HR Business Partner
Salary: £40,777 - £44,075 pa
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent
Closing date: 27 Jan 2026 12:00
Interview date: W/C 2 Feb / 9 Feb 2026
Ref: CR1740
About the role:
Horsham District Council is looking for a Human Resources Business Partner to join its Human Resources & Organisational Development team, playing a key role in supporting managers and leaders across the Council to deliver high-quality, people-focused services.
The purpose of the role is to provide proactive, professional and pragmatic HR advice that enables organisational performance and supports cultural development. You will work in partnership with stakeholders across services, contributing to organisational change, employee relations, talent development and continuous improvement initiatives that support the Council Plan and corporate objectives. As HR Business Partner, you will act as a trusted adviser to managers, helping to shape people solutions that are practical, inclusive and aligned with the Council’s values.
In this role, you will provide day-to-day expert HR advice and guidance to managers on a wide range of people matters, including workforce planning, job design, recruitment and selection, wellbeing, talent management, contractual changes and conditions of service. You will manage a varied employee relations caseload, supporting and advising managers on issues such as grievance, disciplinary, performance and attendance management, and attending hearings as required. As HR Business Partner, you will also work closely with Occupational Health and trade union representatives to support positive employee relations in a unionised environment.
Working collaboratively with colleagues in HR & OD, including Learning and Development, you will help embed a strong performance management culture, support leadership development and champion equality, diversity and inclusion across the employee lifecycle.
About you:
To succeed as HR Business Partner, you will be an experienced HR professional with a strong generalist background, ideally gained within local government (or a similar organisation). You will have demonstrable experience of managing employee relations cases and advising managers in a unionised setting. You will also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to influence, challenge constructively and build trusted relationships at all levels of the organisation. As a highly organised and resilient individual, you will be able to manage a complex workload, prioritise effectively and deliver high-quality outcomes to tight deadlines.
You will bring a practical understanding of employment legislation and best practice, with a commitment to continuous professional development and service improvement. A CIPD Level 5 qualification (or equivalent demonstrable experience) is essential. You will be comfortable using HR systems and data to inform decision-making and support evidence-based interventions. Experience of job evaluation and TUPE is desirable.
Above all, you will share the Council’s values, demonstrating a strong customer focus, a commitment to achieving excellence and a collaborative approach that supports and develops colleagues.
For an informal discussion about this role please contact Cate Gachet, Head of HR and OD at cate.gachet@horsham.gov.uk.
PPA
Applicants invited for interview will be asked to complete a Thomas’ Personal Profile Analysis (PPA) which provides a rapid and deep insight into behavioural preferences and communication style.
About us:
We have a friendly and supportive working environment and being a smaller Council, you can really get to know everybody.
We encourage and support our employees to have a healthy work life balance by offering 28 days’ (207.2 hours) annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata), and flexible/hybrid working options where applicable.
We offer a generous benefits package including an online platform offering discounts from online retailers and access to a car lease scheme. Staff are also eligible to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), where the Council contributes circa 20% of pensionable salary.
To support employees’ professional development the Council provides reimbursement for professional subscriptions and a number of training opportunities, including extensive in-house learning resources, short courses, Apprenticeships, and qualifications such as Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Visit our Jobs and careers page to find out more about Working for Horsham District Council and Our employment commitments.
To apply:
If you would like to apply for the role, we highly recommend you show clearly within the ‘Experience Section’ of the application form how you meet the essential criteria detailed within the Role Profile when applying. If you do not make this clear, it is unlikely you will be shortlisted for interview.
Internal applicants, if you would like to apply for the role, please submit an expression of interest to HR@horsham.gov.uk explaining clearly how you meet the criteria and what you feel you can bring to the role.