This is an exciting opportunity to make a real impact in a transformative, forward-thinking university that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
As a HR Business Partner at Cardiff Met, you’ll play a key role in developing solutions to workforce challenges. You will be a strategic thinker, working with and influencing a range of stakeholders. As a trusted advisor to senior leaders and heads of service, you will provide strategic HR insight and guidance to support the university’s strategic priorities and long-term objectives.
Using people insights and workforce data to identify trends and inform decision making, you’ll drive a wide range of People Services initiatives, including strategic workforce planning, transformational change and supporting leadership capability.
With a collaborative and creative mindset, you will:
- Lead and support organisational change initiatives, including cultural transformation, and workforce redesign, ensuring alignment with organisation strategy and HR best practice.
- Act as an internal consultant, coaching and influencing leaders, through evidence-based insights to shape and drive positive change.
- Identify challenges and opportunities, working collaboratively with colleagues to design and implement effective people solutions and improvements.
- Maintain oversight of complex employee relations casework in respective service areas, whilst developing an employee relations culture that is resolution-focused and improves business outcomes.
- Champion equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives across the university, embedding inclusive practices into all People Services and organisational activities.
What you’ll bring
You will be an experienced HR professional who combines strategic thinking with hands-on delivery. You’re skilled in building trusted relationships, influencing at senior levels, and using data and insight to drive decisions. You will be passionate about creating inclusive environments and enabling people and organisations to thrive.
Using your experience in leading and coaching senior management teams, you’ll help drive high performance, supporting business areas in achieving their strategic objectives. Your approachable style will support the development of collaborative, trust-based relationships, enabling you to work effectively and inclusively with a wide range of people.
You will have a solid understanding of HR procedures and practice. You will have excellent customer service skills and a proven ability to build professional credibility at all levels. You’ll be comfortable managing multiple stakeholders, and a busy workload.
You’ll also have:
- A proactive, solutions-focused, innovative mindset, comfortable navigating ambiguity and change whilst remaining action focused; and supporting others to do the same.
- An excellent understanding of employment law and confidence in handling a wide variety of employee relations matters whilst applying sound judgement and being solution focused.
- Experience of applying best practice HR across areas such as workforce planning, resourcing, talent management, succession planning, and employee relations.
Why join Cardiff Metropolitan University?
We are a values-based University. We are proud of our culture, and we are there for our people. Our community spirit is the golden thread that underpins our values and behaviours. We support and embrace inclusion that enables everyone to feel respected and able to perform at their best. By joining our University, you'll find yourself in a unique environment where a wealth of knowledge and resources are readily available, supporting you with your career development.
We offer excellent benefits such as:
- Annual leave of 35 days, plus 12 bank holiday / concessionary days.
- Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer monthly contributions.
- Excellent family friendly policies – take a look on our Policy Hub page.
- Opportunities to learn and develop your skills with access to library and digital services facilities.
- Excellent sports and fitness facilities with subsidised membership.
- Free family access to our independent specialist wellbeing support provider, Health Assured.
Contact us
For more information about the role please contact Keira Smith, Lead HR Business Partner on ksmith@cardiffmet.ac.uk, or feel free to contact Cerys Purdon, the recruitment point of contact for this vacancy on cpurdon@cardiffmet.ac.uk.
All applications must be submitted online.
The person specification will be used as a tool for shortlisting; so please make sure you use this information when writing your application. You can find useful hints and tips about how to apply by visiting our Application Guidance page.
Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.
Should a high volume of applications be received, we may need to close this vacancy early. We therefore encourage you to apply as early as possible.
Cardiff Metropolitan University is proud to be a Disability Confident employer and a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant.
All applicants with disabilities, or those who are part of the Armed Forces community who during the shortlisting process meet the essential criteria for the role will be progressed to the next stage.
The University is committed to creating a highly inclusive culture. We offer family friendly and flexible working arrangements and a range of staff networks, forums and events to support and develop our people. We warmly welcome applications from those traditionally underrepresented in the higher education sector.