People Business Partner

Are you looking for a role where you can help shape something new, make a visible difference and work alongside people who care deeply about their place? If so, HSCCA could be a brilliant next step. We are building a new Combined County Authority for Hampshire and the Solent, bringing together partners across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton to bring investment to the region and to create opportunities for our people, places, communities and businesses.

The Role

People and culture are not a back-office function at HSCCA - they are central to how we build and sustain an organisation that works. Our Head of People and OD holds responsibility for leading the design and delivery of the people strategy across the organisation, and this role exists to extend that capacity at a critical point in our development. We are a team of one, still establishing the foundations of how we operate as an employer, and the People Business Partner will make a direct and visible contribution to that work.

What you’ll be doing

In this role, you’ll play a crucial part in ensuring our teams have the tools, knowledge, and processes they need to deliver a high-quality service. You will:

• Lead and deliver people projects - taking ownership of discrete projects drawn from our People Strategy, which may span onboarding, manager capability, ways of working, learning and development, performance management, reward, or other emerging priorities.
• Support organisational change - providing direct, hands-on support on TUPE processes and associated change activity, including consultation requirements, information obligations, data preparation, and the practical coordination of transfer activity.
• Develop and embed policy and process - contributing to the development, review, and implementation of people policies and procedures, ensuring they are legally compliant, clearly written, and designed to work in practice across the organisation.
• Apply an active EDI lens - embedding equitable and inclusive practice across all aspects of your work, from how cases are handled to how policies are written and how projects are designed.
• Manage ER cases - taking ownership of employee relations cases including grievances, disciplinaries, capability, and absence, providing sound and legally grounded advice to managers throughout, and maintaining accurate and thorough records at every stage.
• Coach and advise managers - providing day-to-day guidance to managers across a wide range of people matters, helping them to build confidence and capability.
• Monitor and apply employment law and best practice - proactively tracking developments employment law and HR practice, understanding their potential impact (inc. ERA25), and identifying where policies, processes, or approaches may need to change as a result.

What you’ll bring?

We’re looking for someone with:

• A solid and demonstrable track record as an experienced HR professional - whether as a senior HR/People Adviser or Business Partner - with the ability to work independently across a broad range of people matters, manage complexity, and provide confident, practical advice without close supervision.
• CIPD Level 5 qualification or membership (minimum), or demonstrable equivalent experience.
• Sound, practical knowledge of employment law and its application in real situations, including direct experience managing complex employee relations cases - grievance, disciplinary, capability, and absence - from start to conclusion.
• Experience of TUPE, including involvement in transfer planning, consultation, and the practical coordination of transfer activity. You do not need to have led a process independently, but you must have been closely enough involved to understand the requirements and advise with real confidence.
• Experience contributing to the development, review, or implementation of people policies and procedures, with an understanding of how to make policy usable, consistent, and practically applied.
• The ability to take ownership of and deliver discrete pieces of project work - managing your own priorities, keeping things moving, and communicating effectively about progress and outcomes.
• A genuine commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and the ability to apply an EDI lens consistently as a natural part of how you work - not as an add-on.

Why join the HSCCA?

We are building the HSCCA on the basis that how we work is as important as what we deliver. We want people who bring enthusiasm, drive, and authenticity - who are proactive, open to challenge, and motivated by progress rather than process. We value collaborative leadership: the ability to bring people together across organisational boundaries, respect the expertise of others, and create shared direction without needing to own everything.

We act in line with the Nolan Principles. We use public money responsibly, make evidence-based decisions, and hold ourselves to high standards of integrity, inclusion, and accessibility. We expect feedback to be given and received constructively, challenge to be welcomed, and relationships to be built on openness, trust, and mutual respect.

This is a complex, fast-moving environment. We need people who are energised by that.

What the HSCCA will offer in return?

As we take on new responsibilities devolved from Government, you will have a genuine opportunity to contribute to building a public service organisation that does things differently.

Our reward package includes:

• A flexible working environment, with hybrid working arrangements as standard (minimum 2 days per week in our office)
• A competitive salary and benefits package
• Investment in your professional development and leadership growth
• The chance to work alongside a leadership team that is committed to building an organisation where people thrive
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme

The HSCCA is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone feels valued and able to thrive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences, particularly those from groups that are currently underrepresented in our workforce. This includes people from ethnic minority communities, disabled people, neurodivergent people, LGBTQ+ people, parents and carers, and individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds. We are committed to removing barriers to employment and encourage candidates to let us know about any reasonable adjustments they may need at any stage of the recruitment process.

Selection process

Your application will progress through the following stages:

• Application Review

Your CV and supporting documents will be reviewed by Reed Recruitment against the essential criteria outlined in the Skills & Experience section of this advert.

Please ensure your CV clearly demonstrates how you meet the required criteria in order to be considered.

• Telephone Interview

If shortlisted, you will be invited to an initial telephone interview. During this stage, you will be assessed against the Skills & Experience criteria and your overall suitability for the position.

• Face-to-face Interview

If shortlisted, you will be invited to a face-to-face interview. During this stage, you will be assessed against the Skills & Experience criteria and your overall suitability for the position.

This is the final stage of the selection process and will determine the outcome of your application.

• Feedback

Feedback will be provided following the final face-to-face interview stage.

Please note that feedback is only available to candidates who attend the final stage interview stage. Successful candidates will then be considered for an offer.

Further information

As a Disability Confident Committed employer, we run a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants. If you meet the essential criteria listed in the job description for this position and would like to be considered under this scheme, please state this in your application.

All data collected is anonymous and has zero bearing on your application. If there is anything we can do to accommodate your specific situation, please let the recruitment team know.

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. As part of this, we use anonymous shortlisting to ensure candidates are assessed solely on their skills, experience, and suitability for the role.

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