At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead strategic HR partnerships and shape organisational capability across executive leadership.
- Company: Dynamic organisation focused on long-term business performance and culture.
- Benefits: Flexible working, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative leadership environment with excellent career development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on people strategy and influence decisions at the highest levels.
- Qualifications: Experience in strategic HR partnering and strong stakeholder management skills.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Location: UK - flexible
We’re looking for an experienced and commercially minded Head of Strategic People Partnering to lead strategic HR partnership across executive leadership populations and play a pivotal role in shaping organisational capability, culture, workforce planning, and long-term business performance. This is a highly visible leadership role partnering with senior executives and their leadership teams to drive enterprise-wide people outcomes across a complex, international environment. You will bring strategic insight, challenge and influence to business decisions, ensuring people strategy enables growth, transformation and organisational success.
About the role
As Head of Strategic People Partnering, you will lead strategic people partnership for executive and senior leadership populations, aligning workforce decisions with business priorities across multiple geographies. You’ll work at the intersection of strategy, organisation design, leadership capability, succession planning and transformation—helping leaders navigate change while building sustainable organisational performance. This role requires someone who is equally comfortable operating strategically at executive level and translating priorities into practical, high-impact people outcomes.
What you’ll be responsible for:
- Acting as the trusted strategic people partner to executive leadership teams and their direct reports.
- Shaping and influencing organisational strategy through workforce and talent planning.
- Driving organisation design decisions that strengthen capability, leadership effectiveness and culture.
- Leading succession and talent planning across senior populations, ensuring strong pipelines for critical roles.
- Providing strategic guidance during periods of change, including restructures, transformation initiatives and business integration activity.
- Partnering with Centres of Excellence and People Operations teams to deliver aligned, scalable people solutions.
- Influencing long-term workforce investment and people priorities across business areas.
- Supporting annual people cycles and ensuring delivery against strategic objectives.
- Managing complex and high-impact people matters with sound judgement and commercial awareness.
What we’re looking for:
You’ll be a strategic HR leader with experience operating in large, matrixed organisations and partnering with senior executives. You’ll bring:
- Significant experience in strategic HR partnering at executive or enterprise level.
- Proven ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders with credibility and impact.
- Expertise across organisational design, leadership effectiveness, workforce strategy and change.
- Experience leading large-scale transformation, restructuring and/or M&A integration activity.
- Strong commercial judgement and the ability to balance people outcomes with business priorities.
- Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Degree-level qualification (or equivalent experience) in HR, Business, Organisational Development or a related discipline.
- CIPD qualification (or equivalent) desirable.
Why join us?
This is an opportunity to influence decisions at the highest levels of the organisation and help define how people strategy enables long-term business success. You’ll join a collaborative leadership environment where your expertise will directly shape capability, culture and future growth.
Head of Strategic People Partnering employer: Drax Group
As the Head of Strategic People Partnering, you will thrive in a dynamic and flexible UK environment that champions collaboration and innovation. Our company prioritises employee growth through strategic influence at the executive level, offering unique opportunities to shape organisational culture and drive impactful people outcomes. Join us to be part of a forward-thinking team where your contributions will directly enhance our long-term business performance and success.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Strategic People Partnering
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to connections in your industry, especially those who are already in strategic HR roles. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings or even a referral.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company’s culture and values. Tailor your responses to show how your experience aligns with their strategic goals. We want you to shine as the perfect fit!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t underestimate the power of follow-ups! After an interview, send a thank-you note that highlights a key point from your conversation. It shows your enthusiasm and keeps you top of mind.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website for the best chance at landing that role! We love seeing candidates who take the initiative to engage directly with us. Plus, it helps us track your application more efficiently.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Strategic People Partnering
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV speaks directly to the role of Head of Strategic People Partnering. Highlight your strategic HR experience and any relevant achievements that align with the job description. We want to see how you can influence and drive people outcomes!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to tell us why you're the perfect fit for this role. Share specific examples of how you've partnered with senior executives and led transformation initiatives. We love a good story!
Showcase Your Strategic Insight:In your application, don’t just list your skills—show us how you’ve used them strategically in past roles. We’re looking for someone who can challenge and influence decisions, so give us examples of how you’ve done this before.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Drax Group
✨Know Your Strategic HR Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your strategic HR knowledge, especially around organisational design and workforce planning. Be ready to discuss how you've influenced senior stakeholders in the past and how your insights can drive business success.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Experience
Prepare examples that highlight your experience in leading large-scale transformations or restructures. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to clearly articulate your role and the impact of your actions on the organisation.
✨Understand the Business Landscape
Research the company’s current challenges and opportunities within the industry. This will help you align your answers with their business priorities and demonstrate your commercial awareness during the interview.
✨Engage with Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions that show your interest in the role and the company’s future. Ask about their approach to talent planning and how they envision the Head of Strategic People Partnering contributing to their long-term goals.
