Job summary
Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Are you a strategic HR leader who wants to make a meaningful impact on patient care by shaping the future NHS workforce?
At Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, we are proud to serve our community and are committed to delivering Safe, Kind and Effective care. We are now seeking an experienced Senior Human Resources Business Partner Transformation to play a key role in delivering our Workforce Strategic Plan and supporting the Trust's transformation agenda.
About you
You will be a confident, credible HR professional with:o Extensive senior-level HR Business Partner experience in a complex organisationo Proven experience of leading workforce transformation and managing the people impacts of changeo Strong employee relations knowledge and sound professional judgemento Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skillso A data-literate, evidence-based approach to HRo CIPD Chartered Membership or equivalent postgraduate HR qualification
Experience of working within the NHS or a similarly complex, multi-professional environment is highly desirable.
If you are passionate about people, transformation and improving healthcare through effective workforce leadership, we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
About the role
This is a high-profile, influential post within the People Services Directorate. Working closely with senior leaders across the Trust, you will provide strategic, evidence-based HR advice and leadership, with a strong focus on workforce transformation, organisational change and service redesign.
You will:o Lead and support delivery of workforce transformation aligned to Trust prioritieso Act as a trusted HR partner to senior leaders and committeeso Drive implementation and monitoring of the Trust's Workforce Strategic Plano Use workforce intelligence, metrics and benchmarking to inform decision-making and improve performanceo Act as an internal consultant on workforce planning, organisational design and service transformationo Lead and support staff engagement initiatives that enable sustainable changeo Provide senior HR expertise on complex employee relations matters when requiredo Build strong internal and external partnerships across the wider health system
This role offers real scope to influence organisational direction and deliver tangible, lasting change.
Why work at the Countess?
We are a values-led organisation where people matter. Our culture is built on civility, respect and kindness, and we are committed to supporting the well-being, development and progression of our staff. You will be supported to operate at senior level and make a genuine difference.
About us
The Trust's services are provided from three locations: o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds. o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility. o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Degree level
- CIPD Chartered Membership or postgraduate HR qualification
- Relevant additional training, or equivalent experience, to master's level (or equivalent)
Desirable
- Master's Degree, or equivalent
- Evidence of formal change management qualification, e.g. PRINCE2
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Extensive senior-level HR Business Partner experience, providing proactive, evidence-based advice to senior leaders.
- Demonstrable experience of leading and delivering workforce transformation/change, including workforce planning, service redesign, workforce remodelling and managing the people impacts of change
- Strong working knowledge and practical experience of employee relations case management, including complex investigations and participation in formal hearings (e.g., disciplinary and grievance).
- Proven experience developing and implementing workforce/HR strategies and using HR metrics/MI, including reporting, analysis, KPI monitoring, and using benchmarking to drive best practice and compliance.
- Evidence of structured professional continuing professional development
- Understanding the NHS and associated Workforce priorities. Understanding of the Business Partnering approach, with proven experience of making an impact to Workforce KPI's.
- Previous experience as a senior HR generalist, in a complex multi-professional Organisation.
Desirable
- Experience of HR business partnering in the NHS
- TUPE Regulations
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Degree level
- CIPD Chartered Membership or postgraduate HR qualification
- Relevant additional training, or equivalent experience, to master's level (or equivalent)
Desirable
- Master's Degree, or equivalent
- Evidence of formal change management qualification, e.g. PRINCE2
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Extensive senior-level HR Business Partner experience, providing proactive, evidence-based advice to senior leaders.
- Demonstrable experience of leading and delivering workforce transformation/change, including workforce planning, service redesign, workforce remodelling and managing the people impacts of change
- Strong working knowledge and practical experience of employee relations case management, including complex investigations and participation in formal hearings (e.g., disciplinary and grievance).
- Proven experience developing and implementing workforce/HR strategies and using HR metrics/MI, including reporting, analysis, KPI monitoring, and using benchmarking to drive best practice and compliance.
- Evidence of structured professional continuing professional development
- Understanding the NHS and associated Workforce priorities. Understanding of the Business Partnering approach, with proven experience of making an impact to Workforce KPI's.
- Previous experience as a senior HR generalist, in a complex multi-professional Organisation.
Desirable
- Experience of HR business partnering in the NHS
- TUPE Regulations
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
