Lead HR Business Partner

Esland; Belper CP; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Salary up to £55,000 + car allowance

35 days leave incl. bank holidays

Funded CIPD development

Employee benefits package

Job summary

Esland is seeking a senior HR leader to oversee four HR Business Partners and own end-to-end employee relations casework, including disciplinary, grievances, and safeguarding matters.

You will partner with safeguarding leads and the HR Director, spending time with managers across our Belper operations to drive fair decisions and proactive resolution.

Qualifications

• Must have senior HR experience and be able to supervise HR Business Partners.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and ACAS Code.
• Experience handling complex employee relations casework end to end.

Responsibilities

• Lead four HR Business Partners and own sensitive casework (disciplinary, grievance, capability, dignity at work).
• Act as senior link between HR and safeguarding; manage LADO referrals with safeguarding leads.
• Spend time with managers across our sites, guiding fair decisions and proactive resolution.
• Report to the HR Director and support tribunal and settlement processes.

Skills

Senior HR experience

Lead HR Business Partners

UK employment law expertise

Safeguarding HR (LADO)

Stakeholder management

Driving licence

Education

CIPD Level 7

CIPD Level 5 with senior experience

Job description

Description

At Esland, your work changes children’s lives. We provide the care, education and therapeutic support that helps vulnerable young people turn the curve on their futures. This role keeps that work safe. Our managers deal with difficult people situations, often at short notice and often with a safeguarding edge. They need someone who will get those decisions right, quickly and fairly, so their attention can stay where it belongs.

Application Deadline

13 September 2026

Department

People & Culture

Location

Belper - Support Centre

Compensation

£50,000 - £55,000 / year

Your role

You will lead our four HR Business Partners, and you will personally hold the casework that cannot be handed on. Disciplinary, grievance, capability, dignity at work. The ones with real consequences attached.

You are also the senior link between HR and safeguarding. That means you own the people side of LADO referrals and allegations against staff, working alongside our safeguarding leads and the HR Director.

Expect to spend your time with managers, not only with policy. Some days you will be at our Belper office. Others you will be in one of our homes or schools, helping a manager hold a fair line when it would be easier not to. The best measure of your first year is fewer issues escalating at all, because managers handled them earlier and better.

You will report to our HR Director and support tribunal and settlement matters with her.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• CIPD Level 7, or CIPD Level 5 with substantial senior HR experience
• Experience leading or supervising HR Business Partners or advisers
• A track record of owning complex employee relations casework end to end
• Deep, current knowledge of UK employment law and the ACAS Code
• Confidence with safeguarding-linked HR, including LADO and allegations against staff
• Credibility and resilience with senior stakeholders, and the nerve to challenge a decision
• A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle, as the role involves site travel

What we offer

• salary up to £55,000 per annum, plus £3,000 car allowance
• 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and your birthday off
• Hybrid working from our Head Office in Belper, Monday to Friday
• A team of four HR Business Partners to lead, coach and develop
• Serious, varied casework across 63 residential homes, 4 assessment homes and 5 schools
• Direct access to the HR Director and our senior leadership team
• Funded professional development, including CIPD
• A wide range of benefits, including our employee assistance programme, 24/7 GP access, the Green Car Scheme, a Health Cash Plan, and retail and gym discounts
• Real scale, 850 plus colleagues, with a people function close enough to the business to change things