Head of Business Partnering

Job Overview

Interview Date: Thursday 02nd April 2026

The BSW Hospitals Group is recruiting for two exceptional Head of Business Partnering to lead the People Business Partnering function at site level within either Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GWH) or Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH) ensuring each Care Organisation has a strategic, future‑focused workforce plan aligned to its unique operational and clinical priorities. This is a high‑impact leadership with responsibility for driving the delivery of the BSW People Plan locally while contributing to system‑wide workforce transformation.

As the senior People lead on site, you will act as a trusted advisor to the Site HR Director and Care Organisation Leadership Team, shaping strategic decisions and ensuring the People function is fully aligned with the organisation’s long‑term goals. You will lead a high‑performing team of Strategic and Medical Business Partners, champion a proactive, data‑driven approach, and ensure workforce initiatives reflect the needs, challenges, and ambitions of your specific Care Organisation.

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, influential leader who thrives on collaboration, strategic thinking, and driving meaningful change at both site and system level.

Please include your site preference, or indicate if you would like to be considered for both sites, in your supporting information or cover letter.

Main duties of the job

You will lead the Business Partnering function for your designated site, ensuring strategic people initiatives are aligned with local organisational and clinical priorities. This includes driving delivery of the BSW People Plan within your Care Organisation, advising senior leaders on workforce strategy, and commissioning work across HR design and delivery teams to ensure seamless, high‑quality support.

You will play a key role in shaping site‑specific workforce plans, influencing organisational strategy, and ensuring the People function is aligned with long‑term business and clinical objectives.

You will provide professional leadership to a senior team of Strategic and Medical Business Partners, enabling them to operate as strategic advisors across Divisions and Services. This includes oversight of workforce initiatives tailored to your site’s evolving needs, leadership on complex employee relations matters, and close collaboration with Group People Operations to manage risk and ensure consistency. Using data and insight, you will develop innovative, evidence‑based solutions that support local business outcomes, workforce sustainability, and cultural transformation.

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

The Head of Business Partnering is a site-based role and plays a pivotal role in aligning strategic people initiatives with overall organisational and clinical strategy, ensuring a future-ready workforce that enables the achievement of long-term goals.

At a site level, drive delivery of the People Plan initiatives that are in place across the BSW Hospitals Group (Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GWH), Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH), and Salisbury (SFT) NHS Foundation Trust)

Please See Attached Full Job Description

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Membership with CIPD with FCIPD or MCIPD
• Educated to masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
  
  

Experience And Skills

Essential criteria

• Extensive experience in strategic HR leadership roles, including a proven track record of working as a senior HR Business Partner, leading senior people teams, and supporting large and complex organisations on an organisation-wide basis.
• Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development Extensive knowledge of People Service, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or experience to master’s level equivalent

Extensive knowledge of People Service, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or experience to master’s level equivalent

Please note - Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered unless an alternative right to work solution can be provided. Candidates requiring sponsorship (or will need sponsorship at the end of a current visa e.g. those with graduate visa's) should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying: Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK

Applicant requirements

This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.

Documents to download

• Job description - Head of Business Partnering (PDF, 400.4KB)
• Join the RUH (PDF, 1.1MB)
  
  

Further details / informal visits contact

Name Matt Foxon Job title Site HR Director Email address matthew.foxon@nhs.net