Head of People Partnering (Strategic Projects and Transformation)

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 11 January 2026

We are seeking an experienced and strategic People Services professional to take on the role of Head of People Partnering, Strategic Projects and Transformation within People Services.

This new and pivotal position will play a key leadership role in shaping and driving the people agenda linked to the University’s strategic transformation programme. Working on behalf of the Director of People Partnering, you will ensure that the people dimensions of transformation are clearly defined, effectively resourced, and successfully delivered across both Professional Services and Faculties.

You will lead on the design and implementation of a governance framework for the People Services Leadership Team and facilitate an internal People Services delivery structure to ensure alignment and readiness to deliver high-impact change. The role will act as a central coordination point across People Services and be the conduit into the appropriate Transformation Programme  Workstreams, ensuring consistent oversight, strong stakeholder engagement, and alignment of people activities with the University’s strategic priorities. Alongside the project and transformation work, you will provide aspects of business partnering activity.

We are looking for an experienced and strategic HR professional with a proven track record of leading people-focused transformation in complex organisations. You will combine strong organisational design, project management, and stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to align people and culture initiatives to institutional goals and values.

You will be collaborative and solutions-focused, bringing credibility, sound judgement, and resilience to your work. You will be comfortable operating across multiple workstreams, influencing senior stakeholders, and ensuring the people dimension of change is delivered with clarity, integrity, and impact.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in shaping how People Services supports and enables the University’s transformation agenda. You will work at the heart of a collaborative and forward-looking People Partnering team, contributing directly to the creation of a modern, inclusive, and high-performing organisational culture.

To apply, please submit a covering letter (maximum two A4 pages) outlining your interest in the role and how your experience aligns with the key responsibilities and person specification along with your CV

For an informal discussion, please contact Paula Dodd, Director of People Partnering, paula.dodd@newcastle.ac.uk

Interviews will be held on 30 January 2026

Role Purpose

To lead strategic people initiatives across a designated Faculty or Professional Services area, enabling the University to achieve its vision of placing people at the heart of its operations. The role drives cultural transformation, enhances organisational effectiveness, and ensures the delivery of high-impact people services aligned with institutional goals.

Key Accountabilities

1. Strategic People Leadership
•    Provision of advice and guidance on effective people practices needed to achieve our strategic objectives, resulting in measurable improvements in engagement, retention, and performance.
•    Lead workforce planning initiatives that contribute to our people plans, focusing on recruitment, succession planning, engagement, leadership development, reward and retention.
•    Influence and shape organisational culture through targeted solutions and best practices that increase inclusivity, collaboration, and innovation.

2. Operational Excellence
•    Establish and maintain a high-performing, customer-centric People Services function that consistently meets service level expectations and stakeholder satisfaction benchmarks.
•    Resolve complex employee relations cases with outcomes that uphold University values, mitigate risk, and support a positive working environment.
•    Provide actionable insights through high-quality people data that inform strategic decisions and improve organisational outcomes.

3. Transformation and Change Enablement
•    Successfully lead and support organisational change initiatives (e.g., restructures, TUPE, redeployment) ensuring business continuity, operational efficiency and high stakeholder confidence.
•    Lead on the people elements of projects that deliver strategic value and organisational transformation
•    Partner with OD colleagues to implement development programs and initiatives that result in improved team effectiveness and leadership capability.

4. Stakeholder Impact
•    Build trusted relationships with senior leaders, evidenced by regular engagement and collaborative decision-making on people-related matters.
•    Coach and advise managers to improve employee engagement and performance, resulting in measurable improvements in team climate and productivity.
•    Lead negotiations with trade unions that result in mutually beneficial outcomes and maintain constructive industrial relations.

5. Team Leadership
•    Develop and lead a high-performing local People Services team, with clear performance goals and development plans that result in increased capability and engagement.
•    Work collaboratively with other Heads of People Partnering to embed University strategic projects or policy initiatives in the respective Faculty or Professional Services Hub.

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

•    Proven experience of delivering strong People Services (HR) expertise, including driving change;
•    Significant experience of contribution to strategy development;
•    Experience in change management practices and leading on the people elements of organisational transformation.
•    In-depth knowledge of employment law;
•    Strong project management skills.
•    Proven experience of working with a range of senior managers to resolve complex and contentious people issues;
•    Effective communication skills across a diverse audience;
•    Highly developed negotiating and influencing skills;
•    Ability to manipulate and interpret complex data to support business decisions;
•    Ability to build robust and productive working relationships and demonstrate a high level of personal credibility at all levels within the organisation;
•    Ability to lead and develop a team with a focus on continuous improvement;
•    People Services (HR) experience in the HE sector (Desirable).
•    Ability to operate across a variety of areas of the organisation as required.

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Highly proactive nature with a solutions and goal oriented mind-set;
•    Strong interpersonal leadership skills with the ability to coach and mentor effectively;
•    Promotes and actively drives change within own area and across the organisation;
•    High drive and initiative, able to demonstrate professional resilience;
•    Exceptional interpersonal, communication and influencing/negotiating skills;
•    Strong track record desire in working collaboratively with colleagues, at all levels, across the organisation;
•    Ability to influencing and persuade to gain support;
•    Promotes inclusivity, diversity and equality at all times;
•    Creative, solution orientated approach to issue resolution;
•    Resilience and sensitivity when dealing with colleagues.

Qualifications

•    Chartered Member of CIPD (MCIPD)

Details of key areas of responsibility attached here

Internal colleagues interested in the role should apply through the internal application system.

Please note external applications for this position should be made via Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment, therefore external applicants please do not click on "Apply Now" below

External applicants - to find out more about this exciting opportunity, and to apply, please contact our retained Search Partners Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment. Melanie Bolton at Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment melanie@sullivanbrown.co.uk

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 28832