At a Glance
- Tasks: Partner with leaders to enhance workforce effectiveness and drive impactful HR solutions.
- Company: Join Ipsum, a supportive company that values your career growth.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days leave, hybrid working, and access to mental health support.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for professional development and social events.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on people strategy and organisational culture.
- Qualifications: CIPD qualified with strong HR experience and excellent communication skills.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 60000 £ per year.
Location: Home based with regular travel to our South based locations
Travel: Regular travel across the South of England required
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Working Hours: Monday – Friday
What’s in it for you…
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays with the option to buy more
- Hybrid working
- Group Personal Pension Plan
- Car allowance
- Career development & progression with the opportunity to earn professional qualifications
- 24/7 access to a virtual GP and Mental health support & counselling services
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Discount club - supermarkets, phone bills, gyms & more
- Life assurance cover
- Long service recognition
- Active local social committees
- Regular social events
About the Role
We’re looking for an experienced and commercially minded HR Business Partner to join our Power division, partnering closely with Senior Leadership Teams and operational leaders to deliver impactful people solutions. In this role, you’ll act as a trusted advisor, owning the full employee lifecycle and ensuring that our people strategy drives performance, enhances culture, and builds long-term organisational capability. This is a highly visible role where you will balance hands-on operational delivery with strategic, data-led insight. Working alongside the Head of HR, you’ll play a key role in delivering the divisional people agenda, aligned to the wider HR strategy. You’ll influence workforce effectiveness, strengthen leadership capability, enhance engagement, and support critical business change initiatives. This role also provides the opportunity to lead on the people aspects of growth activity, including acquisitions, TUPE transfers, and integration programmes, ensuring they are delivered smoothly, compliantly, and with strong commercial outcomes.
What You’ll Be Doing
As an HR Business Partner, you will:
- Partner with leaders to develop robust workforce and succession plans, ensuring effective performance management frameworks are in place
- Use people data and insights to drive performance improvements and enhance employee engagement
- Lead and support organisational design, transformation, and change initiatives end-to-end, including TUPE and acquisitions
- Act as a trusted voice within SLT and management forums, providing pragmatic HR and employment law guidance
- Support the delivery of key HR initiatives, including engagement surveys, culture programmes, and leadership development
You’ll also provide hands-on support across the full employee lifecycle, including:
- Attraction, onboarding, and induction
- Probation reviews and performance management
- Employee relations (disciplinaries, grievances, absence, and performance concerns)
- Flexible working requests
- Reward, pay reviews, and benefits
- Restructures, redundancy processes, and offboarding
Alongside this, you’ll:
- Coach and empower managers to build leadership capability and accountability
- Drive consistency and best practice in people management across the business
About You
You’re a confident and credible HR professional who thrives in a fast-paced, matrix environment. You may already be operating at HR Business Partner level, or you’re an experienced Senior HR Advisor ready to step up into your next challenge.
You’ll bring:
- A strong generalist HR background with solid experience across the employee lifecycle
- Proven experience of leading complex change initiatives, including restructures, TUPE, and contract variations
- A strong working knowledge of employment law and its practical application
- The ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels
- A track record of delivering commercially focused, strategic HR solutions
You’ll also be:
- CIPD qualified (Level 5 minimum)
- An excellent communicator with strong interpersonal skills
- Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable navigating change
- Proactive in your approach to both business challenges and your own development
Our commitment to Equal Opportunities...
We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and experiences, and we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce.
HR Business Partner in Reading employer: Ipsum
At Ipsum, we prioritise the well-being and development of our employees, offering a supportive work environment that fosters career growth and progression. With benefits such as 25 days annual leave, hybrid working options, and access to mental health support, we ensure our HR Business Partners can thrive both personally and professionally while making a meaningful impact across our South-based locations.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land HR Business Partner in Reading
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the HR field and let them know you're on the lookout for opportunities. You never know who might have the inside scoop on a role that’s perfect for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by researching the company culture and values. Tailor your responses to show how your experience aligns with their mission. Remember, it’s all about showcasing how you can add value!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or family to get comfortable with common HR questions. The more you practice, the more confident you'll feel when it’s time to shine.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search!
We think you need these skills to ace HR Business Partner in Reading
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the HR Business Partner role. Highlight your experience with employee lifecycle management and any specific achievements that align with the job description. We want to see how you can bring value to our team!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're the perfect fit for this role. Share your passion for HR and how your skills can help us drive performance and enhance culture at Ipsum.
Showcase Your Data Skills:Since this role involves using people data to drive insights, make sure to mention any experience you have with data analysis or reporting. We love candidates who can leverage data to make informed decisions!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother application process. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and keep track of it. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Ipsum
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your HR knowledge, especially around employment law and the employee lifecycle. Be ready to discuss how you've applied this knowledge in past roles, particularly in complex change initiatives like TUPE or restructures.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Mindset
Prepare examples that highlight your ability to develop workforce and succession plans. Think about times when you've used data to drive performance improvements or enhance employee engagement, as this will resonate well with the interviewers.
✨Build Rapport with Stakeholders
Since this role involves influencing leaders and management, practice how you'll establish credibility and build relationships. Share stories of how you've successfully partnered with senior leadership teams to deliver impactful people solutions.
✨Be Ready for Scenario Questions
Expect questions that ask how you'd handle specific HR challenges, such as managing employee relations issues or leading change initiatives. Prepare structured responses using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to clearly convey your thought process and outcomes.
