforce strategies that directly impact patient care and organisational success.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys operating at a strategic level and who is energised by working in a fast‑paced environment where priorities can change quickly. You’ll need to be comfortable navigating complexity, building strong relationships and turning workforce challenges into practical solutions.

Why Work With Us?

What we re looking for:

We re seeking an accomplished HR professional with substantial experience in:

• Complex employee relations and workforce case management
• Strategic workforce planning and workforce transformation
• Organisational change and service redesign
• Leadership coaching and influencing senior stakeholders
• Talent, succession and organisational development
• Workforce performance, productivity and improvement initiatives
• Developing pragmatic, evidence-based workforce solutions

You will bring strong business partnering skills, excellent judgement, resilience and credibility together with a proven ability to influence at senior levels and deliver results in a complex environment.

What makes this role different?

• A newly created position with genuine scope to shape the role and its future direction
• A broad and varied portfolio spanning the full people agenda
• The opportunity to play a key role in transformation and organisational change
• Significant exposure to senior leaders and strategic decision-making
• A chance to make a visible impact across the organisation
• An environment where innovation, improvement and fresh thinking are encouraged

If you re an experienced HR professional looking for your next challenge and want to be part of an ambitious People and Education Directorate that is redefining how HR support is delivered, we d love to hear from you.

• Advert closing 9th August
• Shortlisting W/C 17th August
• Interviews planned for 24th August

• CIPD Level 7 or equivalent experience.
• Coaching qualification; project management training.

• Extensive experience leading complex employee relations casework, including setting case strategy, advising on informal and formal routes, and supporting/attending hearings and appeals (e.g., disciplinary, grievance, capability, sickness absence/attendance and dignity at work).
• Proven experience of organisational change and workforce planning, including consultation and restructure processes, establishment control, skill mix reviews, recruitment and retention planning, and aligning workforce plans to service, quality and financial priorities.
• Experience of supervising, coaching and line managing staff, with the ability to lead and develop HR/ER and OD practitioners to deliver consistent, high-quality services.
• Experience in the NHS or public sector.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to triangulate workforce and ER data (e.g., ESR, e-rostering, safe staffing, recruitment/retention and absence) to produce insight-led options and recommendations.
• Skilled in facilitation and OD consulting approaches, able to design and deliver team interventions, engagement activity and culture change work with measurable outcomes.
• Ability to manage high-risk and complex employee relations situations, including confident advice to senior leaders, effective case planning and constructive negotiation with staff-side.
• Experience using ESR, e rostering or workforce analytics tools.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

£57,528 to £64,750 per annum