HR People Partner

<p>We are partnering with a large, well-established organisation to recruit a HR People Partner to join a fast-paced operational site. This is a varied and highly visible role within the wider People function, offering the opportunity to support both day-to-day HR operations and wider people initiatives that drive engagement, performance, and culture.</p> <p>We are looking for someone who is adaptable, proactive, and comfortable working in a dynamic environment where priorities can shift. The successful candidate will enjoy balancing operational HR support with strategic people-focused activity, building strong relationships across the business and providing practical, commercially focused advice.</p> <p>This is a hands-on role where no two days are the same. You will work closely with site leaders and managers to support a positive, high-performing working environment while contributing to ongoing improvement initiatives across the organisation.</p> <p>This is a contract role for around 3 months, offering hybrid working, with 1–2 days per week from home, alongside flexible working arrangements such as the option of a four-day week.</p> <p><strong>Duties and Responsibilities</strong></p> <ul> <li>Build strong and credible relationships with operational leaders to understand business priorities and support delivery of the people agenda</li> <li>Act as a trusted HR partner to managers, providing pragmatic and solutions-focused advice across a broad range of people matters</li> <li>Manage employee relations casework including absence, conduct, grievance and performance matters, ensuring a fair, consistent and commercially balanced approach</li> <li>Adapt quickly to changing business needs and support managers in a fast-moving operational environment</li> <li>Analyse HR data and people metrics to identify trends, risks and opportunities to improve performance and engagement</li> <li>Coach and support managers to build confidence and capability in people management</li> <li>Support workforce planning, organisational change and operational people initiatives</li> <li>Contribute to employee engagement activity and help foster an inclusive and positive workplace culture</li> <li>Work collaboratively with employee representatives and support consultation processes where required</li> <li>Support recruitment activity and talent pipeline planning across operational teams</li> <li>Ensure performance management processes are effectively embedded and completed within required timescales</li> <li>Contribute to HR projects, process improvements and wider organisational initiatives</li> <li>Maintain up-to-date knowledge of employment legislation and ensure compliance across all HR activity</li> </ul> <p><strong>Essential Criteria</strong></p> <ul> <li>Proven experience within a generalist HR role in a fast-paced operational environment</li> <li>Adaptable and resilient, with the ability to manage changing priorities and a varied workload</li> <li>Strong working knowledge of core HR disciplines including employee relations, engagement, workforce planning and performance management</li> <li>Confident managing complex and sensitive employee relations matters</li> <li>Ability to interpret HR data and use insights to support practical decision-making</li> <li>Strong communication and influencing skills with the confidence to build relationships and challenge constructively where required</li> <li>Organised, proactive and comfortable working both independently and collaboratively</li> </ul> <p><strong>Desirable Criteria</strong></p> <ul> <li>CIPD qualified or working towards</li> <li>Experience working within a unionised environment</li> <li>Exposure to learning and development or talent initiatives</li> <li>Familiarity with HR systems and reporting tools</li> </ul> <p><strong>What’s on Offer</strong></p> <ul> <li>A varied and hands-on HR role with genuine opportunity to make an impact</li> <li>Exposure to both operational and strategic HR activity within a large organisation</li> <li>Opportunity to work closely with senior leadership and influence the people agenda</li> <li>Hybrid working model with flexibility, including a four-day week option</li> <li>Strong focus on learning, development and career progression</li> <li>Supportive and collaborative working environment with involvement in meaningful people projects</li> </ul>