Strategic HR Manager – NW Europe & UK

We believe great people build great brands. And we know there is nothing better in the market than a career at Brown-Forman. Being a part of Brown-Forman means you will grow both personally and professionally. You will have the opportunity to solve problems, seize opportunities, and generate bold ideas. You will belong to a place where teamwork matters and where you are encouraged to bring your best self to work.

This role is the perfect mix of strategic collaboration and hands-on execution! We’re on the hunt for an HR professional who thrives on building trusted partnerships with leaders while rolling up their sleeves to dive into the details — whether it’s ensuring Workday and payroll accuracy or providing day-to-day support to managers and employees. If you’re passionate about staying close to the business and driving meaningful impact in a dynamic global organization, this is your chance to shine!

Meaningful Work From Day One

This is a high-impact, hands-on HR Manager role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys balancing strategic HR partnering with operational delivery. Supporting our Northwest Europe business and UK employee population, you will be a trusted advisor to leaders while also rolling up your sleeves to ensure strong HR fundamentals are delivered day in, day out.

You’ll have real ownership across the employee lifecycle, helping to shape a positive employee experience, strengthen core people processes, and contribute to wider global and enterprise-wide HR initiatives where appropriate, all while remaining closely connected to the day-to-day needs of the business. The working style for this role is 4 days a week in the office with Fridays working from home.

What You Can Expect

• Act as a business-facing HR Partner within a global, matrixed organisation, building trusted relationships with leaders at all levels.
• Balance strategic HR partnering with hands-on operational delivery, rolling up your sleeves to support day-to-day HR administration alongside longer-term people initiatives.
• Use Workday to manage the employee lifecycle, ensuring high-quality data, effective workflows, accurate reporting, and strong user experience.
• Support benefits administration and work closely with Payroll and Finance to ensure payroll data accuracy, resolving issues efficiently and meeting deadlines.
• Partner with leaders and the Recruiting team on hiring needs, from job description creation through onboarding and early employee experience.
• Provide pragmatic advice and coaching to managers and employees on performance management, development planning, compensation queries, and employee relations matters.
• Handle sensitive employee relations issues with appropriate judgement, ensuring fair process, documentation, and timely follow-up.
• Partner with the HR Director to support succession planning, organisational design, talent development, and engagement initiatives.
• Contribute to and support global and enterprise-wide HR projects as needed.
• Promote an inclusive, collaborative culture aligned to company values, acting as a positive influence and change agent across the organisation.

What You Bring to the Table

• 5+ years’ experience as an HR Generalist, HR Manager, or HR Business Partner, ideally within a global, matrixed organisation.
• Proven experience balancing strategic HR partnering with operational and administrative delivery.
• Hands-on experience using Workday to manage core HR processes.
• Demonstrated practical knowledge of local employment law, with confidence in managing employee relations matters.
• Demonstrate exceptional collaboration, communication, coaching, and influencing skills to effectively partner with key stakeholders, establish credibility as a subject matter expert, and serve as a trusted advisor on all HR-related matters.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, changing environment.
• A proactive, solutions-focused mindset with the confidence to challenge constructively.

What Makes You Unique

• HR qualification or certification (e.g. CIPD or equivalent).
• Comfort working with ambiguity and evolving processes.
• Experience supporting or partnering with payroll, benefits administration, and L&D activities.
• Someone who enjoys both thinking strategically and getting into the operational details.

What We Offer

Total Rewards at Brown-Forman is designed to engage our people to ensure sustainable and profitable growth for generations to come. As a premium spirits company, we offer equitable pay structures for individual and company performance alongside a premium employee experience. We offer a range of premium benefits that reflect our company values and meet the needs of our diverse workforce.

Brown-Forman Corporation is committed to equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment. It is the policy of Brown-Forman Corporation to provide full and equal employment opportunities to all employees and potential employees without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected status.