HR Business Partner

Abingdon and Witney College; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Abingdon seeks two experienced HR Business Partners to collaborate with senior leaders and support a strategic people strategy. Responsibilities include driving talent acquisition, advising on employee relations, and promoting workplace culture. Ideal candidates will have a CIPD Level 7 qualification and substantial HR experience, along with strong organizational and communication skills. Excellent benefits are offered, including a pension scheme and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

Corporate gym membership

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Experience in a senior HR advisory or HR Business Partner role.
• Strong ability to resolve employee relations issues.
• Proactive and collaborative approach with strong organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted partner to senior leaders offering guidance on people management.
• Drive talent acquisition and retention strategies.
• Provide advice during organizational change.

Skills

Employee relations expertise

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

CIPD Level 7 or equivalent HR qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office applications

Job description

Overview

We are seeking two strategically minded and experienced HR Business Partners to join our dynamic People team. This is a pivotal role within the college, partnering with senior leaders, academic departments, and business support teams to deliver a forward-thinking, data informed people strategy. You will provide both strategic and operational HR support, championing best practice and helping to drive initiatives that foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performing workplace culture.

Salary: £45,558 - £46,598 per annum

Hours per week: 37

Weeks per Annum: 52

Working pattern: Monday - Friday

Location: Abingdon Campus

Contract type: Permanent

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted partner to senior leaders and managers, offering expert guidance on all aspects of people management aligned with the college's strategic objectives.
• Lead and manage complex employee relations cases, ensuring a fair, consistent, and legally compliant approach.
• Drive talent acquisition and retention strategies, supporting recruitment and development of both curriculum and support staff.
• Identify learning and development needs and collaborate on the design of effective internal development initiatives.
• Support workforce planning and resource allocation in collaboration with departmental leaders.
• Provide advice and support through periods of organisational change, including restructures and staff transitions.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation and internal policy, advising on practical implications and updates.
• Use workforce data and metrics to inform decision-making and continuous improvement in people practices.
• Promote staff wellbeing, equity, diversity, and inclusion across the college.

Essential Experience

• CIPD Level 7 qualified (or working towards) or equivalent HR qualification.
• Substantial experience in a senior HR advisory or HR Business Partner role within a complex organisation.
• Strong employee relations expertise, with a proven ability to resolve issues constructively.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and influencing skills, with confidence working with senior stakeholders.
• Proactive, collaborative approach with strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• High levels of discretion, professionalism, and a solution-focused mindset.

Desirable Experience

• Experience within the education or commercial sector.
• Familiarity with safeguarding and safer recruitment practices.
• Strong working knowledge of HR systems and Microsoft Office applications.

Why Work with us

Excellent benefits for our employees including generous pension and holiday schemes (with potential Christmas closure days), continued professional development, flexible working options, corporate gym membership, cycle/tech scheme and much more.

Closing date: 31st August 2025 (Midnight)

*Abingdon and Witney College reserve the right to close all applications before posted closing date

AWC values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to safeguarding and expect all our employees and volunteers to share this commitment. We are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and all appointments are subject to satisfactory clearances including enhanced DBS checks.

Abingdon and Witney College are committed to safer recruitment practices. In addition to our pre-employment checks, we will conduct an online search. This includes checking Google main results feed as well as the \"News\" and \"Images\" tab. We will be checking for any publicly available information that suggests the applicant may not be suitable to work with children or young/vulnerable people or content that could potentially damage Abingdon and Witney College's reputation. This may include inappropriate posts, comments or images displaying evidence of offensive or inappropriate behaviour, jokes or language, discriminatory comments, inappropriate photos, drug or alcohol misuse.

We reserve the right to bring forward the closing date of the adverts should we receive a sufficient level of interest!

Please note most roles advertised on AoC Jobs are posted directly by the college or employing organisation and are not being handled by the AoC Recruitment Team. If you would like to hear about interim and/or permanent roles being handled by AoC Recruitment, please send your CV to [e-mail] and one of the team will be in touch.