People Operations Team Leader in Burneside

James Cropper is looking for an experienced and forward thinking People Operations Team Leader to join our People team at Burneside.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead and develop our People Operations team, strengthen the delivery of our core people services and help create a consistent, high quality employee experience across the business.

You will oversee the full employee lifecycle, from employee relations, benefits, training wellbeing and HR systems. You will also work closely with leaders across the organisation, providing practical guidance on employee relations matters and ensuring our policies and processes are applied fairly and consistently.

Developing a strong working partnership with HR Business Partners and Talent Acquisition Lead to ensure recruitment, onboarding, talent and workforce priorities are aligned with the needs of each business area with a joined-up employee experience.

This is a hands on leadership role, ideal for someone who enjoys balancing operational delivery with continuous improvement, data led insight and meaningful people projects.

What you will be doing

• Leading, mentoring and developing the People Operations team, creating a collaborative and high performing environment.
• Overseeing the accurate and timely delivery of employee lifecycle activities, including onboarding, offboarding, benefits and wellbeing.
• Coaching and supporting leaders with employee relations matters, including absence management, disciplinary processes and grievances.
• Provide oversight and coordination of training and development activity, working with leaders and the wider People team to identify capability needs, support training plans and ensure development activity aligns with business priorities.
• Managing and improving our HR systems, processes and people data.
• Producing reports, identifying trends and using insights to improve our People services and support business decisions.
• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of employment legislation, compliance requirements and industry developments.
• Coordinating audits and supporting the review and improvement of People policies.
• Leading or contributing to projects within the wider People strategy, including policy implementation, system upgrades and service improvements.
• Working with our third-party HR providers in the USA to support local compliance and consistent service delivery.
• Promoting a positive safety culture and acting as a role model for safe working practices.

What we are looking for

You will bring strong generalist People or HR operations experience, with the confidence to lead a team and build trusted relationships throughout the organisation.

Ideally, you will have:

• CIPD Level 5 in Human Resource Management, or equivalent practical experience.
• Previous experience in People or HR operations.
• Leadership, supervisory or team development experience.
• Good knowledge of employee relations and UK employment legislation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience using HR systems and people data to improve services and inform decisions.
• The ability to manage complex operational issues with a practical, solutions-focused approach.
• Excellent attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy and quality.
• A proactive and adaptable approach in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Experience of unionised workplaces or international People operations, particularly within the USA, would be advantageous but is not essential.

Why join the James Cropper People team?

This role offers the opportunity to influence how our People services are delivered and to contribute to projects that will shape the future employee experience at James Cropper.

You will join a collaborative People team where you can share ideas, challenge existing ways of working and make a visible difference across the business.

Hybrid working is available, although this is a highly collaborative and operational role requiring a strong presence at our Burneside site.

If you are passionate about developing people, improving processes and delivering an excellent employee experience, we would love to hear from you.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier should we identify a suitable candidate or receive a sufficient volume of applications.

Our job applicant privacy policy is available to view here .

The Company

James Cropper are global market leaders in advanced materials and paper products. Led by the Cropper family for six generations, we have an international workforce and an operational reach in over 50 countries.
Established in 1845, we manufacture paper, packaging and advanced materials incorporating pioneering non-wovens and electrochemical coatings.
We operate across multiple markets from luxury retail to renewable energy. Renowned globally for service, capability, pioneering and multi award-winning commitment to the highest standards of sustainability.

Our Values

• Forward Thinking

*We are proud of our heritage but not stuck in the past * We ask questions that matter and are always open to new ideas * We are inventors, not afraid to experiment *We anticipate our customers' needs and think about what’s best for the long-term * As pioneers, we forge new paths ahead

• Responsible

* We face reality and own our actions * We believe in using materials resourcefully * We are tenacious and committed to delivering quality products and service to our customers * We are guardians of this business for future generations

• Caring

* Family and community is at the heart of our business and makes us stronger * We treat each other how we would like to be treated, and pull together when the going gets tough * We care about each other’s wellbeing, our customers, suppliers and the planet we share

Learning & Development Programmes