Business Manager - People

Salary:

£62,983.00 - £65,420.00 GBP Annual

Pension:

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%. Please refer to the Civil Service Pensions website for more information.

Type:

Full time

Fixed Term End:

31-10-2028

**Please note: The advert will close at 11:59PM the night before the listed closing date.**

SLC offer a blended working model which will typically be 2 days in the office and 3 days from home. 

Is it time you unlocked your potential?

Student Loans Company is a non-profit making Government-owned organisation to provide loans and grants to students in universities and colleges in the UK.  Since 1989, we have enabled our customers to invest in their futures by delivering secure, accurate and efficient assessment, payment and repayment services.

Our Values 

Culture is at the heart of everything we do at SLC and we are guided by our five values which help make SLC a great place to work: 

• Honesty: We act with integrity and transparency, sharing information openly and addressing challenges with courage.

• Empowerment: We enable people to take initiative, make impactful decisions, and continuously learn and grow.

• Accountability: We deliver on commitments, own our successes and mistakes, and strive for quality outcomes.

• Respect: We value diverse perspectives, actively listen, and create an inclusive environment where everyone belongs.

• Trust: We collaborate across teams, build dependable relationships, and work as one to deliver for our customers.

These values are more than words—they guide our decisions, shape our collaborations, and strengthen our impact on the students we serve.

About the Role

SLC are seeking an experienced People Business Partnering Manager to lead a high‑impact, strategic partnering service across the organisation. This senior role requires significant experience operating at a strategic level, with the confidence to influence leaders, shape priorities and deliver outcomes in an organisation undergoing significant enterprise‑wide transformation. You’ll bring extensive HR expertise, including employment law, and a strong track record of working constructively with trade unions and key stakeholders. You will be experienced in Leading and developing a high‑performing strategic HR business partnering team, you’ll embed a consistent, values‑led and colleague‑focused partnering approach aligned to business objectives. You’ll thrive in a high‑change environment, using data and people insights to inform decisions, set priorities and drive evidence‑based interventions. As a trusted advisor with strong commercial awareness, you’ll balance pace, flexibility and consistency while supporting the successful delivery of the People Strategy. If you’re passionate about strategic impact, values‑driven leadership and making a measurable difference through people, we’d love to hear from you.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS OFFERED ON A 2 YEAR FIXED TERM BASIS.

What you Bring:

• Knowledge and experience in the HR implications of large-scale organisational change
• Skilled in combining business insights to provide highly impactful advice and challenge to HR colleagues and senior business leaders
• Robust analytical and organisational skills, demonstrating ability to provide a systematic review of policy/process/practice and develop logical implementation plans which secure the buy in of key stakeholders
• Effective leadership skills with the ability to develop and manage high-performing People teams including Strategic People Business Partnering
• Demonstrable ability and skill to build and maintain effective working relationships to work in partnership with trade unions and other employee representatives
• Significant skill and knowledge to consistently provide a positive, pragmatic and solutions-focused approach when providing advice and guidance at all levels on a wide range of complex matters
• Demonstrable skills and knowledge to drive and support the embedding of a values based culture across the organisation with a focus on inclusive leadership and EDI
• Significant experience of overseeing and ensuring delivery on multiple people priority workstreams and deadlines
• Significant experience in a range of HR management roles within the private sector and/or in complex organisations within the public sector working with a headcount in excess of 2000
•  Experience in leading and coaching a People Business Partner team through capability growth, enabling them to deliver proactive, strategic partnerships with business leaders
• Extensive knowledge of UK employment legislation, case law and best practice, up to and including Employment Tribunals
• Substantial experience of providing insights (differentiated for different audiences) through analysing complex statistical data/reports.
• Proven experience securing consensus across a range of complex stakeholders, in sensitive and challenging situations
• Demonstrable experience managing complex employee relations cases and providing sound advice and guidance to business stakeholders throughout the process
• Experience of acting as the HR SME for organisations going through large-scale organisational change

You can expect more from a career with SLC. We support colleagues to unlock their potential through our Career Pathways development programme and offer an excellent benefit and rewards package that includes:

• 28 days annual leave plus 8 public holidays

• Option to buy/sell annual leave

• Flexi-time and enhanced flexible working options available

• Option to join the Civil Service pension scheme

• Life insurance cover for 4 x annual salary

• Enhanced company sick pay and family leave including maternity, paternity and adoption

• Contributory lifestyle benefit options including discounts at hundreds of retailers, cycle to work scheme, access to the Civil Service Sports and Leisure Club for discounted gym memberships, and an optional dental insurance scheme

• To find out what’s it’s like to work at Student Loans Company click here SLC Careers

The Legal Bits

We’ll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. If we offer you a job and you accept, there are some background checks we need to complete before you can start with us. This will include employment history, criminal record check, credit reference check and fraud check.

EDI

As a proud Disability Confident Leader, we’re committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience that empowers people of all abilities. Our team actively promotes accessible hiring practices, supports candidates with disabilities throughout their employment journey to help  build a diverse equitable workplace at SLC.

 

SLC will make reasonable adjustments for those who consider themselves to have a disability or long-term condition in line with the Equality Act 2010. Our application process provides candidates with the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments but if you would like to discuss this in more detail, please email ask_recruitment@slc.co.uk.

Use of AI in Job Applications

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 and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see Candidate Guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.