Senior People / HR Manager in Ulverston

Our customers are retailers in the outdoor sector, from Cycle through to Equestrian. We’ve revolutionised the way the UK cycle retail works, and helped small companies compete and beat larger businesses. The HR and People Manager is a pivotal role within Citrus-Lime, responsible for building and sustaining a people function that genuinely supports the company’s growth and ambitions. This is not a purely administrative HR role; it is a strategic position for someone who believes that a well-led, well-supported team is the foundation of every successful business.

The HR and People Manager will own the full employee lifecycle, from the moment a candidate first encounters Citrus-Lime through to the ongoing development and retention of talented individuals across the company. At the heart of this role is a commitment to meritocracy, working closely with the Management team to establish clear, consistent performance standards across every part of the business, ensuring that learning is actively encouraged, underperformance is addressed fairly and constructively, and those who consistently perform have a visible path to progress.

Beyond performance, the HR and People Manager will be the custodian of Citrus-Lime’s culture and employee experience, shaping how the company hires, how new people are welcomed and onboarded, and how employees feel day to day, to create policies, processes, and a culture that people genuinely feel proud to be part of.

• Performance Standards & Meritocracy
• Partner with the Management team to define and embed clear, consistent performance standards across all teams and functions.
• Design and oversee a performance management framework that supports regular, meaningful conversations about expectations, development, and progress.
• Promote a culture of meritocracy in which high performance is recognised and rewarded, learning and growth are embedded into everyday working life, and underperformance is addressed promptly, fairly, and supportively.
• Support managers in building the confidence and capability to have honest, constructive performance conversations.
• Work with leadership to ensure that career progression pathways are transparent, equitable, and tied to demonstrated performance and contribution.
• Own the end-to-end recruitment experience, ensuring Citrus-Lime attracts high-quality candidates through a consistent, professional, and values-led process that moves with real pace and velocity.
• Partner with hiring managers to define role requirements, design effective selection processes, and make confident, well-informed hiring decisions.
• Design and deliver an onboarding programme that sets new starters up for success from day one, building on our 30, 60, and 90 day plans, ensuring they feel welcomed, informed, and clear on expectations from the outset.
• Monitor early-tenure engagement and performance to identify any risks or support needs within a new employee’s first few months, ensuring only high-quality team members who strengthen the business are retained after trial periods.
• Work with the CEO to define and articulate Citrus-Lime’s company culture, ensuring it is lived and not just stated, visible in how decisions are made, how people are treated, and how the company communicates.
• Champion psychological safety, a fail-fast-and-learn approach, and employee wellbeing, ensuring people feel safe to speak up, ask for support, and be themselves at work, with appropriate resources and signposting in place when needed.
• Design and implement employee engagement initiatives that foster a sense of belonging, motivation, and pride in working at Citrus-Lime.
• Develop and manage regular mechanisms for gathering employee feedback, including surveys, forums, and informal channels and ensure insights are acted upon meaningfully.
• Work closely with the Management team to understand the people needs of each area of the business and ensure the people function is proactively supporting operational and strategic goals.
• Build trusted relationships with managers across the company, acting as a coach and thought partner on people matters.
• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders on organisational design, team structure, and workforce planning as the business evolves.

• HR Policy, Documentation & Compliance
• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive suite of HR policies, procedures, and documentation that are legally compliant, clearly written, and accessible to all employees.
• Ensure policies are reviewed and updated regularly to reflect changes in employment law, best practice, and the evolving needs of the business.
• Act as the primary point of expertise for all HR-related matters, providing consistent guidance to managers and employees across the company.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee records in line with GDPR and data protection requirements.
• Manage employee relations matters including disciplinaries, grievances, and absence, ensuring fair, consistent, and well-documented processes are followed.
• Continuously review and improve HR processes to reduce administrative friction and ensure the people function operates efficiently and to a high standard.
• Identify opportunities to use technology and tooling, including AI to improve the employee experience and the effectiveness of the HR function.
• Track and report on key people metrics, including turnover, time-to-hire, engagement, and absence, using data to inform decisions and identify trends.
• Stay current with developments in employment law, HR practice, and people management, bringing relevant insights and recommendations to the business.

Proven experience in a senior HR or People role, operating at HR Manager or Business Partner level and above. Demonstrable experience designing and implementing HR policies, procedures, and frameworks from the ground up. Hands-on experience managing a full recruitment and onboarding process, including direct collaboration with hiring managers. Experience managing employee relations matters including disciplinaries, grievances, and absence. Experience building or significantly evolving a company’s culture and employee engagement strategy. Experience working as a standalone HR function without a broader team. Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice. Competent in producing clear, professional written documentation including policies, letters, and reports. Ability to analyse and interpret people data and present findings clearly to a non-HR audience. Familiarity with HRIS or applicant tracking systems. Experience designing or delivering manager capability programmes. Knowledge of reward, recognition, or compensation benchmarking practices. A curious and proactive approach to the use of AI in HR processes. A genuine passion for building high-performing, engaged teams and investing in people development.

Part-time position, 24 hours per week, based in Ulverston, Cumbria. 31 days holidays including Bank Holidays and time off at Christmas pro rata. Regular 1:1 meetings with line manager and annual pay reviews. Private healthcare, including dental, optical, and mental health support.