Area Lead Human Resources Business Partner

This vacancy is only available to existing Civil Servant employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Please review the "Eligibility" section before you apply.

General Information

Salary

£71,381 - £80,419

Working Pattern

Full Time, Part Time, Flexible Working

Vacancy Approach

Cross Government

Location

Cardiff

Region

Wales

Closing Date

10-Jul-2026

Post Type

Permanent

Civil Service Grade

Grade 6

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

19078

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Job Description

Job Title: Area Lead Human Resources Business Partner

Grade 6

Team/Directorate: People & Capability Group HRBP – HMPPS

Overview of the role:

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is responsible for everything that goes into running the UK’s criminal and civil justice systems, creating the foundations for a safe, fair and prosperous society. We are one of the largest government departments with over 88,000 staff based across England and Wales. We are responsible for 500 courts and tribunals, 122 prisons, the policies underpinning the system and much more.

People and Capability supports the organisation by enabling its people to be the best that they can be. We are continuously reviewing and enhancing the services we provide to ensure the delivery of high-quality services for our customers. MoJ People and Capability has over 1,400 committed and capable professionals delivering people services across the Justice family. At the heart of delivering these services are our people.

This role sits within the HMPPS HR Business Partner Team and will provide direct partnering support to Executive Directors within HMPPS including the Area Executive Director for Wales & Community Accommodation Services (CAS).

The role includes oversight and management of an HRBP team and you will report to the Deputy Director of the HMPPS HRBP Team. Your team will be deployed to partner senior leaders across HQ, Prison and Probation, notably for the Wales & CAS area, with the aim of successful implementation of people strategies for the region.

You will be responsible for forging productive relationships with senior leadership teams, enabling translation of business priorities and strategy into a cont people agenda with targeted interventions. Working alongside Executive Directors and their Senior Leadership Teams to design and deliver tailored HR interventions to drive improvements in effective leadership, people management, organisational design and development, change management and workforce strategy.

Key to this role is the need to be a credible HR professional with the ability to establish quality relationships. Working across the HMPPS HRBP team, this role is the primary link between the top two tiers of senior leadership within HMPPS and their success is reliant upon the strength and support of the rest of the HMPPS HR and People and Capability via Expert Services.

Role and Responsibilities

The post holder will be required to bring together the people priorities across all areas of responsibility under the (Area) Executive Director they partner. The postholder will work collaboratively to develop effective strategies that deliver against the MoJ and HMPPS People Strategy through:

Strategic partnering: Leading the strategic people agenda at Executive Director level, aligning workforce priorities to business strategy and organisational outcomes.

Solving: Provide expert, insight-driven HR solutions that address complex workforce challenges and support organisational performance.

Connecting: Enable joined-up, high-quality HR delivery by connecting the business to the full range of People and Capability services and expertise.

Coaching: Develop leadership capability by coaching senior leaders to deliver the people agenda and role model strong people management.

Key responsibilities of the post holder include:

Business & Culture Change

Working alongside the Executive Director to support business change.

Oversight of the people impacts arising from significant change programmes across the business, supporting the Executive Director to ensure that HMPPS has the right structure, climate and capability to manage change and transition.

Advise on the people implications arising from significant change initiatives and provide technical HR/employment oversight

Resourcing & Retention

Ensure effective workforce planning at a regional level that aligns to budget allocations, and meets capacity and capability requirements, and deploys appropriate attraction, talent and development strategies.

Ensuring w t is a critical resourcing and retention need, this moves through the appropriate ‘urgent response’ channels with access to expert services facilitated and co-ordinated

To partner the business to execute appropriate resourcing strategies to include understanding the talent pipeline to SCS2 through succession planning and addressing appropriate development needs to develop credible successors

Leadership & Management Capability

Understand the leadership capability needs at a Director level and develop and grow leadership capability and effectiveness through coaching, challenging and mentoring Executive Directors on business and people issues.

Facilitate access to organisational design and development expertise to build effective leadership teams and equip leadership teams to role model leading effective change.

Drive management capability through ensuring understanding the current management capability skills gaps and ensuring the appropriate learning and development strategy is in place to build capability.

Employee Relations

Oversight of complex casework for the region or business area, supporting Executive Directors and their SLTs to access the right casework and legal advice.

Using casework intel to identify w further interventions may be appropriate to address cultural or individual behaviour change and management capability

Employee Engagement

Partnering the SLT through the analysis and insights of the People Survey results at a regional level or business area level. Ensuring appropriate response plans and action plans are happening at all levels and facilitating access to advice and services to support interventions.

Support the Executive Director to ensure their leaders are being held to account on employee engagement activity.

