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.
Please note there are two vacancies – one is offered on a permanent basis and one is offered on a 2 year FTC.
About the Role
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.
About You
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.
Why Northumberland?
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.
How to Apply
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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr”, “datePosted”: “2026-05-05”, “hiringOrganization”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “Sullivan Brown Resourcing Partners – HR Recruitment Experts”, “sameAs”: “https://uk.whatjobs.com/pub_api__cpl__423709178__4861?utm_campaign=publisher&utm_medium=api&utm_source=4861&geoID=314” }, “jobLocation”: { “@type”: “Place”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “addressLocality”: “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.
Please note there are two vacancies – one is offered on a permanent basis and one is offered on a 2 year FTC.
About the Role
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.
About You
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.
Why Northumberland?
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.
How to Apply
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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr…