Head of Human Resources (HR) Partnering and Digitalisation


Company:	NHS Jobs
Salary:	£66,582 to £77,368 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Preston, PR1 8XJ
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	8 Oct 2026
Closing date:	25 Oct 2026

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Summary

Provide senior leadership to the HR Partnering and Digital Services portfolio, setting direction, standards and priorities across HR advisory, employee relations and digital service development. Support the Head of Workforce Design and Organisational Development, in collaboration with partners, in the development and delivery of inclusive staff health and wellbeing plans and initiatives, including employee support schemes. Translate organisational strategy into strategic and operational People plans for the portfolio, including workforce capability building, digital service development and contribution to wellbeing initiatives led through the Head of Workforce Design and Organisational Development, and adjust plans in response to organisational priorities, risk and service demand. Provide authoritative advice and assurance to senior leaders on highly complex workforce, organisational development, capacity and employment matters, including wellbeing-related workforce considerations where these interface with the roles portfolio, and cases where there are conflicting options, significant organisational risk or no clear precedent. Lead and chair relevant internal People governance meetings and working groups, producing clear decisions, actions and follow-through; communicate highly complex and sensitive information to senior stakeholders, managers and staff. Establish and maintain performance reporting across the People & OD portfolio, including KPIs, dashboards, deep dives and exception reporting. Identify and manage risks and issues (including employee relations risk, change risk and capacity risk), ensuring mitigation plans and escalation routes are effective. Provide assurance on the quality and consistency of advice, case management, documentation and decision-making across advisory/employee relations activity; ensure the effective operation, integrity, development and use of workforce information, reporting and associated systems within the portfolio. Establish, communicate and monitor clear expectations for case progression, documentation quality, review points, escalation routes and decision-making thresholds across advisory/employee relations activity, intervening where standards, timeliness or consistency are not being met. Use workforce and case data, including themes, timeliness, outcomes and variation, to identify service risks and inefficiencies, support assurance to senior leaders, and drive targeted improvement activity across the portfolio. Lead the People contribution to organisational change programmes (e.g., restructures, consultation activity, transition planning), ensuring robust processes and positive colleague experience. Provide senior oversight of consultation, staff-side engagement, equality considerations and workforce risk management in complex organisational change and transformation activity, ensuring fair, transparent and legally compliant processes. Support the Head of Workforce Design and Organisational Development in delivering wellbeing strategies that improve attendance, support colleagues to remain well at work, and align with wider workforce priorities. Work with the Head of Workforce Design and Organisational Development, Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB health and wellbeing champions and wider partners to identify, adopt and share best practice, and to review the effectiveness of wellbeing and employee assistance provision. Drive continuous improvement of People operating processes, customer experience and service standards; evaluate the impact and sustainability of interventions and adjust delivery accordingly. Ensure compliance with employment law, NHS terms and conditions and organisational policies, supporting fair, consistent and timely decision making. Oversee the development, review and implementation of People policies and frameworks within the portfolio, ensuring alignment to national guidance and robust governance for high-risk decisions and programmes, and contributing to policy and practice development with impact beyond the immediate service area where required. Ensure adherence to data protection, confidentiality and information governance requirements for workforce and employee relations information. Provide governance and assurance over key employment controls within the portfolio, including the fair and lawful application of employment checks, fixed-term arrangements, right to work requirements and other high-risk people processes, escalating themes and risks appropriately. Lead effective resource planning for the People service, ensuring capacity is aligned to demand and organisational priorities. Manage delegated pay and non-pay budgets for the portfolio, ensuring effective budgetary control, forecasting, value for money, delivery within agreed limits, and contribution to wider financial planning and sustainability. Identify and deliver productivity and value opportunities, contributing to corporate financial sustainability and workforce efficiency. Line manage senior staff within the portfolio, setting clear objectives, providing supervision, developing capability and ensuring high standards of practice. Lead a culture of accountability, inclusion, continuous improvement and compassionate leadership across the People team(s). Support workforce planning, talent development and succession planning for People roles in conjunction with other parts of the People team.

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