Strategic HR Business Partner

UKRI; East Hagbourne; Hybrid; GBP 58,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

A renowned research organization in the UK is seeking HR Strategic Business Partners to develop and direct their HR agenda, aligning with organizational goals. This role requires strong leadership skills, knowledge of HR processes, and effective collaboration with various stakeholders. Candidates should possess a CIPD membership or relevant qualifications, with a focus on HR leadership in complex environments. The position supports hybrid working and offers competitive benefits.

Benefits

30 days' annual leave

Employee discounts

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• CIPD membership and/or University Degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• In-depth knowledge of HR leadership in complex organizations.
• Experience in developing local people-focused interventions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain trusted relationships with leaders.
• Support change management and culture activities.
• Ensure effective HR service delivery through the HR Operations team.

Skills

CIPD membership

Leadership in HR roles

Data analytics for HR

Stakeholder influencing

Collaboration skills

Education

University Degree or equivalent

Job description

Job Info

• Job Category Human Resources
• Apply Before 01/04/2026, 11:55 PM
• Job Identification 1702
• Posting Date 12/12/2025, 02:26 PM
• Job Shift Day

Job Description

UKRI HR Team

Salary: £58,589 per annum

Band: UKRI Band F

Contract Type: Fixed Term (12 months)

Hours: Full-time/Part time - Min 0.8 FTE (flexible working available)

Location: Polaris House, Swindon - Min 2/3 days per week in the office (Hybrid working available)

Closing Date: 4th January 2026

About the role

Two 12-month opportunities exist for HR Strategic Business Partners to partner with senior leaders in UKRI Councils developing and directing an HR agenda that closely supports organisational and business goals and builds organisational and people capabilities.

The roles will support the development of local people strategy and, with the support of HR community and centres of expertise, deploy appropriate processes and solutions throughout the business.

The roles will be based at Polaris House in Swindon and travel will be required on a regular basis.

Whilst hybrid working is encouraged, the roles may normally be on-site at least 2/3 days per week.

Your responsibilities:

• Developing trusted partnering relationships with leaders/managers, building professional credibility and mutual trust.
• Supporting leaders/managers in navigating business transformation and culture change activities through providing advice, challenge, coaching and being ‘a critical friend’ across their access to and use of the full range of HR services.
• With the HR Operations team, ensuring effective HR service delivery to managers and employees, meeting regularly to review themes arising from queries, requests, casework and campaigns; and address any issues, complaints or ideas arising.
• Developing and delivering a programme of interventions to ensure that current and future skill/capability requirements are captured and prioritised as part of the skills strategy and incorporated into learning and development programmes.
• Providing challenge, suggestions and interventions for restructuring, improved ways of working, team effectiveness, productivity and morale, and changing working practices – sharing insights and drawing in the centres of expertise support for local managers/leaders as required.
• Supporting the rollout of new initiatives (eg workforce planning, performance management, leadership and learning), engaging effectively with leaders/managers to ensure their buy-in to the changes, and delivery against UKRI and local objectives.
• Overseeing the development and delivery of people related planning initiatives (eg workforce and budget plans, risk registers) to ensure the agenda is understood and debated by managers/leaders. With Resourcing and HR Operations, ensure effective attraction/selection/hiring, appointment, redeployment, secondment, exit and termination.
• Supporting the delivery and local implementation of the annual HR business lifecycle and manage the local deployment of reward and performance management to deliver alignment and compliance.
• Supporting the development of local people management capability, working with colleagues in HR Operations to ensure access to good advice and encourage adoption of self-service.
• Maintaining oversight of local employee relations cases to ensure that risk profile is understood, cases are consistently resolved, root causes identified and tackled, and that escalated cases are concluded satisfactorily.
• Analysing and gathering insight from HR data, surveys and other feedback to monitor and report on KPIs, to diagnose issues/trends/concerns, ensuring that mitigations/plans are in place and escalating as necessary.
• Creating and delivering HR programmes to embed initiatives, support cultural and behavioural change and deliver transformation projects of varying scope. Providing MI on projects/initiatives, giving the appropriate risk assurance to stakeholders.
• Supporting the local delivery of a range of UKRI HR projects and programmes, ensuring that initiatives are prioritized and delivered with impact and pace, follow recognized portfolio, programme and project management methods, consider all people implications, opportunities and risks, and deliver agreed people benefits.
• Line Management responsibilities for one or more team members.

Personal Specification

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).

• CIPD membership and/or University Degree or equivalent relevant professional experience (S)
• In depth knowledge and experience of successfully leading in a variety of HR roles in complex organisational environments/specialist workforces (including demonstrable organisational development experience) (I)
• Experience in developing local people focused interventions (set within an overarching HR strategy and frameworks) that support performance management, talent, leadership and capability development, workforce planning, recruitment, behaviour and culture change. (S&I)
• Demonstrable collaboration skills, and experience of influencing stakeholders and decision makers (S&I)
• Experience in using data and analytics to bring new insight, demonstrate impact and return on investment. (I)
• Strong influencing and communication skills with experience of empowering diverse teams to drive change, engagement and capability development, inclusion and diversity. (S&I)
• Experience of managing and prioritising multiple change management and project management workstreams (S&I)
• Experience of leading and developing individuals and small teams (S&I)

A list of benefits below:

• 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent).
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities.
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice.
• Flexible working options.

Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!

For further information on our benefits please see:

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact [e-mail] .

About Us

UKRI - UK Research and Innovation

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org .

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI .

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all applicants with a disability who opt into the disability confident scheme and meet the minimum criteria for the role. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.