People & Culture Business Partner

People & Culture Business Partner | Dumfries | £41,000–£45,000 | 35 hours per week | Permanent

This is a brand-new opportunity with a well-established public sector organisation in Dumfries. It's a large, values-led organisation with a genuine focus on developing its people and building a positive, inclusive culture. You'll join a close People & Culture team, reporting to the Director of People & Culture, with the scope to make your mark from the outset.

The Role

This is a true generalist Business Partner role with employee relations at its heart. You'll be the trusted first port of call for managers across the organisation balancing hands-on casework with the coaching and development that lifts capability right across the organisation.

Employee Relations & Case Management

You'll own a varied ER caseload from start to finish, keeping everything fair, consistent and well managed.

• Lead a broad portfolio of cases spanning disciplinary, grievance, capability, performance, absence, flexible working and organisational change
• Give managers clear, practical advice grounded in employment law, policy and best practice
• Support and coach managers through investigations, hearings and appeals
• Build strong working relationships with trade union reps and support consultation and negotiation
• Spot trends in your casework and suggest proactive fixes that head off issues before they arise

Building Manager Capability

A big part of this role is lifting the confidence and consistency of managers through training and coaching.

• Design and deliver engaging people management training on topics like performance, absence, investigations and difficult conversations
• Coach managers to handle people issues with more confidence and accountability
• Create practical toolkits, guidance and resources that managers will actually use
• Use data and feedback to pinpoint capability gaps and target development where it's needed

Strategic People Partnering

You'll also work alongside leaders on the bigger picture.

• Partner with leaders on workforce planning, organisational design, succession and change
• Use people data and workforce metrics to spot trends and inform decisions
• Help shape and deliver People & Culture strategies aligned to the organisations' wider goals
• Contribute to engagement, wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion work across the organisation

You'll Flourish if You Have

• Significant experience managing complex ER cases end to end, ideally within a unionised, regulated environment
• CIPD Level 5 or above, or equivalent experience at Business Partner level
• A real flair for designing and delivering people management training
• The confidence to coach and influence managers at every level
• Up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law and a solid grasp of trade union consultation
• Strong analytical skills — you're comfortable using people data to back up your recommendations
• The organisation to juggle a busy, varied caseload without dropping the ball

Experience in the education or public sector would be a bonus, though it isn't essential. 

Why You'll Love Working Here

• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Up to 45 days' annual leave pro rata, including bank holidays 
• Genuine opportunities for career progression and personal development
• A wide range of health and wellbeing benefits, including Cycle to Work, discounted retail and electronics savings schemes, and an Employee Assistance Programme
• A supportive, collaborative team where the work you do makes a visible difference

This is a permanent, full-time role of 35 hours per week, mainly office-based in Dumfries with occasional travel to additional sites

Safeguarding

This appointment will be subject to enhanced pre-employment checks, including an enhanced disclosure check through the PVG scheme (Disclosure Scotland).

Foxgroves Recruitment acts as an employment agency for vacancies on behalf of clients, following fair and inclusive recruitment practices in line with the Equality Act 2010. All appointments are subject to pre-employment screening, including right to work checks, reference checks, and qualification verification. Reasonable adjustments are available for individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment process.