Senior HR Business Partner

Are you an experienced HR Business Partner looking to join a high performing HR department in a world leading organisation?

Join the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and play a key role in building the capacity, capability and commitment of our employees.

About the CMA

We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging.

You can read more about working at the CMA in our candidate pack.

The CMA’s HR Business Partner team is a part of its high-performing People, Capability and Culture department and is at the forefront of all people-related activities, both operational and strategic. The Senior HR Business Partner role is an integral position that reports to an Assistant HR Director. The role has two primary functions:

• To act as a trusted strategic partner to leaders across a designated portfolio—using deep organisational understanding, people data and professional insight to diagnose priorities, shape workforce and people plans, and deliver evidence-based solutions that build leadership, talent, capability, engagement and sustainable performance.
• To lead the people dimensions of organisational change and transformation—working with leaders and specialist colleagues to design and embed changes to organisation, workforce, leadership, culture and ways of working, manage workforce impacts and risks, and ensure change delivers measurable, sustainable outcomes aligned with the CMA’s strategy and annual plans.

Delivering strategic solutions in partnership with CMA senior leaders, the Senior HR Business Partner is a client-facing, diagnostic and solution-focused role. It enables high performance of individuals, teams and the CMA through a coaching, influencing and facilitative approach.

This is an exciting time to join us. As a Senior HR Business Partner, you will be close to the CMA’s most important priorities, trusted to shape solutions with senior leaders and able to see the impact of your work across the organisation. If you are energised by purposeful work, ambitious change, and the chance to help build a brilliant organisation, we would love to hear from you.

This is a permanent role that is also available on a loan basis for current government employees.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Application and sift stage

• As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement, and an online application form. Further details about application requirements are listed on the application form.
• The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review), and an interview which will include a presentation based on a case study that will be provided in advance. Arrangements for the case study and presentation will be enclosed in the interview invitation.
• Please note that it is essential that your personal statement is aligned to provide evidence that you have the knowledge and experience for each of the essential criteria (as included on the role profile attached and listed above under 'Person Specification') in your application. Your personal statement should be no more than 1250 words. You will first be sifted on the Lead Criteria. If your application progresses to a full sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification will then be considered.
• We may raise the score required at sift stage to progress to interview if we receive a high number of applications and take through the highest performing candidates to interview.
• Candidates that pass the sift will then be invited to interview.

Interview stage

• At the CMA we apply a blended interview technique, allowing us to find out more about you and we use the Success Profiles framework assessing the Behaviours and Experience listed in the advert and attached role profile.
• During the interview you will begin with your presentation, based on the case study and will be asked questions based on the Behaviours and Experience outlined in the role profile.
• A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

Timeline (the dates outlined below are indicative and may be subject to change)

• The advert closing date is 02 November 2026 (23:55). We are not able to accept late applications.
• The sift is scheduled to take place between 03 and 09 November 2026.
• Interviews will be held from the week commencing 16 November 2026,

Reasonable adjustments

Our recruitment process is fully inclusive, and we can make adjustments to provide you with the opportunity and support to bring your best self to the recruitment process. This could include having an interview buddy, extra time at interviews/assessments, or receiving interview questions in advance. We will be happy to discuss any person-centred adjustments you’d like us to make to the process, and you can contact us by emailing our dedicated mailbox at adjustments@cma.gov.uk.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.