People & Culture Business Partner in Comber

At Mash Direct, our aim is simple: to bring the taste of great food, rooted in six generations of farming, to every table, nurturing a stronger connection between people, their food, and the land it comes from. We’re here to be the trusted source of freshly prepared vegetable side dishes, honouring our heritage while growing responsibly for future generations. How we do that matters. We work collaboratively, act with purpose, support one another, and take ownership of the results we deliver. We also believe in looking after our people. We’re building a culture where everyone’s voice is heard, good leadership is developed, and learning and growth are part of everyday work. Supporting each other and sharing knowledge is just as important as producing great food.

If you care about good food, honest work, and being part of a team that does things properly and you want to help shape the future of how we buy, Mash Direct is a place where you’ll belong.

This is a hands-on People & Culture Business Partner role at the heart of Mash Direct, where you’ll play a key role in shaping how we support, develop, and engage our people as we continue to grow. Reporting to the Head of People & Culture, you’ll be the go-to People partner, owning recruitment and onboarding, leading complex employee relations cases with confidence, and ensuring our people processes are delivered to the highest standard. You’ll work closely with our leaders to build capability, drive consistency, and create an environment where our teams can thrive. Beyond day-to-day delivery, you’ll contribute to our wider journey of bringing the taste of great food to every table by improving how we do things. Embedding smarter, more effective people practices that support both our culture and our commercial success. This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys being close to the action, balancing operational excellence with forward-thinking ideas. Someone who takes real pride in delivery, leads from the front, and is motivated by making a tangible difference to our people, our operations, and our customers at Mash Direct.

Your role will include:

• Recruitment & Onboarding
  • Own and manage the full recruitment lifecycle, from requisition through to offer and onboarding.
  • Partner with hiring managers to ensure timely, high-quality hiring decisions.
  • Deliver a structured and effective onboarding experience that sets employees up for success.
  • Monitor recruitment activity to ensure efficiency, consistency, and positive candidate experience.
• Employee Relations
  • Take full ownership of all employee relations casework, managing disciplinaries, grievances, absence, and performance cases end-to-end.
  • Advise and support line managers on all aspects of employee relations.
• Manager Support & Capability
  • Act as a trusted advisor and coach to line managers on all people-related matters.
  • Build manager capability to confidently handle day-to-day people management and performance issues.
  • Support consistent application of P&C policies and best practice.
• Employee Engagement & Voice
  • Lead and manage the employee voice forum, ensuring it is effective, structured, and drives meaningful outcomes.
  • Act on feedback to improve engagement, communication, and employee experience.
  • Support initiatives that strengthen employee engagement and retention.
  • Partner with line managers to embed a strong safety culture, ensuring people practices support safe behaviours and compliance.
  • Support the delivery of the Company’s safety agenda, aligning engagement initiatives with safety priorities.
  • Use engagement data, feedback, and insights to identify risks and drive targeted improvements in both engagement and safety outcomes.
• Compliance, Training & Governance
  • Ensure delivery and tracking of mandatory and compliance training across the business.
  • Maintain high standards of HR governance, ensuring accuracy across right to work, contracts, SMETA standards, and employee records.
  • Ensure policies and practices are compliant with employment legislation and SMETA standards.
  • Support audit requirements and ensure readiness at all times.
  • Collaborate with line managers to ensure that all SOPs are up to date and relevant for each area.
  • Take ownership of a defined People strategy pillar.
  • Translate strategic priorities into practical, deliverable actions within the business.
  • Lead the implementation and embedding of initiatives aligned to that pillar.
  • Track and report on progress, using data to measure impact and drive continuous improvement.
  • Act as the subject matter lead for your pillar, influencing stakeholders and shaping future direction.

What we offer:

• Supportive working environment.
• Training & Development through our Growth Academy.
• Free on-site parking.
• Staff discounts on all Mash Direct products.
• Cycle to Work scheme.

You’ll be joining a culturally diverse workforce where people look out for each other and take real pride in what they produce.

What we’re looking for:

• Extensive, hands-on HR operations experience with full ownership of the end-to-end employee lifecycle.
• Demonstrable experience of personally leading complex employee relations cases, including disciplinaries, grievances, long-term absence, and performance management.
• Evidence of designing, implementing, and embedding HR processes and improvements.
• Experience of acting as the operational HR lead taking accountability for all people-related delivery.
• Advanced working knowledge of NI employment legislation.
• Proven ability to manage competing operational priorities, balancing day-to-day delivery with strategic ownership without compromising standards.

It would be beneficial if you have a strong background in both HR and training administration and governance, including experience of food industry specific audits and SMETA standards. If you want to be part of a business that values hard work, teamwork and doing things the right way, we’d love to hear from you.

Mash Direct is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.