Assistant People and Culture Business Partner

NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK NHS FOUNDATION TRUST; Bury St Edmunds; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional NHS trust in Bury St Edmunds is seeking an Assistant People and Culture Business Partner. This role focuses on delivering high-quality HR support to empower teams and implement People and Culture strategies. Responsibilities include providing specialist advice, managing employee relations, and analyzing workforce data. The ideal candidate will be CIPD qualified or possess equivalent experience, with strong communication and consultancy skills. Opportunity for professional development in a supportive environment offering a competitive salary and fixed-term contract until September 2026.

Benefits

Ongoing training and development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Postgraduate diploma in CIPD or equivalent experience.
• Experience in employee relations including grievance and disciplinary.
• Ability to manage a varied workload effectively.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist HR advice to managers.
• Support people and culture strategy implementation.
• Lead complex employee relations cases.
• Analyze workforce data to identify issues.

Skills

CIPD qualified

Advising managers on Operational Issues

Consultancy skills

Customer service skills

Organisational skills

Written communication skills

Verbal communication skills

Knowledge of employment law

Team working

Education

CIPD qualification or equivalent

Job description

NSFT is seeking an Assistant People and Culture Business Partner to deliver high‑quality, proactive business partnering to our teams. This is an exciting opportunity to support the delivery of our People and Culture Strategy, working collaboratively to ensure our workforce is empowered, valued, and supported. This post is based at Wedgwood House, Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and is fixed term to cover maternity leave until 30th September 2026.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist advice and support to managers and teams within a designated locality, helping to deliver quality patient‑focused services and achieve business goals.
• Support the planning and implementation of people and culture strategies, including workforce modernisation, role redesign, and organisational development projects.
• Champion best practice in human resource management, coaching managers in excellent people management and supporting the implementation of the People and Culture Strategy.
• Manage a caseload of complex employee relations work, providing proactive advice and ensuring compliance with policy and legislation.
• Lead and supervise designated People and Culture Advisors, providing professional leadership, guidance, and development.
• Analyse workforce data and staff feedback to identify issues and develop creative, effective interventions.

Qualifications

• CIPD qualified (postgraduate diploma) or working towards CIPD qualification, or equivalent level of knowledge and experience.
• Experience advising managers on a wide range of people and culture operational issues (e.g., grievance, disciplinary, absence management).
• Strong consultancy, customer service, and organisational skills, with the ability to manage a varied workload and conflicting deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate business needs into creative solutions.
• Comprehensive knowledge of employment law, equality and diversity, and best practice in people and culture.
• Friendly, approachable, and confident, with a positive 'can do' attitude and a commitment to collaborative working.

Benefits

Join a forward‑thinking organisation where your expertise will help shape a culture of compassion, inclusion, and continuous improvement. You'll have the opportunity to develop your skills, support others, and make a real difference for our staff and service users.

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive. Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about. Why Norfolk and Suffolk? The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top‑ranking schooling, and affordable house prices too.