Attendance & Wellbeing

Oversight of AWDL at a regional and business area level to hold SLTs to account on attendance across their business area

Partner leaders to drive the right interventions, facilitating access to appropriate services to drive down AWDL. Advise and lead on appropriate strategies to address causes of high AWDL and ensure these are implemented across prison and probation

Enable the Executive Director team to understand the current health of their workforce across all business and support the business to access wellbeing services

Equality Diversity & Inclusion

Driving the agenda on the Civil Service wide D&I Strategy through key networks and forums

Ensure equality impacts are understood and considered in the execution of all people initiatives

This will be achieved through:

Operating as the technical HR expert for the business, providing oversight for all people related matters and working to facilitate access to all People and Capability services to ensure consistent and high-quality HR delivery.

Influencing Senior Leaders to drive forward engagement of our workforce and to enable cultural change and to meet HMPPS aims.

Working ly with HR colleagues, delivery partners, senior managers and HR teams across the Civil Service to drive continuous improvement in the delivery of HR services, policies and practices.

Identification and dissemination of HR best practice, advising portfolio leads for change initiatives/projects.

Tactical use and analysis of people data and customer insight to inform and drive strategic changes, to improve business performance and deliver excellence.

Essential Knowledge, Experience and Skills:

Essential

Excellent communication and networking skills with the ability to persuade and influence others, establishing collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders including permanent secretary and ministers.

Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work effectively across a range of tasks and under pressure; whilst maintaining a high standard and attention to detail.

Sound judgement and the ability to think strategically and creatively, recognising w improvements can be made and implementing them.

Ability to think and act strategically under pressure and having the confidence to provide advice, guidance and constructive challenge when necessary, and provide regular reporting up to board level.

Ability to find solutions to complex and often sensitive issues

Qualifications

You will have completed and achieved your Chartered MCIPD (or have an equivalent HR qualification) or be willing to work towards it and actively demonstrate Continuous Professional Development.

Security clearance required: Baseline

Location/Travel:

T is a requirement for the successful applicant’s work base to be within the Wales region, ideally at the Justice Collaboration Centre in Cardiff (Churchill House). If this is not possible, alternative Wales-based locations can be explored with the successful candidate. T is an expectation to be on site, within the region 3 days a week with regular travel to other locations as and when required, including the Cardiff JCC which is the base of the Area Executive Director office.

All applicants should be aware that business partnering arrangements are subject to change and postholders will be expected to accommodate changes in partnering arrangements in line with business need to include providing cover and support for other business areas when required.

Application process:

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

Sift

Behaviours - Please provide examples of how you have met each one of the behaviours listed below:

Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour)

Seeing the Big Picture

Managing a Quality Service

Experience – Statement of Suitability - Please outline the skills and experience you hold which demonstrate your suitability for this role in 500 words (please refer to the essential criteria in the job description).

Please submit an anonymous copy of your CV.

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of Communicating and Influencing. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Interview:

Please note that interviews will be held remotely.

During the interview, we will be assessing you on the Behaviours below and Strengths from the Success Profiles framework. You will also deliver a presentation (details will be provided to candidates invited to interview).

Behaviours:

Communicating and Influencing (Lead)

Seeing the Big Picture

Managing a Quality Service

If you have any questions regarding the role please contact

Emma.Goodson@justice.gov.uk.

Interviews will likely take place in early August.

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements w business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles: All successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map. All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, w they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

T is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. T are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Eligibility

Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.

Vacancies advertised “cross-government” are only open to all Civil Service employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) who were appointed on merit following a fair and open competition; or were appointed to a permanent post through an exception in the Civil Service Commissioners' rules.

Support

A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.

Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.

For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on www.www.GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.

Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

To Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk);

To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-office@justice.gov.uk);

To the Civil Service Commission (details available )

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wver it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals

nationals of the Republic of Ireland

nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

Contact Information

MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference: 19078

HMPPS

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference: 19078

Job Description Attachment

- Job Description - Area Lead Human Resources Business Partner G6 Wales (002).docx (Job Description Attachment)

Select new file

Application form stage assessments

Behaviours

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Communicating and Influencing, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, w all behaviours will then be considered.

Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit

250

Communicating and Influencing

Seeing the Big Picture

Managing a Quality Service

Experience

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Statement of Suitability

Guidance for the Statement of Suitability

Please outline the skills and experience you hold which demonstrate your suitability for this role in 500 words (please refer to the essential criteria in the job description).

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Technical

Technical Questions Application Form Question Word Limit

250

Specific qualification requirements

You will have completed and achieved your Chartered MCIPD (or have an equivalent HR qualification) or be willing to work towards it, and actively demonstrate Continuous Professional Development.

Please answer 'yes' to meeting the qualification requirement if you are either:

1) Chartered MCIPD (or have an equivalent HR qualification) or

2) Willing to work towards the Chartered MCIPD qualification.

If you are answering yes to option 2, please upload a note indicating your willingness to work towards the qualification.

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Expected July

Behaviours

Communicating and Influencing

Seeing the Big Picture

Managing a Quality Service

Strengths

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed .

Other Assessments

Which assessment methods will be used?

Presentation

Level of security checks required

Baseline Personnal Security Standard (BPSS)

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. W plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.