Senior People Partner

About the role

This position combines strategic HR leadership with hands-on operational work to help teams perform at their best. You will advise business leaders on people decisions, shape company culture, and build leadership capability across multiple markets. The role spans coaching, workforce planning, employee relations, and delivering key people programs at scale. You will act as a trusted advisor, translating complex organizational dynamics into clear people strategies that drive execution. Success in this role requires a balance of analytical rigor and empathetic communication to navigate sensitive employee and leadership challenges. You will be instrumental in aligning people practices with business objectives to support sustainable growth. This is a hands-on leadership role where your expertise will directly influence the health and performance of the organization.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Act as a strategic advisor to business leaders, helping them make sound people decisions and lead with clarity by translating organizational needs into actionable people strategies.
• Coach managers to handle difficult conversations and hold teams accountable for performance through structured feedback, goal alignment, and constructive conflict resolution.
• Guide leaders through complex employee matters including underperformance, disputes, complaints, and visa requirements across different markets while ensuring compliance and fairness.
• Anticipate organizational changes and shape workforce planning to address risks and opportunities early by analyzing headcount, skills, and capacity gaps.
• Use people data and metrics to inform decisions around planning, performance, compensation, and engagement to identify trends, measure impact, and drive improvements.
• Refine and improve people systems and processes to make them simpler and more scalable, reducing manual effort and enhancing the employee experience.
• Lead or support delivery of core programs such as performance reviews, remuneration cycles, engagement initiatives, and audits with attention to detail and stakeholder alignment.
• Partner with Finance and Legal to ensure that all people initiatives meet regulatory standards, budget expectations, and operational requirements.
• Serve as a change champion during periods of transformation, communicating updates, gathering feedback, and supporting adoption across teams.
• Build trusted relationships with stakeholders at all levels to ensure that people strategies are relevant, responsive, and aligned with business priorities.
• Identify and mitigate people-related risks by monitoring turnover, engagement, and compliance indicators and recommending timely interventions.
• Contribute to the development of leadership frameworks and capability models that enable scalable growth and consistent culture across locations.
• Collaborate with People Operations to streamline employee lifecycle processes, from onboarding to offboarding, with a focus on clarity and efficiency.
• Act as a subject matter expert on employment law and HR best practices, providing guidance to leaders to reduce risk and enhance governance.

Requirements

• 5+ years in a strategic HR Manager or People Business Partner role in a high-performance setting such as tech, high-growth startup, or consulting, with demonstrated experience in fast-paced and evolving environments.
• Solid knowledge of UK employment law and HR compliance, including current regulations, contractual obligations, and best practices in people management.
• Experience managing direct reports and supporting people leaders across different functions, demonstrating the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Ability to track and interpret people metrics to drive better outcomes, using data to inform decisions and measure the success of HR initiatives.
• Strong project management skills with a track record of leading initiatives across the employee lifecycle including performance reviews, remuneration cycles, and audits from planning to execution.
• Commercially aware with the ability to balance business priorities with empathy, ensuring that people decisions support both organizational goals and individual needs.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments, navigating complexity with resilience and a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Strong ownership mentality with ability to manage multiple priorities reliably, taking responsibility for outcomes and maintaining high standards of quality.
• Detail-oriented with a focus on execution and continuous improvement, ensuring that processes, policies, and communications are accurate and effective.
• Commitment to confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive employee information and high-stakes people decisions.
• Willingness to collaborate closely with legal, finance, and operations teams to ensure alignment on policies, risks, and implementation plans.
• Openness to feedback and a learning mindset, actively seeking opportunities to develop skills, refine practices, and share insights with peers.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with German or South African employment frameworks, including key differences in labor regulations, cultural expectations, and people practices.

Skills & tools

• People analytics and metrics interpretation to inform decisions and demonstrate the impact of people programs.
• UK employment law and HR compliance expertise to guide leaders and reduce organizational risk.
• Experience with performance management systems to ensure alignment, feedback, and development are structured and consistent.
• Knowledge of compensation and remuneration planning to support competitive, fair, and sustainable reward strategies.
• Strong background in employee relations and dispute resolution to manage sensitive issues with professionalism and care.
• Experience in multi-market HR operations to coordinate practices, policies, and programs across different regulatory environments.

Practical notes

• Annual development budget plus 3 days of professional development leave to support continuous learning and skill growth.
• Private health insurance through Vitality or monthly wellness allowance option to promote physical and mental well-being.
• 25 days holiday plus enhanced parental leave to support work-life balance and personal commitments.
• Work from anywhere for 3 weeks per year to provide flexibility for travel, remote work, or personal needs.
• Regular office socials, clubs, after-school sport, and seasonal events to build community and connection across the team.
• Reasonable adjustments available during interview process upon request to ensure an accessible and fair experience.
• AI-assisted tools used in recruitment but all hiring decisions made by people, ensuring that human judgment remains central to the process.