People Manager in Saint Helens

Company Overview

At AVK, we are on an exciting journey of growth. Two years ago, our revenue was £66m and we were a team of 140. Last year, our revenue grew five-fold to £325m, and we now have a headcount of over 300 people across the UK and Europe. As part of our continued expansion in prime power and microgrid solutions, we are opening a brand-new operational site in Haydock. Getting the People foundations right from day one is critical to how this site operates, how colleagues experience work, and how the business performs.

To support this, we are creating a People Manager role based on site at Haydock, providing dedicated, hands-on People support as the site launches and grows.

Role Overview

This is a site-based, operational People Manager role, responsible for the day-to-day People experience at our new Haydock site. You’ll be the main People contact on site, supporting approximately 80 colleagues and their managers with practical, timely People support. You’ll play an important role in setting the tone for how People matters are handled at Haydock - ensuring a fair, consistent and professional employee experience from the outset. This includes being visible on site, approachable to colleagues, and confident dealing with issues as they arise. You’ll also have line management responsibility for a front-of-house colleague, with accountability for setting expectations, maintaining standards, and ensuring a positive first impression and day-to-day experience for employees and visitors. Reporting into a Senior People Partner, you’ll escalate complex matters as needed and ensure site activity aligns with wider People policies and standards.

Key Responsibilities

• On-site People support: Act as the dedicated People Manager for the Haydock site, supporting a workforce of approximately 80 colleagues. Be a visible, approachable presence on site, providing practical People support to employees and managers. Help establish clear ways of working and expectations as the site embeds and grows.
• Employee relations: Provide proactive support and coaching for line managers on day-to-day employee relations matters, including absence, performance, conduct and disciplinary processes. Ensure issues are handled fairly, consistently and in line with company policies, industry best practice and employment legislation. Escalate complex or higher-risk matters to the Senior People Partner where appropriate.
• People Operations & processes: Support the rollout and embedding of People processes at the Haydock site. Work closely with People Ops to ensure joiners, leavers and employee changes are managed smoothly. Ensure People records and documentation are accurate, up to date and compliant.
• Employee experience & site culture: Be the onsite ambassador building a positive, professional employee experience at a brand-new site. Act as a sounding board for colleagues, utilising your own expertise to proactively identify themes or concerns and provide action plans to address these in a timely manner. Drive engagement, wellbeing and communication at site level.
• Line management: Line manage a front-of-house colleague, setting clear expectations and maintaining high standards. Take responsibility for the tone, professionalism and employee experience at the front of house. Provide proactive, timely feedback on performance and standards to direct reports, celebrate successes and address development needs as required. Provide day-to-day guidance and support to ensure delivery against agreed expectations.
• Growth & change: Alongside business leaders, develop a people plan to support site growth and workforce expansion, including changes to roles, teams or working arrangements. Provide consistent, high-quality People support during periods of change as the site develops.

Requirements

• Experience in a generalist HR / People role in an operational or site-based environment.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations.
• Confidence handling ER matters independently and pragmatically.
• A practical, grounded approach, comfortable being present on site and dealing with issues directly.
• Strong interpersonal skills and sound judgement.
• Experience working in a factory, engineering, manufacturing or similar operational setting is highly desirable.

Why this role matters

This role will help set the foundations for how People support is experienced at AVK’s new Haydock site. By providing consistent, visible and practical People support from day one, you’ll play a key role in shaping a positive employee experience and ensuring the site operates smoothly as it grows.

Benefits

• Private Health Insurance
• Performance Bonus
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Birthday Off
• Pension Plan

AVK|SEG does not discriminate on the race, colour, religion, sex, age, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits. We will endeavour to respond to all applicants however due to the volume of responses, we can only guarantee that candidates who have been shortlisted will be contacted.