Senior HR Business Partner

South East England, South West England

Job Summary
DWP is looking to recruit a Senior HR Business Partner (SHRBP) in Strategic People Partnering Services (SPPS).

SPPS are a team of around 300 dedicated HR professionals, working across a wide range of directorates which include Policy and Professional Services, Jobs & Careers Service, Services & Fraud, People & Capability, Corporate Transformation, Digital and Transformation and Strategic Finance. As you can imagine, this is a very broad and dynamic portfolio with over 85,000 employees and the People and Capability Group is placed at the heart of shaping and driving the people agenda across the department.

Senior HR Business Partners play a pivotal role within People and Capability (PandC), acting as trusted advisors and strategic partners to senior leaders across DWP. They drive organisational transformation, champion the people agenda, and enable evidence-based decision-making to deliver exceptional outcomes for colleagues and customers.

This role partners directly with the Area Director for Southern England, Jobs and Careers Service, and leads a team of up to six HR Business Partners, fostering a high-performing, inclusive culture.

Job Description
Key Purpose
SHRBPs ensure alignment between PandC and DWP's organisational objectives, delivering positive current and future business outcomes in line with best practice, policy, and legal frameworks. They provide strategic consultancy, constructive challenge, and innovative solutions to shape workforce strategies and enable transformation.

*Core Responsibilities:*

• Strategic Partnering: Build trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders, influencing decisions and shaping organisational direction.
• Organisational Insight: Use data, analytics, and business intelligence to identify key people issues and drive evidence-based solutions.
• Change Leadership: Assess and manage the impact of change on capability, leadership, culture, and systems—ensuring readiness and resilience.
• Workforce Strategy: Steer organisational workforce planning and talent strategies using robust insight and metrics.
• Transformation Delivery: Lead and embed change initiatives, demonstrating measurable impact on performance and outcomes.
• Team Leadership: Develop and empower a diverse team of HR Business Partners to deliver at pace and achieve shared goals.
• Role Modelling: Act as a visible, confident, and inspiring leader, championing DWP values and behaviours.

*What We're Looking For:*

• Extensive HR Business Partnering experience in complex organisations.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and drive organisational change.
• Strong analytical capability with experience in using data to inform decisions.
• Exceptional leadership skills with a track record of building high-performing teams.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery under pressure.

If you have extensive HR Business Partnering knowledge and experience and you are eager to broaden your experience in a large and complex organisation, this is the perfect opportunity for you

Key Purpose
SHRBPs ensure alignment between PandC and DWP's organisational objectives, delivering positive current and future business outcomes in line with best practice, policy, and legal frameworks. They provide strategic consultancy, constructive challenge, and innovative solutions to shape workforce strategies and enable transformation.

*What We're Looking For:*

• Extensive HR Business Partnering experience in complex organisations.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and drive organisational change.
• Strong analytical capability with experience in using data to inform decisions.
• Exceptional leadership skills with a track record of building high-performing teams.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery under pressure.

If you have extensive HR Business Partnering knowledge and experience and you are eager to broaden your experience in a large and complex organisation, this is the perfect opportunity for you

Person specification

*Key Criteria For The Role:*

• Leadership: Proven track record of being a recognised HR leader, driving high performance and maintaining flexibility and resilience in complex business environments to maximise the impact and value of people-related workstreams.
• Stakeholder Management: Significant HR Business Partnering experience of building strong, trust-based relationships with a range of diverse and demanding senior stakeholders in relation to people management issues in an environment of substantial organisational change.
• Driving Change and Transformation: An ability to develop and implement strategic people-related change initiatives, understanding the people impacts of change and evidencing its positive impact on the business through the analysis of appropriate business and people metrics and insights.
• Effective Communication: Strong communication skills to engage and influence senior officials, acting as a coach and trusted confidante, successfully implementing people interventions and changes in complex business areas.
• Fast-Paced Environment: An ability to quickly gain an understanding of the client business, identify people issues in a proactive way and communicate confidently and persuasively about solutions in the language of the business, constructively challenging and providing appropriate feedback with tenacity and ethical integrity.
• Professional: Displays personal credibility in your commitment to developing as a HR Business Partner, inspiring other to invest in their own personal and professional development.

*Qualifications:*

• You must have achieved CIPD Chartered membership or be willing to work towards this upon commencement of your role

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Driving Change and Transformation
• Stakeholder Management
• Fast Paced

Alongside your salary of £75,026, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £21,735 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year's continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women's Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the following actions:

*Written Sift:*
The written sift will be conducted using evidence from your responses to the following Technical Skill based key questions which should be answered within 250 words each:

Q1. Leadership:
Describe a situation where you led a HR Business Partnering team within a complex organisation to deliver a significant people-related outcome. Explain the context, your leadership approach, and the impact of your actions on organisational performance.
(Lead Question)
Q2. Driving Change and Transformation:
Describe a time when you led a strategic people-related change initiative within a complex organisation. How did you develop and implement the change, ensure understanding of its people impacts, and demonstrate its positive effect on the business using relevant metrics and insights.

