Strategic People & Culture Partner in Morpeth

Northumberland County Council is in the midst of a major, ambitious transformation programme designed to modernise the organisation, improve efficiency, and above all, put residents first. This is a pivotal moment for the council, and we are building a People and Culture service that can genuinely enable large-scale change and create a modern, inclusive, high-performing organisation.

As a Strategic People and Culture Partner, you will play a central role in shaping this journey. Working directly with senior leaders, you will act as a trusted advisor, supporting directorates as they navigate organisational change, workforce transformation, cultural development, and the creation of a future-ready, people-centred council.

This is a role for someone who is both strategic and hands-on - someone who can see the bigger picture while also building capability, coaching leaders, interpreting workforce insights, and driving tangible improvements in the employee experience.

Reporting to the Director of People and Culture, as Strategic People and Culture Partner, you will:

• Act as a trusted strategic advisor to senior leaders within your allocated Directorates, enabling delivery of organisational objectives through effective people strategies.
• Drive workforce transformation, cultural change, and leadership development, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities, values, and behaviours.
• Champion inclusion, equality, and wellbeing across the wider Council.
• Leverage data and insight to shape decisions and create an inclusive, high-performing, and future-ready workforce.
• Coach and mentor senior leaders on effective leadership practices, employee engagement, and performance management.
• Facilitate strategic workforce planning, succession planning, and leadership pipeline development.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and Organisational Development teams to attract, retain, and develop high-calibre talent.
• Lead initiatives to improve employee experience, engagement, and organisational resilience.
• Support organisational change and transformation through robust change management strategies.
• Build strong relationships across the Council and with external partners to deliver sustainable improvements in culture and performance.
• Collaborate with elected members, trade unions, and external partners to deliver sustainable improvements in employee experience and service delivery.

This role is both strategic and hands-on, requiring a deep understanding of organisational dynamics and a passion for creating inclusive, high-performing environments.

We are looking for:

• A strategic HR and organisational development professional with experience of leading cultural change in complex organisations.
• Strong influencing skills and the ability to work collaboratively at the highest levels.
• A values-driven leader who inspires confidence and champions inclusion, integrity, and accountability.
• Proven ability to deliver innovative people solutions that improve performance and engagement.
• Deep knowledge of employment law and HR best practice.
• Demonstrable experience handling complex ER cases.
• CIPD qualification (or equivalent experience) and a track record of delivering transformation in a public sector or similar environment.

Northumberland is a county of opportunity - rich in heritage, diverse in communities, and ambitious for the future. We offer:

• A salary of up to £67,561 per annum.
• A supportive environment for innovation and transformation.
• Attractive benefits including generous annual leave (starting at 26 days and rising to 31 after 5 years' service), attractive local government pension scheme, flexi scheme, agile working, leadership development, wellbeing support, and local government discount schemes.
• The chance to make a real difference to our communities and workforce.

Please share your CV with Melanie Bolton, Sullivan Brown Resourcing Partners in the first instance. melanie@sullivanbrown.co.uk Sullivan Brown are our retained recruitment partner and all direct applications for this role will be forwarded to them.