Specialist, People Advisor - Operations / Production

Job description

Empower People. Drive Performance. Shape the Future.

Are you passionate about people and performance? Do you thrive in fast-paced, high-performance environments where no two days are the same? As a Specialist, People Advisor, you’ll be at the heart of our people strategy—delivering exceptional HR support and championing a culture where individuals and teams can truly thrive.

This is more than a support role. It’s a chance to be a trusted partner, a coach, a challenger, and a culture carrier. You’ll work side-by-side with managers and teams, embedding yourself in their world to understand their challenges, unlock their potential, and drive performance through people.

Be the People Expert

• Act as the first point of contact for all HR matters—providing expert advice on employee relations, performance, wellbeing, and engagement.

• Manage complex ER cases with confidence and care, including sickness absence, Occupational Health referrals, and policy interpretation.

• Own the resolution of employee and manager queries, ensuring a seamless and supportive experience.

Partner with the Business

• Build strong, proactive relationships with managers and team members—becoming a visible and trusted advisor.

• Support organisational design and change initiatives, including restructures, T&Cs, and contractor management.

• Collaborate with People Partners to deliver talent and succession planning, ensuring future-ready teams.

Drive Talent and Growth

• Partner with Talent Acquisition to support recruitment strategy, interviews, and onboarding.

• Champion early careers programmes—helping to shape the next generation of talent through internships, apprenticeships, and STEM initiatives.

• Support learning and development rollouts, including delivery and follow-up with managers.

Champion Culture and Engagement

• Lead on employee engagement initiatives, including Pulse Surveys—turning insights into action.

• Support the annual reward cycle, including salary reviews, bonuses, and benefits.

• Conduct exit interviews, analyse trends, and advise on retention strategies.

• Promote inclusion, wellbeing, and a psychologically safe workplace.

Enable Data-Driven Decisions

• Maintain accurate HRIS data and reporting to support strategic decisions and budget alignment.

• Spot trends, identify risks, and provide insights that shape people priorities.

• Own and update people policies to ensure they’re fit for purpose and future-ready.

Collaborate Across the People Function

• Work closely with People Experience, Talent, Engagement, and Finance teams to deliver joined-up solutions.

• Share knowledge and align approaches with fellow People Advisors to ensure consistency across the business.

• Act as the bridge between managers, People Partners, and specialist teams to land initiatives effectively.

Job requirements

Knowledge, skills and Experiences

• Proven HR advisory experience in high-performance environments (engineering or sport a plus!).

• Strong ER knowledge and case management experience.

• A data-driven mindset with a passion for continuous improvement

• Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills.

• CIPD Level 5 or equivalent experience.

How You’ll Work

We operate a hybrid working model, but flexibility is key. You’ll adapt to the needs of the teams you support, ensuring you’re present and impactful when it matters most.

What Sets You Apart

You’re not just an HR professional—you’re a performance partner. You’re curious, courageous, and collaborative. You challenge the status quo, take ownership, and deliver with impact. You’re a culture champion who leads by example and inspires others to do the same.

What can McLaren offer?

We constantly strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. Our ambition is to be the most pioneering and exhilarating racing team in the world, and our collective task is to set the standards for high performance in sport. We show up every day with energy and enthusiasm, ready to play our part.

We encourage and support diversity, equity and inclusion. We will actively promote a culture that values difference and eliminates discrimination in our workplace.

McLaren Racing is based at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) near Woking. Here at McLaren, we offer hybrid working with 3 days a week based in the MTC.

Our state of the art, sustainable campus offers many facilities including a gym, restaurant and indoor and outdoor break-out areas, as well as direct access to park and common land. The MTC is connected to Woking mainline station via regular shuttle buses, from which London Waterloo is a 30 minute train ride.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including private healthcare, car schemes, life insurance and generous pension contributions.