Q3. Stakeholder Management:
Provide an example of how you built and maintained strong, trust-based relationships with diverse and demanding senior stakeholders. How did you influence decisions on complex people related issues and ensure alignment with business priorities?

Q4. Fast Paced:
Describe a time when you operated in a fast-paced environment and quickly gained an understanding of the client's business. How did you identify people issues proactively, communicate solutions confidently in the language of the business, and constructively challenge while maintaining ethical integrity? What was the outcome?

It may help to use the WHO or STAR model to explain: What the task/work was, How you approached the task/work/situation and what the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? Or What was the Situation? What were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions?

In The Event Of a Large Number Of Applications, An Initial Sift Will Be Carried Out On Responses To The Lead Question:

"Q1. Leadership: Describe a situation where you led a HR Business Partnering team within a complex organisation to deliver a significant people-related outcome. Explain the context, your leadership approach, and the impact of your actions on organisational performance. (Lead Question)"
Candidates who pass the initial Sift may be progressed to a full Sift or direct to interview.

If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

*CV:*
A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. The CV is an on-line tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobsite and there is no requirement to upload your personal CV. Our CV element is short and allows an initial check of eligibility but is not scored so please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your responses to the four Technical Skills based questions.

*Interview:*
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview in person lasting up to 60 minutes and this will be conducted face to face in London (Caxton House, SW1V 9NA). The interview panel will be a minimum of two people.

The interview will assess Behaviours and Strengths. During the first 5 minutes of your interview, you will be asked to deliver a presentation. Please note that visual aids will not be permitted. Further information about the presentation element will be shared with shortlisted candidates prior to interview.

*Hybrid Working:*
This role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. If a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for the role and for you, you will normally be required to spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted working hours from your DWP office. If you have a disability, caring responsibilities, or other circumstances that may affect your ability to meet the minimum office attendance requirement, please discuss this with us using the contact details in this advert.

Locations:
The roles available will be based in various sites geographically across the South East and South West, aligned with the Strategic People Partnering Services (SPPS) locations. Some travel to other locations may be necessary for the roles.

You May Be Placed On a Reserve List If Your Application Is Successful But We Cannot Immediately Offer You a Post, Please Note:

• If you are offered the role you applied for, in a location you have expressed a preference for, and you decline the offer or are unable to take up post within a reasonable time frame you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances*.
• If DWP makes an offer of an alternative role or location to that which you originally applied for, and you decline that offer, you will be able to remain on the reserve list.
• Note - Exceptional circumstances could be when a candidate has requested a contractual Part Time Working Pattern, and this pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered or in cases of serious ill health.

Important Information – Visa Sponsorship
For these vacancies, we strongly recommend that applicants consult with an immigration specialist or qualified advisor to assess their eligibility for Visa Sponsorship before deciding to apply. Please note that while we consider sponsorship requests in accordance with current DWP guidance and Home Office policy, sponsorship cannot be guaranteed.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information
At the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.

Find out more about working for DWP on the DWP Careers Hub.

Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

If you are placed on a reserve list but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note:

• If you are later offered the role you applied for, in a location you have expressed a preference for, and you decline the offer or are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances (e.g. a contractual Part Time Working Pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered or in cases of serious ill health).
• If DWP makes an offer of an alternative role or location to that which you originally applied for, and you decline that offer, you will be able to remain on the reserve list.

Disability Confident Scheme
If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.

Reasonable Adjustments
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact the Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the "Reasonable Adjustments" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Integrity, plagiarism, Civil Service Principles and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles.

Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words.

Examples Of Plagiarism Can Include:

• Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own
• Copying content or answers from an online or published source that is not your own

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Disclosure and Barring Service and Internal Fraud Database Checks
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre- stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check will be carried out.

Important
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. If you are a current employee and are successful you must be able to be released from your current post within four weeks.

Those on protected TUPE/ COSoP terms and conditions applying on promotion or voluntary permanent level move will adopt DWP's Terms and Conditions and this may have a different impact on pay and allowances. Please review this prior to acceptance of a role.

Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing. Accepting a post will be taken to mean acceptance of revised terms & conditions.

Civil Servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or within 10% of existing salary.

Any move to DWP from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may, however, be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at the Childcare Choices Website.

Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact :

• Name : Lorraine Mcguirk
• Email : LORRAINE..GOV.UK

Recruitment team

• Email :

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DWP by email: HR..GOV.UK.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Click here to visit the Civil Service Commission.