Senior HR Business Partner (North)

Make a Difference Every Day We are recruiting for ato join our team! At IHCM we are looking to recruit a Senior HR Business Partner (North) to join our team. The purpose of this role is to provide strategic and operational HR leadership across the North Region, shaping a high-performing workforce and driving exceptional people outcomes. Reporting to the Head (Director) of HR, the postholder will ensure the consistent delivery of HR services, champion workforce excellence, and translate Group HR priorities into meaningful regional action. Working with a high degree of autonomy within the Group HR framework, the role will lead complex employee relations, drive workforce planning, strengthen leadership and manager capability, spearhead recruitment across the North, and deliver key strategic initiatives that support organisational growth and transformation. Through a close operational partnership with the North Regional Director, supported by a dotted-line reporting relationship, this role will play a pivotal part in influencing regional performance, embedding best practice, and ensuring the organisation attracts, develops, and retains the talent needed to achieve its ambitions. Our Core Values - THRIVE Together We work as one team. We support each other and the people we care for. Hope We believe things can improve. We help people feel positive, supported, and valued. Respect We treat everyone with kindness and fairness. We listen and value every individual. Innovative We are open to new ideas. We look for better ways to do things. Values-led We do what is right. Our values guide our choices every day. Excellence We strive to do our very best. We deliver high-quality care and continuously improve. Regional HR leadership and delivery • Take accountability for the quality, consistency and timeliness of operational HR delivery across the North Region. • Act as the senior HR partner to the North Regional Director and operational leaders, providing constructive challenge, sound advice and practical solutions. • Translate Group HR strategy, policy and workforce priorities into clear regional plans, measures and actions. • Prioritise HR activity according to workforce risk, service need, regulatory requirements and business impact. Regional HR leadership and delivery • Take accountability for the quality, consistency and timeliness of operational HR delivery across the North Region. • Act as the senior HR partner to the North Regional Director and operational leaders, providing constructive challenge, sound advice and practical solutions. • Translate Group HR strategy, policy and workforce priorities into clear regional plans, measures and actions. • Prioritise HR activity according to workforce risk, service need, regulatory requirements and business impact. Employee relations and organisational risk • Lead and oversee North Region ER casework, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence, probation, restructuring and change matters. • Personally manage complex regional cases within delegated authority, ensuring matters progress promptly, fairly and with clear records and outcomes. • Coach managers to address issues early and manage cases confidently and consistently in line with policy and employment law. • Identify themes and repeat risks, implement preventative action and escalate legally complex, strategically significant, high-risk or precedent setting matters to the Head of HR. Workforce planning, recruitment and retention • Lead regional workforce planning using establishment, vacancy, turnover, agency, skills and absence data to identify current and future needs. • Own North recruitment priorities and workforce outcomes, working with operational leaders to agree vacancy plans and timely hiring decisions. • Work in partnership with the Recruitment Partner, who remains accountable for Group recruitment processes, systems, candidate pipelines, administration, reporting and SLAs for North activity. • Support succession planning, talent identification and hard-to-fill role strategies across the region. Manager capability and workforce development • Build the people-management capability of regional and service leaders through coaching, guidance, workshops and targeted interventions. • Promote early management ownership of people matters and reduce unnecessary dependency on HR for routine decisions. Workforce information, systems and performance • Provide accurate and insightful North workforce reporting, highlighting trends, risks, progress and required decisions. • Maintain strong data quality and ensure managers complete required workforce submissions and actions within agreed timescales. • Measure improvement in vacancies, agency use, turnover, absence, ER case duration and compliance. Governance, compliance and wider contribution • Ensure regional HR practice complies with Group policy, employment law, safer recruitment expectations and relevant regulatory standards. • Support audit readiness and timely completion of actions arising from compliance reviews and operational assurance activity. • Work with the Sponsorship Lead on operational sponsored-workforce matters. • Recognise and escalate safeguarding, whistleblowing, discrimination, regulatory and reputational concerns through the appropriate route. • Contribute to Group-wide HR projects and delegated strategic workstreams. • Provide cross-regional support and deputise for the Head of HR on specifically agreed matters when required, within delegated authority. Decision-making and escalation The post holder is expected to make timely operational HR decisions within delegated authority. Matters must be escalated where they are legally complex, strategically significant, high risk, precedent-setting, outside policy or delegated authority, or may have material financial, regulatory or reputational impact. Person Specification • CIPD Level 5 qualification, equivalent professional HR qualification, or substantial senior HR experience at an equivalent level. • Up to date knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.