Senior HR Business Partner (Grade M1)

Senior HR Business Partner (Grade M1)

Application Deadline: 5 July 2026

Department: Corporate Services

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Edinburgh - Hybrid

Compensation: Grade M1 £66,924 - £78,930. Civil Service Pension with Employer Contribution of 28.97%. Flexible Working Hours. Hybrid Working.

Our ambition is for Scotland to be the best place in the world to learn, educate, research and innovate, so that all of our nation can flourish.

Our purpose is to create and sustain a world-leading system of tertiary education, research and innovation that changes lives for the better, enriches society and supports sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

The purpose of the role is to lead the design, implementation and ongoing delivery of a modern HR business partnering and advisory model and support organisational change and transformation across our Directorate teams.

The postholder will play a significant role as we evolve our HR service to support significant transformation, including the TUPE transfer of a large group of employees from Skills Development Scotland in April 2027 as part of the public services reform agenda. This is an exciting time to join the organisation as an HR professional and play an important role in shaping the future design, ways of working and culture of the new organisation.

Virtual interviews will take place on 13 July (via teams).

Key Responsibilities

1. Reporting to the Deputy Director, lead the design, implementation and ongoing delivery of a modern HR business partnering and advisory model aligned to SFC's corporate strategy, values and objectives.
2. Lead the HR business partnering team to provide a service of trusted support to Directors, senior leaders and managers: offering expert and evidence-based advice support and guidance on all aspects of people management, organisational development, performance and workforce planning.
3. Lead the HR business partnering team to provide professional advice as required on employee relations matters, fostering a positive and inclusive work environment, taking account of advice and support from other HR team leads where appropriate, and ensuring consistency with SFC's established policies and legal obligations.
4. Partner with Directors and their leadership teams to drive and support systemic organisational change initiatives, in collaboration with colleagues from within the People & Transformation team and the wider Corporate Services directorate. This includes collaborating to identify talent needs, develop succession plans, and implement effective recruitment practice, workforce planning, retention, and development approaches within their business areas.
5. Build effective working relationships across the organisation, representing SFC's interests and values in all interactions.
6. Role-model an adaptable approach to prioritisation to enable delivery and to support individuals and teams to find solutions in the context of shifting needs and demands.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

It is important through your CV / Cover Letter that you give evidence of proven experience of each of the following essential criteria:

ESSENTIAL SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Proven track record of effective delivery in a senior HR business partner role, ideally within the public sector or an organisation going through significant change.
• Demonstrable track record of designing and implementing HR business partnering models.
• Good working knowledge and understanding of employment law, HR best practice, and current trends in people management.
• Experience of leading HR teams in the context of organisational change with a proactive, solutions-oriented and innovative approach. Partnering and seeking the involvement of others and maintaining effective communications.
• Commitment to role-model the organisation's values and foster an environment which supports inclusion and belonging. Working cohesively and collaboratively with senior leaders and their teams to do the same.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility at all levels of the organisation.
• Ability to take an analytical approach, with experience in using data and management information to inform decisions and measure success.
• Relevant professional body qualification (e.g. Chartered membership of CIPD) or equivalent relevant experience.

Terms and Benefits

• Normal full-time hours of work are 35 per week. We will consider flexible working arrangements. A flexi-time system is in operation.
• Annual leave entitlement of 30 days pro-rata, plus public and privilege holiday entitlement of 13 days pro-rata.
• A flexible approach to hybrid working, giving you flexibility to work from home anywhere in the UK for some of the time while also maintaining regular in-person contact with colleagues.
• Annual pay review: approved within the framework of the Scottish Government's Public Sector Pay Policy and negotiated with our recognised trade union, Unite. Salaries are reviewed annually in April for employees who commence employment prior to 1 October in the preceding year.
• Eligibility to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme. With its low member contribution rates and generous employer contributions, this gives you a secure, inflation-proof pension for life with no investment uncertainty. Details of contribution rates together with further details of the pension benefits are available on the Civil Service Pensions website. There is also the option of a Partnership pension account.
• Support for continuous professional development: as a part of SFC, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive support for continuous learning and professional development. Civil Service-Learning curriculum has thoughtfully designed to cater to various learning preferences, allowing employees to engage in a manner that best suits their needs. All our educational resources are conveniently accessible through the CSL website.
• Support for health and wellbeing, including generous occupational sick pay, free access to confidential advice and support through our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, Special Leave (paid and unpaid), a contribution to learning outside work through our Lifelong Learning Fund, free winter flu vaccination, and access to occupational health support.
• We provide support to SFC employees with Volunteering Days.
• Support for travel to and from work, including a salary sacrifice cycle loan scheme, cycle storage and shower facilities, an interest free loan for bus or rail season tickets and free office car parking for employees on a first-come basis.
• Although most salaried roles are advertised as full time positions (35 hours a week), we are happy to discuss part-time or compressed hours to suit a candidates circumstances. We also operate a flexible working scheme to work around a candidate's other commitments such as caring responsibilities. We will consider secondment applications for most salaried fixed term or temporary positions and in many cases also for salaried permanent positions. If you are interested in applying on a secondment basis and this option is not explicitly mentioned in the job advert, please contact for further information.