This individual is an experienced HR Business Partner with over five years’ dedicated HR experience, complemented by a strong background in operational leadership, recruitment and people management. Having built and led a people function within a growing organisation before moving into HR consultancy, they have developed a commercially focused, pragmatic approach to supporting managers through the full employee lifecycle.
Recognised for building strong stakeholder relationships and providing practical, solutions-focused HR advice, they are highly experienced in employee relations, organisational change, recruitment strategy, onboarding and manager coaching. They combine sound employment law knowledge with the ability to translate complex HR matters into clear, commercially balanced guidance that enables managers to make confident decisions while maintaining a positive employee experience.
Exposure includes:
- HR business partnering & stakeholder management — Partnering with senior leaders and managers to provide commercially focused HR advice, supporting organisational objectives while developing manager capability and promoting best practice across the employee lifecycle.
- Employee relations & case management — Managing complex employee relations cases including disciplinary, grievance, capability, redundancy, appeals and settlement agreements, acting as both investigation officer and chair while ensuring legal compliance and fair outcomes.
- Organisational change & consultation — Leading consultation processes and supporting organisational change initiatives, balancing commercial requirements with employee engagement and employment legislation.
- Recruitment strategy & talent acquisition — Developing recruitment strategies, directly sourcing candidates across all levels, reducing agency reliance and delivering significant recruitment cost savings while supporting workforce growth.
- Onboarding & employee experience — Designing and implementing structured onboarding and induction programmes to improve new starter engagement, retention and integration into the business.
- Manager coaching & training — Delivering HR training for line managers on topics including employee relations, company values, workplace behaviours and preventing sexual harassment, building leadership capability and confidence.
- HR policy, compliance & employment law — Reviewing and implementing HR policies, standardising employment contracts and ensuring compliance with employment legislation and HR best practice across multiple organisations.
- Workforce planning & people strategy — Developing annual people plans using workforce data to support headcount planning, succession planning and future resourcing requirements.
- Engagement, wellbeing & culture — Supporting wellbeing, diversity and inclusion and employee engagement initiatives, contributing to an award-winning workplace culture and high employee satisfaction.
- Recruitment & operational leadership — Previous experience in recruitment consultancy and operational management, providing a strong commercial understanding alongside HR expertise and a proven ability to build relationships with both clients and employees.
Software knowledge: HRIS & ATS Systems, Microsoft Office 365
Qualifications: CIPD Level 3 Certificate in Human Resources Practice. Commencing CIPD Level 5 in 2026.
Notice period: 1 month
Candidate ref: 90621
To discuss this candidate or request a full CV, please contact:
Rachel Paul – 01252 718777 – rachel.paul@howett-thorpe.co.uk