How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Junior HR Business Partner
Junior HR Business Partner
Role Purpose
We’re looking for a proactive and commercially minded Junior HR Business Partner to join our team, supporting the delivery of a high-quality HR service across our Central Functions, Private Clients, and Tech divisions.
Working closely with the HR Business Partner, you’ll play a key role in implementing people strategies, providing practical day-to-day HR support, and contributing to initiatives that drive performance, engagement, and business growth. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop your HR career in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
This is a hands-on role that requires a capable and proactive individual who can quickly build strong, credible relationships with stakeholders.
While supporting the HR Business Partner, the role holder will take ownership of defined areas, ensuring consistent, commercially sound HR advice and the effective application of people practices.
The Junior HR Business Partner will embed themselves within the business, developing a deep understanding of stakeholder priorities and challenges, and supporting the delivery of practical HR solutions that align with business needs. They will work closely with Centres of Expertise, including Recruitment, Reward, Talent & Development, and HR Operations, to ensure a joined-up and high-impact approach to people initiatives.
The successful candidate will bring experience of operating in a fast-paced, commercial environment, with the confidence and judgement to deliver outcomes, apply consistent HR practices, and effectively support senior stakeholders. This role offers the opportunity to further develop HR partnering capability while contributing to a high-performing, growth-focused business.
Key Accountabilities
- Support the HR Business Partner in implementing people initiatives that align with the business strategy and objectives for Howden UK&I Retail.
- Assist in gathering and understanding information about the pillar’s people, their aspirations, challenges, and talent requirements, helping to inform future planning.
- Contribute to recruitment, onboarding, performance, and talent management activities, ensuring key HR processes are efficiently delivered.
- Facilitate the coordination of people-related elements of organisational change, (e.g., mergers and acquisitions), following established frameworks and supporting team engagement.
- Collaborate closely with team members across HR and the business, helping to deliver a consistent and positive employee experience.
- Collaborate with Centres of Expertise (COEs) to support the development and delivery of solutions tailored to business needs, as guided by the HR Business Partner.
- Assist in administering the annual compensation and rewards process, ensuring accuracy and transparency under the guidance of the HR Business Partner.
- Build professional working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders throughout the organisation.
- Assist in collecting and analysing HR data to inform recommendations and support business decision-making.
- Maintain awareness of external market trends and developments, sharing insights with the HR Business Partner to support team learning and adaptation.
- Act as a point of contact for the HR Advisory team on employee relations and the employment life cycle matters.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Skills & Experience
- Experience in a regulated Corporate environment.
- Experience supporting a HR Business Partner, demonstrating a proven understanding of HR subject areas.
- Experience of supporting leaders and partnering in a complex business, working across cultures and building/managing relationships virtually.
- Ability to translate strategic people requirements or regional/global context into language that the wider business can engage with.
- A hands-on HR practitioner—this role requires work on both strategic and operational HR matters, developing effective relationships with collaborators, customers, partners, and team members.
- Approachable and innovative, with a proactive approach to streamlining and simplifying processes and using technology-based solutions to drive automation and scalability.
- Comfortable working with ambiguity and capable of navigating solutions in a fast-paced, unpredictable environment with a varied workload.
- Skilled in confidently challenging while maintaining credible relationships, as well as handling difficult conversations and situations.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
What We Offer
A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity—there is no one Howden type. Instead, we seek individuals who share our values:
- Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new.
- We support each other in the everyday moments and during bigger challenges.
- We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond.
Who Are We?
Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its core. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 56 countries.
People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for one reason—that’s our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and why our employees consistently turn down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities—work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering—you’ll find like-minded people driving positive change.
Reasonable Adjustments
We’re committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure our positions align with your needs. Besides typical adjustments like software, IT, and office setups, we can accommodate changes such as:
- Flexible hours*
- Hybrid working*
If you’re excited by this role but have questions about whether it’s the right fit for you, we encourage you to apply. If your profile matches our criteria, we’ll reach out to assist in ensuring you can access any reasonable adjustments you may require before starting.
*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Contact your Recruitment Partner for further details.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location