Senior Principal HR Business Partner

Senior Principal HR Business Partner

Midlands Local Authority

Location: Hybrid Working - 2 days per week onsite

Duration: 3 months initially, with likely extensions

Rate: £500-600p/d Umbrella Inside IR35

A large and complex local authority is seeking an experienced Senior Principal HR Business Partner to provide strategic HR leadership across the organisation.

This is a senior-level position with direct management responsibility for three Senior HR Business Partners, each supporting key directorates across the council, including Children's & Families, Adult Social Care, Resources, the CEO's Office and Public Health.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic HR business partnering support to senior leaders and directorates across the council
• Lead, manage and develop a team of Senior HR Business Partners, ensuring a high-performing and customer-focused HR service
• Act as the lead adviser on complex employee relations matters, including high-risk cases, organisational change and employment tribunal activity
• Support the delivery of workforce transformation initiatives, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities
• Lead the development and implementation of the council's MAR Scheme, taking ownership of its design, governance and ongoing operation
• Build strong relationships with directors, heads of service and elected members, influencing decision-making and driving organisational performance

Essential Requirements

• Ideally CIPD level 7
• Significant experience operating at a senior HR leadership level within a large and complex organisation
• Strong people management experience, with a proven track record of leading and developing senior HR professionals
• Extensive employee relations expertise, including management of complex cases and employment tribunals
• Previous Local Government experience is essential
• Experience supporting organisations of similar scale and complexity, ideally with workforces of several thousand employees
• Ability to operate strategically while providing hands-on support where required

This is an excellent opportunity for a senior local government HR professional to make a significant impact within a large council environment, leading a high-profile HR function through key workforce initiatives and complex organisational challenges.