Location: St Pancras, London
Contract: 6 months
Hours: Full time (36 hours)
Salary: £65,972 - £84,826 per annum
Are you an experienced HR leader with a passion for leading on employee relations and shaping people strategy at a senior level? The British Library is seeking an exceptional Head of Employee Relations & HR Business Partnering to provide strategic leadership during a period of important structural transition.
About the Role
You will lead our HR Business Partnering and Employee Relations functions, ensuring consistency, stability, and strategic progression across both generalist and specialist areas. Your remit will span Employee Relations (ER), Industrial Relations (IR), complex casework, employment risk management and the leadership of both the HR Business Partnering team and the Pay, Policy and Employee Relations team.
As the senior advisor on ER strategy you will play a central role in maintaining constructive relationships with our recognised trade unions, representing the Library at a senior level to support effective negotiation, consultation, and collective engagement.
About You
You will bring extensive experience in senior HR leadership roles, particularly in complex, unionised environments. You will be confident navigating challenging ER landscapes, advising at executive level and influencing outcomes that support both organisational performance and a positive colleague experience. You will also be a skilled people leader, able to motivate teams and manage change.
About us
We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.
What we can offer you
- 25 days’ holiday plus 2.5 privilege days
- Access to a defined benefit Civil Service pension scheme
- Flexible working arrangements, including flexi-time
- Full details of employee benefits can be found on our Careers: Benefits
Things you need to know
- We are unable to provide sponsorship under the UK Skilled Worker visa for this role.
- Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check (DBS check).
- Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn.
- We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse candidates and disabled candidates. Creating an inclusive workplace is the core of our business and a way to engage the diversity of thought that is essential to achieve our aims.
Closing at 23:59 on Sunday 01 March 2026
