Human Resources Business Partner (Estates)

UCL AI Centre; London; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

The UCL AI Centre seeks an experienced HR Business Partner to support the Estates Division. This role involves managing employee relations, leading strategic HR initiatives, and fostering a positive workplace culture. Ideal candidates will exhibit strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

41 Days holiday

Defined benefit pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

On-site nursery

On-site gym

Discounted medical insurance

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in senior HR advisory or HR Business Partner role.
• Expertise in handling complex employee relations cases.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage a high volume of complex employee relations activity.
• Lead on workforce-related challenges and strategic HR initiatives.
• Develop people strategies and support leadership development.

Skills

Employee relations

Relationship-building

Communication

Strategic influencing

Job description

Ref Number C14-00151 Professional Expertise HR and Wellbeing Department Human Resources Division (C14) Location London Working Pattern Full time Salary £54,172-£63,752 Contract Type Permanent Working Type Hybrid Available for Secondment No Closing Date 18-Jun-2025

About Us

UCL Human Resources is a values-driven, service-oriented function, comprising approximately 120 HR professionals who work in close partnership with UCL’s eleven academic faculties, nine professional services divisions, and the President and Provost’s Offices. We support leaders and teams in delivering their strategic priorities, navigating organisational change, and enhancing the employee experience.

We are committed to building an inclusive culture where every colleague can thrive, and we take pride in the role HR plays in shaping a fair, equitable and diverse working environment. Whether supporting local teams or institution-wide initiatives, we apply insight, innovation and compassion to everything we do.

About The Role

We are seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to join the HR team supporting UCL’s Estates Division — a vital part of the university that oversees the planning, development, and maintenance of UCL’s physical estate across central London and beyond.

This is a strategically important and operationally demanding client group, with a wide range of staff groups and roles, including technical, operational and leadership teams. As such, it offers an exciting opportunity to influence people strategy, lead on workforce-related challenges, and support the delivery of high-quality services across a large and complex environment.

A key element of the role is managing a high volume of complex employee relations activity. This includes supporting line managers with disciplinary, grievance, capability and sickness absence matters, often in fast-moving operational contexts. You’ll need to apply sound judgement and HR best practice, while understanding and navigating the legal, cultural and people dynamics that underpin successful case resolution.

However, the role also extends well beyond casework. As the HR Business Partner, you will play a leading role in designing and delivering strategic HR initiatives that contribute to leadership and management development, team effectiveness, and cultural change. You’ll work closely with senior Estates leaders to shape local people plans aligned to UCL’s wider goals — promoting inclusion, talent development, and a positive, respectful workplace culture.

You will be part of the HR Business Partnering team supporting the President and Provost’s Office and Vice Presidents’ Offices, and report into the Senior HR Business Partner. You will also line manage a recently appointed Associate HR Business Partner, providing guidance and development support as they embed into the role.

You will work collaboratively with colleagues across UCL HR, including our Centres of Expertise (e.g. Organisational Development, Reward, EDI and Policy), and local HR representatives embedded within the Estates Division. You’ll also be expected to build strong working relationships with other professional services partners, such as those in Finance, IT and Communications.

The Estates Division is a dynamic and evolving environment, and you’ll need to bring a confident, pragmatic and flexible approach, with the ability to engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders, including senior operational leaders. This is a role that will suit someone who enjoys working in a complex landscape, and who thrives on building trust, navigating diverse viewpoints, and delivering meaningful impact.

Please note, this is a hybrid-working role and will be based onsite at our London St Pancras/Kings Cross offices 2-days a week on a Monday and Tuesday.

Job Ref: C14-00151

Closing Date: 18-06-2025– 23:59 (UK time)

About You

We’re looking for an accomplished HR professional with a strong foundation in employee relations, coupled with the interpersonal and strategic skills needed to influence and support change across a diverse, fast-paced environment.

You Will Be Able To Demonstrate The Following

• Substantial experience in a senior HR advisory or HR Business Partner role, ideally within a large, unionised or complex organisation
• Expertise in handling complex and sensitive employee relations cases, with a focus on resolution, fairness and risk management
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to quickly establish credibility and influence at all levels — particularly with senior operational leaders
• A background in delivering people strategies, cultural change programmes or leadership development initiatives that drive meaningful organisational impact
• Experience in supporting, coaching or managing more early career HR colleagues, with a commitment to team development and capability-building
• Confidence working with data and insight to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement
• A collaborative and inclusive mindset, aligned to UCL’s values and its ambition to be a sector leader in equality, diversity and inclusion.
  
  

Although not essential, any experience working within the higher education sector would be beneficial.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme:Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance
  
  

Visithttps://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefitsto find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

• download: HR BP_JD_Grade 8_Oct 2023 1.docx