Senior Human Resources Business Partner

Role: Senior HR Business Partner

Duration: FTC 12 months

Location: Leicester Radar Road (LE3 1UF) with occasional travel to Doncaster and other NEXT sites as required

Salary: Competitive + Benefits

Reports To: HR Manager

Shift: Monday to Thursday 9am -5pm Friday 9am - 4.45pm

If you are a strategic thinker with a passion for developing people, driving change, and creating a positive impact, we want to hear from you!

About the Role

We’re looking for a highly skilled and accomplished Senior HR Business Partner to provide strategic HR leadership and best practice to our Online Contact Centres at NEXT. At NEXT, we’re not only one of the UK’s largest fashion retailers—we’re also one of the largest listed companies. And we’re continuing to grow. It’s the kind of growth that brings fresh energy, new opportunities, and exciting challenges for everyone across our business. Our HR division plays a vital role in supporting Contact Centre employees across three key sites, helping deliver exceptional service to over 8.6 million active customers in the UK and around the world.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a driven, strategic, and people-focused HR professional to shape the future of our Contact Centres. You’ll be responsible for leading a team of four HR Business Partners, driving forward strategic initiatives, and fostering a positive, high-performance culture.

In this role, you will provide support for a workforce of 1,000 plus employees, taking the lead on critical HR projects, navigating complex employee relations matters, and ensuring the smooth and effective delivery of HR services. Your leadership, strategic mindset, and experience in dynamic, fast-paced environments will be key to your success—and ours.

What you will be doing:

• Strategic HR Leadership: Deliver strategic HR plans to support business improvement and operational objectives.
• People Management: Proven track record of managing and leading high performing HR teams.
• Project Management: Lead key HR projects aligned to business objectives and actively drive change initiatives across NEXT Online and NEXT PLC.
• Performance and Employee Relations: Support operational managers with performance management processes and lead on resolving complex employee relations issues in an inclusive and engaging manner.
• Employee Engagement & Wellbeing: Drive employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives across the contact centre, promoting a fun, fair, and rewarding culture.
• Leadership Development: Coach, mentor, and develop a high-performing HRBP team, ensuring they are equipped to deliver their objectives and achieve their potential.
• Workforce Optimisation: Ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time, supporting resource planning and absence management.
• Business Partnering: Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels within the business.
• Continuous Improvement: Analyse and review HR data such as recruitment and retention, providing insights and suggestions to enhance processes and outcomes.
• Compliance & Best Practice: Ensure adherence to employment legislation, HR best practices, and company policies, delivering all HR processes and training to the highest standard.

What you will need to succeed:

• In-depth Knowledge of Employment Legislation: Strong understanding of current employment law, best HR practices, and employee relations.
• HR Generalist Experience: Proven experience in a generalist HR role within a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Complex ER Management: Skilled in handling complex employee relations issues at all levels, with a keen ability to investigate, probe, and resolve.
• Team Leadership: Experience in leading and developing HR teams, ensuring high performance and coaching direct reports to achieve their full potential.
• Change & Project Management: Demonstrated experience in leading consultation and change management projects to drive improvement.
• Strong Communication & Influencing Skills: Exceptional ability to communicate and influence effectively at senior levels (including Director and Executive level) in both written and spoken form.
• Planning & Prioritisation: Highly organised with excellent planning and prioritisation skills, able to manage multiple competing priorities effectively.

Qualifications:

• A degree or equivalent qualification with Graduate Membership of the CIPD (or equivalent).
• Presentation & Delivery: Strong presentation skills, with the ability to deliver difficult messages sensitively and professionally.
• Relationship Management: Proven ability to build relationships at all levels and collaborate effectively with senior leadership.
• Data-Driven: Use HR metrics and analytics to inform decision-making, track progress on HR initiatives, and recommend actions to improve performance and employee engagement.
• A Full UK Driving Licence is required, as the role involves travel between Leicester and Doncaster and other NEXT sites as required.

What’s Next?

Press the apply button now to start your application. Once you have applied for the job, we will initially consider your skills and experience based on your CV and application. If you match our criteria we will be in touch regarding the next steps.

All successful applicants will be subject to criminal & credit checks in line with our Reference Policy. In order to apply for this position you must not have had an unsuccessful application for a similar role in 6 months. In accordance with Home Office guidance successful candidates will be required to evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. This role is not one we would typically consider for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route due to, for example, the relevant Home Office requirements on skills level, not being met. Candidates are therefore encouraged to consider their own right to work options without Next sponsorship.