Assistant People Business Partner

West Midlands Combined Authority; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme

Shared Cost AVC programme

28 days annual leave

Gym membership discounts

Bike purchasing scheme

Volunteer leave

Job summary

West Midlands Combined Authority is recruiting an Assistant People Business Partner (Projects) to plan and deliver the people side of change across the Bus Franchising and Transport programmes. You will partner with Directors and senior managers to align workforce planning, retention, engagement and governance with project milestones.

The role requires CIPD qualification (level 5) and a degree, with hybrid working and at least two days per week in the Birmingham office.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a People business partnering setting (APB preferred).
• Experience working with senior leaders.
• Knowledge of TUPE and employment law workforce analysis.
• Strong interpersonal, coaching, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Degree-level education; CIPD Level 5 HR preferred.
• Evidence of continued professional development.

Responsibilities

• Provide proactive People & Culture support to the Bus Franchising and Transport programme and wider projects, aligning people activity with milestones and priorities.
• Build trusted relationships with Directors, Heads of Service, senior managers and project teams, advising on people policies and workforce challenges.
• Support workforce planning projections, retention, engagement, succession, trade union activity and change management; identify priorities and mitigations early.
• Coordinate input from People & Culture specialists; support governance panels, papers, establishment changes and data insights.
• Champion fair, inclusive, and consistent people practices; enable evidence-based decisions for an effective Transport function and employee experience.
• Work with Finance and People Business Partners to monitor resourcing costs and ensure affordability and value for money.

Skills

People business partnering

Senior leadership collaboration

TUPE & employment law

Stakeholder engagement

Interpersonal coaching

People analytics

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

CIPD Level 5 (HR)

Job description

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.

What you’ll be doing.

• 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.

What’s essential.

• 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

For a full list of duties and essential criteria, please refer to the job description attached.

Location.

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

Reasonable adjustments.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that means you might require changes to the application or recruitment process, please get in touch with our Recruitment Team ( [e-mail] ).

Salary and benefits.

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).
• 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 days.
• Discounted gym membership, will writing,andmortgage advice.
• An option to buy a bicycle, including e-bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
• 3 days of paid leave each year to volunteer.
• Interest-free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology
• Discounted shopping with over 2,000 big-name retailers, and more. You can now also obtain a Costcomembership through the WMCA.
• Boundlessunlocks unlimited entry to top-rated UK attractions and loads of extra benefits and discounts.
• EyeCare Scheme,offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards your glasses.

For more information, please visit the benefits page on our career site.

WMCA is laser-focused on improving the West Midlands, bringing economic growth, jobs, homes, and better journeys to the region. We target local needs where it matters most, ensuring everyone has a job that pays well and has access to safe and affordable places they can call home.

We put people and place at the heart of everything we do, working hand in hand with our partners to direct funding where it's needed most. What you do, really matters. Your expertise will help make a big difference, improving people's lives, every day.

Our Values and Behaviours.

Fostering an environment where people feel valued, included, supported, and proud to contribute to our region is important to us at the WMCA. Our behaviours are more than statements; they guide how we work, make decisions, and treat one another - they set the standards we hold ourselves to and the experience we want others to have.

• Collaborative -We work as one organisation. Together we build trust, connection and shared purpose across teams, partners and residents to create the biggest impact for our region.
• Driven -We are focused on outcomes. We perform at our best to unlock productivity and delivery, achieving the greatest regional impact.
• Inclusive - We value difference. Creating an environment where people belong, and feel psychologically safe, so we can all thrive and shape a West Midlands built for everyone.
• Innovative -We are courageous. We embrace new ideas and challenge the status quo to continuously improve and shape the future of the West Midlands.

Creating an inclusive workplace.

WMCA holds diversity accreditations, such as the RACE Code Quality Mark, Armed Forces Covenant (Gold status) and has been recognised as one of the Inclusive Top 50 Employers and The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. We’re a Disability Confident Employer with ‘Leader’ status, committed to interviewing applicants with disabilities who meet all the essential role criteria.

We are also proud to be a Ban the Box employer, which means we do not ask about criminal convictions at the initial application stage, and will only ask after an offer is made as part of our onboarding checks, which helps us remove barriers for people with past convictions and supporting fair opportunities for all.

We recognise that certain groups, such as women and people of colour, may be less likely to apply for roles if they feel they do not meet all the requirements. However, we encourage individuals who are passionate about the role and want to make a difference to still apply. We value potential and encourage applicants to highlight their skills, including transferable ones, even if they don't fit the traditional "perfect candidate" mould.

We gladly consider part-time, flexible, and job share arrangements, so please don't let these factors deter you from applying

Right to Work in the UK

Proof of Right to Work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed.

Non-UK applicants (excluding Ireland) would be required to hold a relevant Visa from the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

• Job Type Human resources / OD / Training
• Directorate People & Culture