People Partner at Coastland College

About the role

Shape Culture. Develop Leaders. Make an Impact.

At Coastland College, our people are at the heart of everything we do.

We are investing in our people, culture and leadership capability to create an exceptional place to work, learn and grow. We believe that by supporting our colleagues to thrive, we can inspire excellence in every learner, strengthen our communities and help shape a confident, resilient and future-ready Dorset.

We are looking for an experienced and proactive People Partner to join our growing People Team and play a key role in delivering this vision.

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to become a trusted advisor to leaders across Coastland College, helping to shape workforce strategy, build management capability and create a positive employee experience.

As a People Partner, you will work closely with managers and leaders to provide expert advice, coaching and support across a wide range of people matters. You will play a key role in workforce planning, organisational development, employee relations, change management and leadership development, helping to ensure our people are supported to perform at their best.

This is a highly visible role that combines strategic thinking with practical support, offering the opportunity to influence organisational culture, drive improvement and make a lasting impact across the College.

What You'll Be Doing

As a People Partner, you will:

• Build strong relationships with managers and leaders across the College, acting as a trusted advisor on people matters.
• Support workforce planning, succession planning and organisational development activities.
• Lead and manage complex employee relations cases including disciplinary, grievance, capability and absence management processes.
• Coach and develop managers to build confidence and capability in people management.
• Support organisational change, restructures and service improvement initiatives.
• Use workforce data and insight to support decision-making and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Promote colleague wellbeing, engagement and inclusion.
• Support the delivery of the College's People Strategy and Future Ready 2030 ambitions.
• Champion Coastland College's values and culture across the organisation.

About You

We are looking for someone who:

• Has significant experience in a People Partner, HR Business Partner or Senior HR Advisor role.
• Has strong employee relations and case management experience.
• Can confidently coach, influence and challenge managers.
• Has experience supporting organisational change and workforce planning.
• Is solutions-focused, strategic in approach and able to build strong relationships across a range of stakeholders.
• Can use data and workforce insights to support decision-making.
• Shares our passion for developing people and creating positive workplace cultures.
• Holds CIPD Level 5 (or equivalent experience).

Further Information

Why Join Coastland College?

Coastland College brings together the strengths of Weymouth College and Kingston Maurward College to create a vibrant, ambitious and future-focused provider of education and skills.

Our purpose is simple:

We partner with industry and our community to inspire students and apprentices for individual success beyond expectation, ensuring they are confident, resilient and future ready.

Everything we do is guided by our values:

Connected | Welcoming | Dynamic | Empowering | Courageous

Making Your Application Stand Out

The supporting statement is a key part of your application and is your opportunity to demonstrate why you are the right person for this role.

When completing your application, please provide clear and specific examples of how your experience, skills and knowledge meet the criteria outlined in the Person Specification.

We would particularly encourage applicants to demonstrate evidence of:

• Building effective relationships and influencing managers, leaders and stakeholders.
• Managing complex employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, capability and absence management matters.
• Supporting organisational change, restructures or service improvement initiatives.
• Workforce planning, talent management and succession planning activities.
• Coaching, developing and challenging managers to improve people management capability.
• Using workforce data, trends and insights to inform decision-making and improve outcomes.
• Developing and implementing people initiatives that support employee engagement, wellbeing, performance or organisational effectiveness.
• Interpreting and applying employment legislation, policies and best practice.
• Leading or contributing to projects that have delivered measurable improvements to people, processes or organisational culture.

Where possible, please describe:

• The situation or challenge you faced.
• The action you personally took.
• The outcome or impact of your actions.

Applications that provide strong, relevant examples aligned to the Person Specification are more likely to be successful at shortlisting stage. Applications that simply repeat information from a CV are less likely to score highly than those that provide specific examples demonstrating impact, outcomes and achievements.

We are particularly interested in hearing how your experience will help Coastland College deliver its ambition to be an exceptional place to work, where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to achieve their full potential.

Safeguarding

Coastland College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Successful applicants will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check as part of our safer recruitment procedures.

Ready to Apply?

If you are passionate about people, leadership, organisational development and making a positive difference, we'd love to hear from you.

Join us and help create an exceptional place to work, where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to achieve their full potential.

Applications will be reviewed and shortlisted as they are received. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if suitable candidates are identified, therefore early applications are encouraged.

Interview Dates: Week commencing 19 October 2026, although interviews may be brought forward where suitable candidates are identified.

About Us

What We Offer

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 30 days with service (pro-rata for part-time roles).
• Additional College efficiency closure days at Christmas and Easter.
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), providing generous employer contributions and long-term financial security.
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities, including CPD, professional qualifications and career development support.
• Free access to our Employee Assistance Programme, providing 24/7 confidential counselling, wellbeing support, financial