HCL
Senior People & Culture Business Partner - Maternity Cover (12 Months)
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Senior People & Culture Business Partner (Maternity Cover) 12 Months
Location: (Head Office: Mundells, Welwyn Garden City)
Salary: up to £51,848 per Annum (DOE)
Hours: Fixed term contract, 37 hours per week
Contract: 1 Year fixed term contract
Reports to: Head of People & Culture
PURPOSE OF THE JOB
HCL are leading contract caterers with a focus on school feeding. We have a commitment to deliver high-quality, nutritious, and engaging food experiences for children and staff across our primary schools, secondary schools, and commercial sites. We pride ourselves on our dynamic culture and our commitment to excellence. As the Senior People & Culture Business Partner at HCL, you will lead on the delivery of a proactive people management service across the business ensuring our people feel valued, heard and empowered to deliver as we expand our portfolio nationwide, and look to drive retention of core customers in Hertfordshire and neighbouring counties.
The Senior People & Culture Business Partner will work in partnership with leaders, key stakeholders, and People & Culture team colleagues to develop and deliver people management solutions that align with organisational priorities. Operating as the departmental people management expert, you will advise, guide, and support our people and managers by providing high-level people management and development support across all parts of the business.
This role will lead the People & Culture Business Partner Team to deliver proactive people management support across the employee life cycle, ensuring that our people practices are aligned with our purpose led company values and growth ambitions. They will have robust knowledge employment law and people management practice and will thrive on complexity, variety and proactive problem solving. They embrace new approaches to employee relations with a focus on creating a positive and inclusive culture which drives high performance.
The role offers a unique opportunity to impact the health and well-being of children while championing HCL's mission to make food a vital part of the educational experience.
MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Strategic Leadership
- Act as a strategic partner to HCL’s leaders and managers, providing insights and recommendations to drive business performance and culture transformation.
- Provide proactive employee relations insight to senior leaders, anticipating issues before they arise and recommending preventative strategies.
- Act as a trusted advisor to HCL’s leaders on nuanced situations, exercising sound professional judgment and maintaining confidentiality.
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Employee Relations
- Lead and manage complex employee relations cases, including grievances, disciplinary matters, capability proceedings, performance management and safeguarding.
- Conduct and lead workplace investigations independently, not simply supporting them.
- Guide leaders on effective performance management strategies.
- Ensure that all short and long term absence cases are being managed in partnership with line managers, coaching managers as required to increase their confidence and competence in managing the process.
- Lead on delivering seamless TUPE transfer processes both in and out of the business.
- Take a risk management approach to addressing people related matters, safeguarding the business, customers and all our people.
- Promote appropriate employee relations through coaching, consultation, communication, and partnership with managers.
- Ensure that all employment related documents are fully compliant, liaising with relevant external support where necessary
Change Management
- Lead and advise on organisational change programs and complex restructures.
- Implement change management initiatives to support organisational transformation and business growth.
Policy Development & Compliance
- Knowledge of the legal framework within which HR operates to enable continuous evaluation, update, development and enforcement of our people management policies in line with legislation and good practice.
- Monitor adherence to all people management policies, practices, and procedures, ensuring regulatory compliance and reducing legal risks.
Culture & Organisational Development
- Deliver key people management initiatives across the full spectrum, including resourcing, talent management, succession planning, and performance management.
- Support the development of a culture focused on our purpose and values which fosters an environment of passion for personal delivery and growth, driving performance, engagement, inclusion and well-being.
- Support recruitment processes ensuring good practice in candidate assessment.
- Act as a visible ambassador for people and culture initiatives and organisational development.
Management Information
- Analyse and report HR information to support benchmarking and the development of HR strategies and solutions.
- Ensure all internal and external reporting requirements are satisfied through provision of accurate management information.
Team Management
- Lead and inspire the People & Culture Business Partner Team to deliver exceptional service and strategic value across all people management disciplines.
- Set clear goals and performance standards for the Team, recognising excellence and addressing underperformance constructively.
- Monitor people management activity to ensure service level agreement terms are met.
- Regularly communicate relevant business objectives and plans to the Team so that they fully understand their contribution to these.
- Continually look for ways to implement technological solutions to reduce time taken for administrative tasks in people management.
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This list should not be regarded as exhaustive, and the post holder will be expected to deliver other duties relevant and appropriate to this role and department.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
- CIPD Level 5 or equivalent qualification.
- Proven track record of leading complex ER cases, including capability, disciplinary, grievance, performance management and conflict resolution.
- Experience in organisational change management, restructuring and TUPE.
- Confident navigating employment law, HR practices and regulatory compliance, while keeping people at the centre of decisions.
- Ability to interpret and utilise HR metrics, data and complex information to inform decisions, drive improvements and recommend solutions.
- Experience with HRIS systems and HR analytics.
- Ability to align HR strategies with business objectives and anticipate future organisational needs.
- Understanding of business operations, financial implications, and commercial drivers.
- Ability to advise and influence senior stakeholders, challenging constructively when necessary.
- Exceptional communication skills across all levels of the organisation, with ability to communicate effectively in stressful situations.
- Strong relationship-building abilities with stakeholders, employees, and external partners.
- Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
- Coaching and mentoring capabilities for managers and employees.
- Practical approach to problem-solving with ability to anticipate issues/risk before they escalate and can seek appropriate advice when needed.
- Capability to navigate nuanced situations with professionalism and discretion.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise work, deliver to tight deadlines and work autonomously.
- Excellent literacy, numeracy, and advanced MS Office Suite skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
- Committed to both personal and team development.
- Commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.
- Ability to travel to our sites across Hertfordshire and surrounding counties.
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