People & OD PartnerNHS

Job summary

THIS POST IS FIXED TERM/SECONDMENT FOR 18 MONTHS END MARCH 2028 DUE TO FUNDING.

Do you enjoy getting underneath what an organisation is trying to achieve and helping leaders turn that into practical people and workforce decisions?

We're looking for an experienced People/HR Partner to work alongside Executive Directors and senior leaders across Public Health Wales.

This is a broad partnering role where you'll bring insight, professional judgement and constructive challenge, connecting the right People & OD expertise to help leaders move from thinking and planning into delivery.

You'll be joining at an important time for the organisation as there will be significant change alongside the day-to-day workforce challenges of running our services. We need someone who can see the bigger picture, make sense of complexity and help leaders translate priorities into practical action.

You won't be expected to have all the answers yourself. A key part of the role is knowing when to challenge, when to advise and when to bring together expertise from across People & OD and the wider organisation to help move things forward.

Interviews: 17 November 2026, in person at CQ2

Main duties of the job

About you

You'll have substantial senior-level People/HR/OD partnering experience in a complex organisation and be comfortable working with senior leaders, managing competing priorities and moving between the bigger organisational picture and the detail needed to make things happen.

You'll bring sound professional judgement, strong influencing skills and the confidence to challenge constructively. We'll also want to understand how you've used workforce insight and your professional expertise to deliver practical, measurable improvements.

You'll need the professional knowledge and experience set out in the person specification, including Chartered Membership of the CIPD (MCIPD).

Why join us now?

This is an opportunity to make a real contribution

You'll be joining at a point where strong People partnering really matters. You'll have significant autonomy and the opportunity to work on real organisational questions, helping leaders think through workforce, capability and organisational issues and turn decisions into delivery.

If you enjoy making sense of complexity, working with senior leaders and turning workforce challenges into practical action, there will be plenty here to get involved in

How we work

We work in a hybrid way. The Partner team meets face-to-face monthly and you'll also attend key Directorate meetings in person. Beyond that, where you work will be shaped by the needs of the role and the Directorate(s) you support

Job description

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents.

Working with Executive Directors and senior leadership teams, youll provide senior People & OD advice, coaching and constructive challenge.

A significant part of the role will be helping leaders navigate organisational change, including service change, organisation and role design, restructuring, skill mix and new ways of working. Alongside this, youll:

• translate organisational priorities into practical workforce and organisational plans;
• help leaders think ahead about workforce capacity, capability and future requirements;
• use workforce data and insight to support decisions and identify where action is needed;
• help navigate complex and sensitive people issues;
• support culture, leadership, engagement and team effectiveness;
• work constructively with Trade Unions and staff representatives;
• connect leaders with expertise across People & OD and other functions; and
• use evidence and insight to understand whats working and where we need to do something differently

Already working in the NHS?

This could be a really good opportunity to broadening your experience, working closely with senior leaders and contributing during an important period for the organisation.

We particularly welcome applications from existing NHS colleagues interested in joining us on secondment, subject to agreement with your current employer.

Coming from outside the NHS? Wed like to hear from you too.

NHS experience is helpful, but it isnt essential. If youve worked at a senior People/HR/OD level in another organisation, have recent experience of organisational change and can build credibility quickly, your experience could translate well.

Experience of working in a complex, unionised environment will be particularly useful.

Youll need to get to grips with Public Health Wales and the NHS Wales context quickly, but were equally interested in the different experience and perspective you could bring.

About us

We are Public Health Wales - the national public health organisation in Wales. Our purpose is 'Working together for a healthier Wales'. We exist to help everyone in Wales live longer, healthier, happier lives. Together with our partners, we work to increase healthy life expectancy, improve health and well-being, and reduce inequalities for everyone in Wales, now and for future generations.

We are guided by our Values, 'Working together, with trust and respect, to make a difference'. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace that values equality and diversity. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of the communities we serve and are supportive of flexible working arrangements, including part time roles and job sharing.

To find out more about working for us and the benefits we offer please visit https://phw.nhs.wales/careers

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply