Senior People Partner (24-month FTC)

Are you a seasoned People Partner who thrives where strategy, change and complex ER meet? Looking for a role where change leadership, trusted partnering and team leadership come together in one brief?

About us

The Science Museum Group (SMG) exists to inspire futures, and our People & Culture team plays a vital role in enabling this ambition by building an organisation of empowered, engaged, and high-performing colleagues who are passionate and proud to work here. We are also putting inclusion and diversity at the heart of our work, with our value to be Open for All, as we seek to grow a diverse workforce and build an inclusive culture.

About the role

The Senior People Partner is a strategic HR generalist role combining operational delivery with organisational change, workforce planning, and development. You'll act as a trusted partner to leaders and managers across your designated client groups, providing coaching, insight and pragmatic solutions across the full spectrum of people management - including employee relations, performance, leadership capability, engagement, inclusion and diversity, compliance and workforce transformation.

You'll be the link between the People & Culture Department and the wider organisation, aligning our people strategy with SMG's objectives to help make SMG an exceptional place to work. With overall oversight of people partnering activity in your area, you'll act as an escalation point across the People Partner and ER & Advisory teams, deputising for the Head of People as required and playing a pivotal role in embedding the team's evolving operating model.

This is a central role in shaping how SMG navigates a period of organisational transformation and cultural development - working alongside senior leaders to strengthen leadership capability, support complex workforce change and build an inclusive, high-performing environment where colleagues can thrive.

This role is a 24-month fixed term contract, advertised for 35 hours per week working Monday to Friday and you can be based at any of our sites across London, Wroughton, York, Bradford or Manchester.

About the team

The People Partner Team sits within People & Culture and comprises Senior People Partners, People Partners and ER & People Advisors, led by the ER & Advisory Lead. You may be asked to line manage more junior colleagues from time to time. The team works closely with People Operations & Talent (People Support, L&D, Systems & Data, Talent Acquisition), Safety & Security, and Volunteering, with People Support acting as the first point of contact for day-to-day colleague queries.

About you

We're keen to see applications from candidates who bring solid HR business partnering experience in a multi-site organisation of c.1,000+ colleagues, with a strong generalist foundation and the credibility to work with senior leaders up to and including Executive Director level. You'll have technical ER experience, managing the full range of cases - sickness, disciplinary, grievance, performance - end to end through to dismissal and appeal, underpinned by up-to-date employment law knowledge and the judgement to apply it pragmatically.

Change management experience is central to this role. While this isn't a full-time change post today, we anticipate change activity growing meaningfully over the contract, and we're looking for someone who has operated as senior people lead on complex organisational change programmes - collective redundancy, restructures, organisation design and development - partnering senior leadership teams through ambiguity and pace.

The "Senior" in Senior People Partner reflects the team-lead dimension of this role: you'll act as a point of support to the Head of People and the wider Senior People Partner group on both local and SMG-wide change activity, helping guide the team through this evolving period.

Beyond that, we're looking for someone who takes initiative, someone professional and self-directed - comfortable setting direction when not all the information is in place, balancing risk against delivery, and managing competing priorities in a complex, busy environment. You'll be a collaborative relationship builder with clear written and verbal communication, commercially aware and methodical, digitally confident with HR systems and data, and discreet in handling sensitive matters. Above all, you'll bring a values-driven approach and a genuine passion for building an open, inclusive organisation where colleagues can thrive.

It would also be good (but not essential) if you bring: prior line management experience; experience in a unionised, multi-site environment; knowledge of Civil Service redundancy and organisational change provisions; Chartered CIPD Level 5-7 or equivalent; public or not-for-profit sector experience; and workforce planning experience.

Don't feel you meet all the criteria? We welcome you to apply even if your experience doesn't match directly. With your transferable skills, you could be the right candidate for this, or other opportunities that we have.

Applying

View the Vacancy Information Pack listed under 'Attachments' on the vacancy listing on our website for more details about the role and the application process or click 'Apply Online' to submit an application.

What we offer

Working with a world-leading museum group that offers access to truly unique environments and collections, you'll benefit from the perks listed below, as well as full support for life events such as parental and adoption leave, sickness, and career breaks.

• Meaningful work. We're a mission-led organisation where the work you do supports us in Inspiring Futures.
• Career growth. We offer enhanced support with personal and professional development.
• Work/life balance. We offer 27 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays, along with flexible policies which support you and your home life.
• Health & Dental Insurance. Extra peace of mind, from day one.
• All our colleagues can access an employee assistance programme, access to the Unmind app, and other wellbeing support.
• Colleague networks. Our colleague-led networks are an informal forum for colleagues to come together to discuss topics of shared interest and lived experience. They create a space for people to exchange ideas, discuss best practice, socialise and build a sense of community.
• Enhanced contributory pension. To support you in saving for the future.
• Interest-free loans. When you need a little extra cash for life events or home improvements.
• Great discounts. Free entry to exhibitions, discounts in our shops, cafes, and access to other museums in the NMDC network.

Open for All is one of the Science Museum Group's five core values and sets out our important aspiration to be a place for everyone. We are working hard to understand our organisation better and to develop a culture that recognises and values different backgrounds, mindsets, skills, experience, knowledge, and expertise. By having greater diversity, we believe that we will be a stronger and better organisation, capable to continue to Inspire Futures.