HR People Partner

Job title: HR People Partner – Maternity Cover

Grade: G

Salary: £44,075 to £47,181 per annum (rising by annual increments to £47,181) More information on salaries and progression can be found on our pay and policies page.

Hours: Full time - 37 hours per week

Location: The service encourages flexible working and is open to flexible working options. The role will be based at either Dorchester Support Offices, Poundbury or Salisbury with the flexibility to work from home / DWFRS Stations / Support Offices and we would welcome a conversation with the successful candidate on what type of flexible working arrangement will work best for you.

Travel:The role has a significant travel requirement across the Service, in particular to Christchurch, Springbourne, Ferndown, Verwood, Poole, Hamworthy, Swanage and Wareham.

Appointment type: Temporary – up to 18 month fixed term contract (or until return of substantive postholder) – maternity cover

Contact: For a chat about this post, please contact Adele Smyth, Senior HR People Partner on or

Closing and Interview date: The closing date for applications is Sunday 30 November 2025 at midnight. It is intended that interviews will take place on Thursday 11 December 2025. Should you be shortlisted for interview, further details regarding the interview format / location will be provided before the interview date.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, an organisation that is passionate about changing and saving lives. Our corporate staff are absolutely vital in helping to make our communities safer and healthier. Without them, we couldn't do it.

We offer a wide range of employee benefits and strive to ensure that staff are valued and rewarded. For example, we offer a flexi time scheme, Local Government Pension Scheme, a generous annual leave allowance, a variety of family friendly schemes including 39 weeks' full pay during maternity leave (subject to qualifying criteria) and health & well-being services.

As a HR People Partner in our Human Resources department you will:

• develop relationships with, and provide support to, managers within the Service ensuring best practice is implemented, working closely with them to deliver their objectives and to enable delivery of the business plan
• provide advice, support and guidance on employee relations issues such as conflict resolution, mediation, investigation, disciplinary, grievance, capability and attendance/sickness issues together with flexible working requests, maternity/paternity related matters, redundancy, job design and restructures to ensure a consistent and fair approach in each case
• ensure line managers can effectively apply HR policies and procedures, ensuring they are up to date, consistently applied and have an understanding of their importance
• support key stakeholders in all areas of leadership development, coaching, performance management and succession planning

What makes you our ideal HR People Partner?

• qualified member level of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (MCIPD) or able to demonstrate a significant level of graduate calibre experience at this level
• previous experience of working in a business partner role and providing HR support and advice on a wide range of employee relations and other HR matters to ensure added value in meeting business objectives
• up-to-date knowledge of employment legislation and experience of applying it and advising on best practice HR ensuring organisational risk is minimised
• ability to build and maintain strong, professional and credible working relationships at all levels within the organisation

For full details of the role and requirements please have a look at the job description and person specification.

Other information:

• you must have a full current driving licence and be able to fulfil the significant travel requirements of the role. Use of your own vehicle will be required; however, a Service vehicle may be available. Please note Service vehicles are manual transmission only. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, we would still welcome your application and will explore any reasonable adjustments that could be put in place
• the role involves some evening working to support operational staff at drill nights
• if you are applying for a secondment opportunity you will need to notify your substantive line manager of your intention to do so at the earliest opportunity
• a Standard Disclosure & Barring Service Check (DBS) clearance will be undertaken on the successful individual prior to offer of employment
• any offer of employment will be subject to full pre-employment checks which include identity checks, right to work in the UK, medical, negative drug test, receipt of satisfactory references, verification of employment history and an explanation of any gaps in employment in the last 3 years
• should a permanent position arise in the team during the period of your Fixed Term Contract, that is substantially similar to the role you are carrying out, you may be considered for the role in the first instance
• please click here for information relating to raising tax awareness and pension considerations when applying for a job.

To find out more and apply:

Our Candidate Charter outlines the commitments we make to you when applying for a vacancy with us.

Please note we do not accept CV's in place of application forms.

We welcome the use of AI responsibly and ethically to demonstrate your skills in your application, but please don't allow it to overshadow your own unique voice.

While we appreciate innovative approaches, we also value authenticity. Our assessment considers both the content of the application and how it was created, ensuring fairness and inclusivity for all applicants. At the end of the day – we want YOU to work for us

You should ensure you include satisfactory evidence in your application to demonstrate all of the areas stated as being measured at the Application Stage on the Person Specification. This will ensure you have the best opportunity of progressing to the next stage of the selection process.

We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities and welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. All applications will be treated on merit and staff involved in recruitment and selection processes undertake unconscious bias training.

We are committed to the Disability Confident Scheme and guarantee an interview to applicants with a disclosed disability if they meet the minimum criteria for the post to which they are applying. Please tell us in confidence if this applies to you, or if there are any reasonable adjustments that would help you apply for this post. To find out more, please see our website.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service's recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Adults, Children and Young People. All staff and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.

If you hold international qualifications, you will be required to provide official evidence that shows how these compare to UK Qualifications. We will accept a Statement of Comparability from a UK organisation called ENIC which can be obtained via their website. Please note that UK ENIC charge for this service, so if you request a Statement of Compatibility, you will be required to pay for it as we are unable to reimburse you.

For further guidance on how to complete your application, please refer to the Job Application Guidance Notes. If you are experiencing difficulties completing your application or have a need to complete your application in an alternative format due to a disability, please contact HR Resourcing on within plenty of time of the closing date of the position you are applying for.

Values and behaviours framework

Our recruitment, assessment and progression processes are based on our Code of Ethics that has been developed specifically for Fire and Rescue Services. When recruiting, we identify the most important behaviours for the role and these are used as part of the short-listing and selection process.