Balaena
HR Business Partner
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Not Your Typical HR Role. Not Your Typical Business.
If you've ever looked at a business and thought, "There must be a better way," this could be the opportunity to do something about it.
We're looking for an HR Business Partner who wants to make a real difference. Someone who will work alongside the Birkenhead Managing Director and leadership team to help shape how people, culture and performance support our business.
This is a role for someone who wants it as much as we do. Someone who sees the opportunity, understands the responsibility and has the energy, resilience and commercial mindset to help make change happen.
Who are we?
With a combined workforce of over 2,000 employees and operations spanning Gibraltar, Padstow, Tyne, Birkenhead, and Falmouth, Balaena is one of the UK’s most dynamic and regionally anchored maritime groups - combining industrial agility, innovation, and community partnership to support national resilience, commercial competitiveness, and sustainability across both naval and merchant ship sectors.
The integration of our facilities across Gibraltar, Padstow, Tyne, Birkenhead and Falmouth has created one of the world's most capable ship repair and shipbuilding groups, with a network of 12 dry docks and strategic reach across the UK and the Mediterranean.
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This is an established organisation with heritage, technical credibility and a reputation built over time. We are proud of that. But we are also ambitious about what comes next. Great businesses are built by great people. As we continue to grow as One Balaena, our HR team has a critical role to play in developing leaders, raising standards, strengthening culture and helping the business achieve its ambitions.
Who are we looking for?
We're looking for someone who is commercially minded, positive and comfortable challenging the status quo in the right way. You'll build strong relationships, develop great teams and help leaders get the very best from their people.
Birkenhead is a highly unionised environment, so we're looking for someone who can build positive and productive relationships with Trade Union representatives, managers and colleagues, supporting both employee engagement and business success.
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There will be times when things don't go to plan and challenges need navigating, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. The good news is you'll have the support of an experienced HR team and leadership group around you. We work together, support each other and succeed together as One Balaena.
This role will suit someone who:
- Wants to build something meaningful, not simply maintain what already exists.
- Thinks commercially and understands how HR supports business performance.
- Can influence leaders and build credibility quickly.
- Enjoys leading and developing teams.
- Uses data and insight to make better decisions.
- Is comfortable working in a unionised environment.
- Brings energy, resilience and a positive outlook when things get tough.
- Wants to help build a HR function that is agile, scalable and truly valued by the business.
If you'd like to get a feel for who we are, what we do and where we're heading, check us out online and on LinkedIn.
Applications close 21st August 2026
Come and help us build something special.
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