HR Business Partner (Pentland Capital)

Pentland is one of the UK’s largest private companies, with the holding company and family’s private offices based in Manchester Square in central London. Founded in 1932, Pentland remains an entrepreneurially led, wholly family-owned business.

Reports to: Director, Pentland Group & Head of HR (UK), Pentland Brands

Location: Manchester Square, London (with regular visits to the Pentland Brand office in Farringdon, London)

Hours: 30 hours per week (including 3 days in the office)

The HR Business Partner Mission

This role sits at the centre of Pentland Capital, supporting both the corporate head office and the family’s private office. Based in Manchester Square, the role partners closely with senior leadership and specialist teams including Ventures, Finance, Treasury, Tax and Company Secretariat, alongside executive support and front of house functions.

In parallel, the role operates as part of the wider Pentland Brands HR team, contributing to group-wide people initiatives and providing HR partnership across both environments. This creates a unique opportunity to work across a standalone, high-touch business and a larger, more structured organisation.

As the HR Business Partner for Pentland Capital, and a key member of the Pentland Brands HR community, the role focuses on aligning people strategy with business priorities. The HRBP acts as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, balancing strategic input with hands-on delivery to drive organisational effectiveness and a high-quality employee experience. A key aspect of the role is the ability to apply sound judgement in determining when a tailored, bespoke approach is required for Pentland Capital, and when to leverage the scale, expertise and established frameworks within Pentland Brands.

How you’ll drive success

• Strategic Partnering & Organisational Effectiveness

• Partner with senior leaders to shape and deliver people plans aligned to business objectives
• Apply a balanced and thoughtful approach to HR solutions, recognising when to tailor for Pentland Capital and when to align with Pentland Brands frameworks, tools and best practice
• Support organisational design, team effectiveness and change initiatives across both environments
• Use data and insight to inform decision making and drive continuous improvement in people outcomes
• Act as a trusted advisor, providing commercially focused and pragmatic HR guidance

• Oversee and deliver the employee lifecycle within Pentland Capital, ensuring a seamless and high-quality experience
• Contribute to lifecycle activity across Pentland Brands where required
• Lead and embed cyclical HR processes including performance, talent and reward, leveraging Pentland Brands approaches where appropriate while adapting to the needs of Pentland Capital
• Support succession planning and talent development to build future capability

• Coach and support leaders on performance management, engagement, development and team dynamics
• Lead on employee relations matters, managing risk while maintaining a fair and balanced approach
• Drive engagement and a positive employee experience through effective communication and people initiatives
• Work closely with Pentland Brands HR and Communications teams, ensuring consistency where appropriate while maintaining relevance for Pentland Capital

• Partner with hiring managers to define requirements, assess talent and support effective hiring decisions
• Lead recruitment for Pentland Capital and work with the Pentland Brands Talent Team to support hiring activity where required
• Ensure strong onboarding and integration for new hires

• Ensure HR policies, processes and practices are effective, aligned and fit for purpose across both entities
• Exercise judgement in adopting, adapting or developing policies to ensure they are proportionate and appropriate to each environment
• Oversee payroll and benefits processes in partnership with specialist teams
• Ensure people data is accurate and maintained within HR systems
• Maintain a strong focus on governance, compliance and confidentiality

• Embed a strong performance and development culture
• Identify capability gaps and determine when to leverage Pentland Brands learning solutions versus introducing tailored development approaches
• Support leaders in developing talent and building succession plans

What you’ll need to thrive

• Skills & Experience Required

• CIPD qualified with strong generalist HR experience, ideally within a fast-paced or entrepreneurial environment
• Strong knowledge of UK employment legislation and its practical application
• Proven experience partnering with senior stakeholders and influencing business decisions
• Ability to operate effectively across both a standalone environment and a larger, matrixed organisation, applying sound judgement to balance consistency with flexibility

• Credible and confident, with the ability to build trust and influence at all levels
• High level of integrity and discretion
• Strong judgement and decision-making capability
• Proactive and solutions-oriented, comfortable challenging constructively
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Collaborative, adaptable and accountable

• Proficient in Microsoft Office and Teams
• Experience with HR systems such as SuccessFactors or similar is beneficial

Alongside a competitive salary and discretionary bonus, we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, flexibility, and life outside work. This includes generous holiday allowance with the option to buy more, hybrid and flexible working, enhanced family leave, pension and financial protection, wellbeing support, travel schemes, and generous discounts across Pentland Brands and selected retail partners.

The Interview Process

We want our interview process to feel clear, straightforward, and supportive. If your experience and expectations look like a strong match for the role, here’s what you can expect next:

• Talent Team Intro Call - A 30-minute video call with our Talent Team to get to know each other, talk through the role and your experience, and answer any questions you have.
• Experience Interview - A more in-depth interview (usually online) with the hiring manager to explore your skills, experience and approach, and how these align with the role, our principles, and our ways of working.
• Final Interview - A final in-person interview at our office, focused on deeper discussion and practical application, giving you the chance to meet more of the team and see Pentland Brands in action.