Head of People and Culture Business Partner in Woking

We are looking for a Head of People & Culture Business Partner to join our Team KFC at the Restaurant Support Centre in Woking. In this hybrid role you will partner with C‑suite leaders and their teams to align people strategy with business objectives, advise on the employee life cycle, and drive key people priorities through Talent Development, Reward and Employee Engagement.

Responsibilities

• Partner with functional leaders to shape and deliver the people strategy, ensuring alignment with commercial priorities, growth ambition and long‑term capability needs.
• Partner with senior leadership to shape organisational design, capability and workforce strategy.
• Translate strategy into prioritised execution plans that deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Act as a key member of the People & Culture leadership team, contributing beyond people topics.
• Act as a trusted advisor to C‑suite and senior leaders, providing challenge, insight and perspective.
• Drive high‑quality decision making through data, insight and strong judgement.
• Hold leaders to account on talent, performance and culture standards.
• Navigate complex, high‑stakes decisions with credibility and confidence.
• Lead organisation design and workforce planning, ensuring the business is structured for performance, scale and the future.
• Build and embed a robust talent architecture (succession, performance, development, mobility).
• Raise the bar on leadership capability and accountability across the organisation.
• Make and support tough people decisions where needed to drive performance.
• Shape and embed a high‑performance, values‑led culture across the RSC.
• Ensure culture is driven through leadership behaviour, not just programmes.
• Use engagement and inclusion insights to drive targeted, meaningful action.
• Champion a best‑in‑class employee experience that supports performance and retention.
• Shape and drive enterprise‑wide change and transformation initiatives (e.g. growth, ways of working).
• Ensure disciplined execution, clear communication and strong adoption of initiatives.
• Anticipate future capability needs and build the organisation ahead of demand.
• Build strong relationships with employees and coaches across the RSC, act as a culture leader.
• Bring the outside in and listen to our people to design and embed new ways of working, policies and practices for our RSC team that maximise productivity.
• Coach people to continually deliver exceptional performance and support talent mobility.
• Work collaboratively with coaches and peers, demonstrating strong interpersonal and teamwork skills and sound judgement.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of senior business partnership experience in a People and Culture Generalist role.
• Demonstrated experience influencing senior management and leadership teams and ability to strategically solve problems.
• Strong coaching and facilitation skills.
• Experience with ER and knowledge of existing and upcoming employment legislation.
• Self‑starter with ability to multi‑task, manage own workload, navigate ambiguity and deliver results with a high degree of autonomy.
• Experience in talent architecture & succession planning, building strong leadership pipelines.
• Experience with global mobility a plus.

Benefits

• Flexible, hybrid working based in Woking, Surrey – 24‑minute train ride from London Waterloo; travel across the UK & Ireland may be required.
• Generous pension with up to 11% company contribution.
• Fri‑Yay time – finish up at 1 pm every Friday, all year round.
• Live Well Days – 5 days per year to disconnect, in addition to 25 days annual leave and bank holidays.
• Option to buy or sell up to 5 extra days of annual leave each year.
• Annual leave allowance increases to 30 days after 5 years’ service.
• Bonus scheme linked to company and individual goal achievement.
• Wellness initiatives and programmes, including Telus Health and 1:1 Mental Health coaching sessions.
• Private healthcare with Digital GP access and option to increase cover to include family.
• Flexible and voluntary benefits – dental insurance, health screening and gym discounts.
• Life and income protection insurance for all colleagues.
• Study support for job‑related qualifications.
• Parental leave – enhanced paid leave and flexible return‑to‑work options.
• Colleague discount – 25% discount for purchased items.

EEO Statement

We welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, background, ethnicity, gender, ability, religion or sexual orientation. We encourage under‑represented groups to apply, including women, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community. If you need any additional support with your application or during the recruitment process, please let us know.