Human Resources Partner

Plymouth University; Plymouth; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Generous pension scheme

Cycle to Work & Electric Car Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Development opportunities

Enhanced family leave

Flexible working

Retailer discounts

On-site nursery

Job summary

Plymouth University is seeking an experienced HR Partner to collaborate with a portfolio of departments, delivering strategic HR guidance and workforce solutions. The role involves HR advice across the lifecycle, including recruitment, performance management, and employee relations, with a focus on policy development and manager upskilling.

You will work on-site three days a week, with some flexibility for home working to meet business needs while maintaining on-site presence.

Qualifications

• CIPD Level 5 is essential; CIPD Level 7 desirable.
• Experience supporting managers through complex employee relations issues.
• Up-to-date employment legislation knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Partner across departments providing strategic insight and manage workforce solutions.
• Deliver expert HR advice across the employee lifecycle including recruitment, performance, and ER.
• Lead policy and process development in line with legislation and best practice; upskilling managers.

Skills

Communication skills

HR partnering

Employee relations

Employment legislation

Education

CIPD Level 5

CIPD Level 7

Job description

Are you an experienced and proactive HR professional?

Join our high-performing HR Partnering team!

About the role:

As HR Partner, you will:

• work in partnership across a portfolio of departments, providing strategic insight, managing people-related risks, and developing effective workforce solutions.
• be responsible for delivering expert, professional HR advice and will work closely with managers to support all aspects of the employee lifecycle, including recruitment and selection, performance management, and employee relations.
• lead on wider activities across HR such as policy and process development in line with employment legislation and best practice, job evaluation and taking an active role in upskilling managers across the University.

For this role, you will need to be on site 3 days a week. Although we can accommodate working from home for this role, flexibility to be on-site will be expected due to business needs.

What we’re looking for:

You should have:

• excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to quickly build relationships, persuade, influence and articulate complex information in an accessible way, and present to a range of audiences.
• a proven track‑record of working in HR at a professional, partnering level, demonstrable experience of successfully supporting managers through complex employee relations issues and strong applied knowledge of up-to-date employment legislation.
• CIPD level 5 (or demonstrable equivalent experience) is essential for this role and CIPD Level 7 (or demonstrable equivalent experience) is desirable.

For more information about the job and the person specification, please refer to the job description.

Application Process:

Following the closing date of the vacancy, you will be notified on the outcome of your application in due course.

Our Offer:

We have a wide range of staff benefits available to employees, depending on eligibility:

• Generous annual leave: 35 Days Annual Leave (pro rata if part-time) plus Bank Holidays* & Closure Days*
• Generous pension scheme
• Cycle to Work & Electric Car Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave
• Flexible working
• Retailer discounts
• On-site nursery

A summary of our comprehensive benefits can be viewed .

Additional Information:

The University of Plymouth is building an inclusive and equitable university where everyone feels represented, supported, and empowered to thrive. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is guided by the Inclusive Institutions Framework, a strategic and externally validated approach that embeds these principles across the entire institution. To find out more please visit our

Should you be a successful external candidate for this position, you would be employed by the University of Plymouth Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Plymouth. Employees of the University of Plymouth Services Limited work alongside the University of Plymouth colleagues in delivery of Plymouth’s strategic vision, and will adopt the University of Plymouth’s HR policies and procedures in full unless otherwise stated.

Closing Date – Thursday 22nd October 2026 at 12 o’clock midnight