Oakleaf Partnership
HR Business Partner - Early Talent

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People Business Partner - Early Talent
6 Month FTC with potential for longer term employment/permanent
Location: London - Hybrid (3 days in office)
Salary: £70,000 - £80,000
We're partnering with a leading professional services firm to recruit a People Business Partner who will take ownership of the people agenda for a large Early Talent population. This is an opportunity to join a high-performing People team and play a key role in shaping the experience, development and success of future talent across the business.
Supporting a population of associates and trainees, you'll partner with managers and senior stakeholders to deliver practical, commercially-focused people solutions whilst helping to drive improvements across the Early Talent experience.
You'll provide expert guidance across performance, engagement, progression and employee relations, whilst leading initiatives that enhance the overall Early Talent proposition. This role combines hands-on HR business partnering with project work, making it ideal for someone who enjoys both operational delivery and continuous improvement.
Key Responsibilities
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
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Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
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- Act as the dedicated People Business Partner for the Early Talent associate population - circa.220.
- Build strong relationships with Partners, Directors and senior managers, providing trusted people advice and guidance.
- Support managers with employee relations matters, performance challenges, conduct issues and capability conversations.
- Lead and deliver Early Talent projects and initiatives that enhance the associate and manager experience.
- Partner with stakeholders to support key people processes including probation, performance reviews, progression and regrading activity.
- Use people data and insight to identify trends, risks and opportunities across the Early Talent population.
- Support the continued development and embedding of the firm's Early Talent strategy.
- Collaborate closely with Learning & Development, Talent Acquisition and People Operations teams to deliver a seamless employee experience.
- Coach and support managers to confidently manage and develop emerging talent.
We're particularly interested in speaking with HR professionals who genuinely enjoy working with graduates, trainees, apprentices and emerging talent populations.


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Desired Skills and Experience
- Experience in an HR Business Partner, Junior HRBP or Senior HR Advisor role.
- Previous experience supporting Early Careers, Graduate, Apprentice or Emerging Talent programmes.
- Strong employee relations knowledge and confidence handling performance and conduct matters.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to influence and coach managers.
- A proactive, approachable and engaging style.
- A track record of balancing operational HR support with project delivery and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Professional services experience would be advantageous but is not essential.
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a collaborative and forward-thinking People function during an exciting period of development. You'll have the opportunity to influence the Early Talent experience, work on meaningful projects, and make a visible impact on the development of future business leaders.
Please email bethhicks@oakleafpartnership.com for more information.
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