Strategic People Business Partner

Fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs. UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research organisations to achieve ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.

As a Strategic People Business Partner, you'll work alongside senior leaders to shape the people strategy for a significant part of UKAEA. You'll influence organisational design, workforce planning and culture, helping leaders build high-performing teams that can deliver our mission to develop sustainable fusion energy. This is an opportunity to operate as a trusted strategic adviser, leading complex people initiatives and driving lasting organisational change.

What You'll Be Doing

Partner with senior leaders to develop and deliver people plans aligned to business priorities.

Lead strategic people projects, including organisational design, workforce planning and talent development.

Advise leaders on complex people matters, providing commercially and strategically focused solutions.

Shape organisational strategy by embedding the people agenda into business planning.

Work collaboratively with Trade Union representatives and employee groups to support positive employee relations.

Lead change initiatives, ensuring people impacts are considered and managed effectively.

Develop, review and implement People policies and initiatives that improve organisational effectiveness.

Use people data and insight to inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement.

Collaborate with specialist People teams, including Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development and Reward, to deliver integrated people solutions.

Deputise for senior colleagues and provide leadership across the wider People function when required.

CIPD Level 7 qualification (Diploma) or equivalent Chartered CIPD status.

Extensive experience of strategic HR business partnering within a complex organisation.

Experience leading organisational change, workforce planning and organisational development initiatives.

Strong knowledge of key HR disciplines, including employee relations, reward, learning and development, organisational development and equality, diversity and inclusion.

Experience influencing senior leaders and translating business priorities into people strategies.

Degree-level qualification or equivalent relevant professional experience.

We have a generous range of benefits (see the full list here) and highlights include:

A salary of £64115

Up to 7% corporate performance bonus

Final salary defined benefits pension scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution

25 days annual leave, 2.5 privilege days and 8 Bank Holidays

3 days of site closure over Christmas break

Flexible working options plus family-friendly leave provisions

Our commitment to ED&I

UKAEA's mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce.

Please email [email protected] if you have any questions or require adjustments to help you participate fairly in our recruitment process, for example changes to the way we interview or share information. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience for all candidates.

We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All appointments are made on merit and further information can be found here.

Salary: £64,115 + excellent benefits including outstanding pension

Division: People Division

Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire

Confirmed Grade: Grade I

Department: People & Culture