HR Business Partner - Carlisle, UK&I

HR Business Partner - Carlisle, UK&I

Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people? Then this is the place for you.

As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits.

To succeed at pladis you need to be purpose-led, resilient, and positive. We expect pace and agility, insist on collaboration, and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear Vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact.

Click “Apply” to get started.

The purpose of the role is to provide HR leadership and business partnering support at site by working closely with the site leadership and management teams, as well as the various teams within the wider UK&I HR function to ensure all HR activity is adding value in line with the site plans and strategies, and is aligned to wider HR priorities for the region.

Principal Accountabilities

• To play a central role as part of the Site Leadership Team, developing strong, credible relationships with the team, and being instrumental in setting site direction and strategy, and leading on the creation of people strategy. Challenge the status quo whilst operating comfortably outside own functional space.

• Own the HR agenda for site/functions in line with agreed functional agendas covering performance management, talent development, engagement, reward and industrial relations.

• Work in partnership with senior leaders and senior managers on establishing and implementing solutions that support the ongoing development of leadership capability. Provide coaching support to the wider management team on people related matters.

• Work with leadership teams to identify key areas impacting upon business performance such as functional capability or engagement levels. Accountable for the measurement and evaluation of issues and work in partnership with sites/functions to build action plans to improve performance.

• Provide the necessary link to other teams within the wider HR function as required, including Recruitment, Central Engagement, Central L&D, Employee Relations, Occupational Health & Wellbeing, HR Shared Services.

• Own and lead the creation of site people plans that are fully aligned to site strategic priorities and wider HR priorities, ensuring full integration of the HR agenda for the site, including engagement and site driven L&D priorities.

• Build strong relationships with site trade union teams that foster positive employee relations across the site. Partner with the Site Lead on ongoing engagement with the site trade unions, including pay negotiations and other matters requiring consultation on change. Lead the site relationship with Regional Trade Union Officials and National Officers.

• Take ownership and lead on all site trade union consultation and negotiation, to include site reorganisations and pay negotiations, and working agreement reviews. Create, align and execute consultation and negotiation plans.

• Lead resolution of complex function or site wide employee relations matters (including site wide), in partnership with site senior management. Apply employment law expertise to situations which require a balanced risk assessment in consideration of approaches to these which can create business risk.

• Maintain close links with other HR Business Partners across the UK&I to ensure consistency of HR practices and the management of any read across and wider implications of local site wide initiatives or decisions.

• Partner with the Site Lead on creation of future facing site change plans including organisation design, planning (including impact assessment, risk assessment and mitigation planning) and implementation of changes, and wider stakeholder engagement of proposals. Full responsibility for leading people workstreams.

• As required, lead UK wide Supply Chain HR people initiatives as part of role SC wide change projects, align and coordinate the activities of other members of the HRBP team in these.

• Contribute to UK Consultation Joint Forum with our trade union partners, participating and leading workstreams arising from this forum.

• Through line management of the Site Engagement Lead, take accountability for ongoing measurement of engagement levels across all worker groups at site, as well as engagement action planning to address key areas. Holding leaders to account in their roles in owning this agenda.

• Developing Site driven CSR agenda – accountable for creation, maintaining and delivery of this agenda, and execution of central CSR agenda.

• Developing site driven Inclusion & Diversity and Employee Value Proposition plans, and execution of central IDE/EVP agenda.

• Execution of centrally driven Health & Wellbeing plans, including provision of support and leadership to the site Mental Health Ambassador network.

• Through line management of the Site L&D Coordinator, take accountability for compliance training across site – including Health & Safety, Food Safety, Ethical standards, as well as inductions. Support central L&D initiatives as they arise.

• Developing and maintaining a clear understanding of the L&D offering within pladis UK&I and optimise opportunities to ensure these are accessible to targeted groups/individuals in order to develop colleague, management and leadership capability levels.

• Maintain links with HR centres of excellence, ensuring timely engagement and cascade of any new initiatives or required policy changes.

• Monitor management information generated by the Employee Relations team on key metrics relating to areas such as Absence Management, Disciplinary & Grievance to ensure that site practices are effective and at the required standard. Provide proactive intervention as needed, identifying support, upskilling requirements and improvement opportunities. Work with the site and ER team to take these forward.

• For HR related areas, oversee readiness for major ethical and retailer audits at site, and take ownership of corrective plans arising from these, ensuring consistency of approach with other sites. Work in partnership with site leadership team to drive the required standards in key measurable areas such as delivery of ethical training and working time compliance.

• Work with relevant leadership team members and our recruitment teams to oversee recruitment and resourcing decisions and activity at the site. Directly partner on all senior recruitment needs at site.

• Management and leadership of a small team of HR professionals providing coaching, performance management and development opportunities to support team member growth.

• Deputise for Head of SC HR, assuming an active role with the UK HRLT as required.

• Take budgetary responsibility for HR team and L&D budgets.

Knowledge, Experience, Qualifications & Skills

Essential

• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage, influence and motivate a wide range of stakeholders at a senior level plus trade union representatives and officials at various levels.

• Substantial previous experience of working in a fast moving HR environment with strong and associated understanding of interconnections / drivers of Employee Engagement / Employee Life Cycle.

• Previous experience of leading complex reorganisations with senior stakeholders.

• Previous experience in leading the development of medium to long term people plans linked to strategy and site priorities, in conjunction with senior stakeholders.

• A track record in leading people / organisational change from development to implementation.

• Experience of having developed people plans linked to strategy in collaboration with senior management.

• Experience of identifying and implementing improvements / solutions to people practices at a site level.

• A background of having experience of key employee relations matters – D&G, Absence Management, complex disputes.

• Experience of taking a lead role with site Trade Unions or representative forums on employee relations matters.

• Passion and drive to motivate and engage colleagues to make a real difference to the business.

• Builds respected, trusted and supportive relationships with key stakeholders.

• Strong planning, project management and organisational skills, with the ability to work flexibly to ensure the efficient and successful delivery of the site people plan.

• A personal desire to continuously learn and develop to ensure new practices and thinking are understood and embraced.

• Able to demonstrate sound interpretation, understanding and application of employment law, case law and associated best practices.

• Experience of problem solving, prioritisation and decision making in pressurised / time critical environments.

Desirable

• Previous experience of a manufacturing environment.

• CIPD qualification.

• Trade Union negotiation skills i.e. GAP Negotiator course or equivalent.

pladis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.

About Us

pladis is one of the world’s fastest growing snacking companies and home to much loved brands including McVitie’s, GODIVA and Ülker. pladis also owns regional brands Jacob’s, Go Ahead, Flipz, Turtles, BN, Verkade and many more products across sweet and savoury biscuits, wafer, cake and chocolate.

Formed in 2016, pladis is the proud steward of over 300 years of family baking and confectionery experience. The expertise of our 16,000-strong global workforce spans 27 bakeries across 11 countries and is united by our purpose: to ‘bring happiness with every bite’.

As a responsible business delivering the highest quality products and exceptional service, pladis’ products have the potential to reach more than four billion people across the world.