Head of People Partnering

Salary: £59,390 to £62,994 with progression to £68,817 per annum 

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date:  22 November 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced senior HR professional to join the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at an important stage in its development.

Working collaboratively with the Faculty Executive Team and senior colleagues, you will provide strategic direction and expertise across a diverse and complex people portfolio. You will oversee workforce planning, organisational development, employee relations and change initiatives, helping to create an inclusive and supportive environment where colleagues can thrive and contribute their best work.

The Faculty is undertaking a significant programme of organisational change to support its long-term sustainability, effectiveness and continued excellence in teaching and research. You will have strategic responsibility for the People & Culture workstream within the Faculty's transformation programme, working in partnership with colleagues to ensure that people-related priorities are effectively planned, resourced and delivered in line with the Faculty's strategic and operational objectives.

You will have the opportunity to influence strategic decisions, shape the future workforce and culture of the Faculty, and help create an environment in which colleagues can thrive and deliver outstanding outcomes for students, partners and communities.

We are looking for an experienced HR professional who brings sound professional judgement, a collaborative approach and the ability to build trusted relationships with senior colleagues. You will have substantial experience of guiding complex organisational change, supporting effective teams and contributing to strategic decision-making. Chartered MCIPD status is essential.

This role offers a valuable opportunity to help shape the future direction of the Faculty, contribute to meaningful organisational change and play a key role in achieving our shared people priorities during a period of transformation.

For an informal and confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact Linder Pott, currently Head of People Partnering for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS), who will shortly take up the role of Director of People Partnering, at [email protected], or Shelley Stonehouse, Recruitment Business Partner, at [email protected].

To apply, please provide your CV along with a covering statement of no more than two A4 pages outlining how you meet the essential criteria for this role.

Assessments and interviews will be held week commencing 7th December 2026 and will be held over 2 days, expected days 9th & 10th December.

Reports to:  Director of People Partnering, deputising for the post holder as required.

Role Purpose

To lead strategic people initiatives across a designated Faculty or Professional Services area, enabling the University to achieve its vision of placing people at the heart of its operations. The role drives cultural transformation, enhances organisational effectiveness, and ensures the delivery of high-impact people services aligned with institutional goals.

Key Outcomes

Additional information in relation to Faculty specific responsibilities can be found here

1. Strategic People Leadership

• Provision of advice and guidance on effective people practices needed to achieve our strategic objectives, resulting in measurable improvements in engagement, retention, and performance.


• Lead workforce planning initiatives that contribute to our people plans, focusing on recruitment, succession planning, engagement, leadership development, reward and retention.


• Influence and shape organisational culture through targeted solutions and best practices that increase inclusivity, collaboration, and innovation.

2. Operational Excellence

• Establish and maintain a high-performing, customer-centric People Services function that consistently meets service level expectations and stakeholder satisfaction benchmarks.


• Resolve complex employee relations cases with outcomes that uphold University values, mitigate risk, and support a positive working environment.


• Provide actionable insights through high-quality people data that inform strategic decisions and improve organisational outcomes.

3. Change Enablement

• Successfully lead and support organisational change initiatives (e.g., restructures, TUPE, redeployment) ensuring business continuity, operational efficiency and high stakeholder confidence.


• Partner with OD colleagues to implement development programs and initiatives that result in improved team effectiveness and leadership capability.

4. Stakeholder Impact

• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders, evidenced by regular engagement and collaborative decision-making on people-related matters.


• Coach and advise managers to improve employee engagement and performance, resulting in measurable improvements in team climate and productivity.


• Lead negotiations with trade unions that result in mutually beneficial outcomes and maintain constructive industrial relations.

5. Team Leadership

• Develop and lead a high-performing local People Services team, with clear performance goals and development plans that result in increased capability and engagement.


• Work collaboratively with other Heads of People Partnering to embed University strategic projects or policy initiatives in the respective Faculty or Professional Services Hub


• Contribute to central People Services projects that deliver strategic value and enhance the University’s reputation as a sector leader in people practices.

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Proven experience of delivering strong People Services (HR) expertise, including driving change;


• Significant experience of contribution to strategy development;


• In-depth knowledge of employment law;


• Proven experience of working with a range of senior managers to resolve complex and contentious people issues;


• Effective communication skills across a diverse audience;


• Highly developed negotiating and influencing skills;


• Ability to manipulate and interpret complex data to support business decisions;


• Ability to build robust and productive working relationships and demonstrate a high level of personal credibility at all levels within the organisation;


• Ability to lead and develop a team with a focus on continuous improvement;


• Ability to operate across a variety of areas of the organisation as required.


• People Services (HR) experience in the HE sector (Desirable).

Attributes and Behaviour

(to be assessed as part of the assessment and interview stage)

• Highly proactive nature with a solutions and goal-oriented mind-set;


• Strong interpersonal leadership skills with the ability to coach and mentor effectively;


• Promotes and actively drives change within own area and across the organisation;


• High drive and initiative, able to demonstrate professional resilience;


• Exceptional interpersonal, communication and influencing/negotiating skills;


• Strong track record in collaborating with colleagues, at all levels, across the organisation;


• Ability to influence and persuade to gain support;


• Awareness of current issues related to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and a willingness to actively contribute to institutional EDI goals in a manner compatible with freedom of speech within the law.


• Creative, solution orientated approach to issue resolution;


• Resilience and sensitivity when dealing with colleagues.

Qualifications

• Chartered Member of CIPD (MCIPD

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 29875