Junior People Partner in Peterborough

Company Overview

Potter and Moore Plc is a UK-based beauty and wellbeing brand owner and manufacturer listed on the AIM market, combining brand ownership with large-scale manufacturing expertise. The company operates two manufacturing sites in Peterborough and Tiverton, employs roughly 380 people, and produces more than 44 million units each year across personal care, haircare, skincare, and baby care categories. The group generates revenue through two primary channels: its portfolio of owned brands, including Emma Hardie, Feather & Down, The Curl Company, and Balance Active Formula, alongside private label manufacturing for leading retail partners. Complementing these core activities, Potter and Moore also provide selected contract manufacturing services. Through this diversified model, the business supplies major retailers and premium beauty brands across both UK and international markets.

Role Description

We are seeking an ambitious and people-focused Junior People Partner to support the delivery of a proactive, commercially aware People service across our Operations and Support Functions teams. This is an excellent opportunity for an HR professional looking to broaden their experience and develop their partnering capability within a fast-paced FMCG environment. Working closely with the Lead People Partner, you will play a key role in supporting managers, driving people initiatives and helping create a high-performance culture where employees can thrive. If you enjoy building relationships, solving problems, coaching managers and making a tangible impact on business performance, we would love to hear from you.

Role Objective

• Business Partnering
• Support managers across Operations and Support Functions to understand people priorities and translate business needs into practical people actions.
• Provide first-line advice and guidance on people matters, policies and procedures.
• Build effective working relationships with managers and employees across the business.
• Support consistent and commercially aligned decision-making across your stakeholder groups.
• Identify opportunities to improve people practices, engagement and operational effectiveness.
• Employee Relations & Manager Support
• Support the management of employee relations matters including absence, conduct, performance, capability and grievance cases.
• Assist managers in handling people issues fairly, consistently and in line with company policy.
• Escalate complex or high-risk matters appropriately while maintaining ownership of routine casework.
• Coach managers to improve confidence and capability in day-to-day people management.
• Ensure accurate documentation and effective case management throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Recruitment & Onboarding
• Coordinate recruitment processes from advertising through to onboarding.
• Support managers with workforce planning and recruitment activity.
• Manage candidate communications and recruitment administration to deliver a positive candidate experience.
• Coordinate onboarding and probation processes to support successful integration of new employees.
• Identify opportunities to improve attraction, onboarding and retention outcomes.
• Performance, Absence & Development
• Support managers with performance management processes and development planning activities.
• Monitor absence trends and support attendance management processes.
• Assist with return-to-work discussions and follow-up actions where required.
• Help managers maintain clear performance expectations and development objectives.
• Support interventions that improve capability, engagement and retention.
• People Data & Continuous Improvement
• Prepare and analyse people data including absence, turnover, employee relations, recruitment and training metrics.
• Identify trends, risks and opportunities to support informed decision-making.
• Assist with the development of meaningful management reporting.
• Contribute to the review and improvement of People policies, processes and templates.
• Support People projects and wider organisational initiatives as required.

Candidate Description

• Passionate about people and developing a career in People Partnering.
• Commercially aware and interested in understanding how effective people practices drive business performance.
• Strong relationship builder with the ability to establish credibility with managers and employees.
• Confident communicator who can explain information clearly and professionally.
• Organised and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proactive, resilient and solutions-focused.
• Comfortable handling sensitive information with professionalism and discretion.
• Curious, adaptable and committed to continuous learning and development.

Qualifications

• Previous experience within a generalist HR or People role.
• Working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Experience supporting employee relations, absence management, recruitment and core HR processes.
• Ability to build effective relationships across different levels of an organisation.
• Experience using HR systems, reporting tools and Microsoft Office applications.
• CIPD qualification or working towards CIPD accreditation desirable.
• Manufacturing, FMCG or operational environment experience would be advantageous but is not essential.

Who We Are & How We Work

We are a fast-moving, team-first business where the best idea wins regardless of where it comes from. Hierarchy doesn’t slow us down. Collaboration does the heavy lifting. People here take full ownership of their work, from the spark of an idea all the way through to results on shelf and numbers on a page. There’s no passing the baton and walking away; you see it through, you learn from it, and you make it better next time.

We move quickly and adapt without drama. If a problem needs solving, we solve it. We don’t wait for the perfect conditions or the perfect brief. That agility isn’t just a working style, it’s genuinely how we’re structured: flexible in how and where we work, lean enough to make decisions fast, and trusting enough to give talented people real responsibility from day one.

This is a place where curious, driven, solutions-focused people do some of their best work because they’re given the space, the autonomy and the team around them to make it happen. If you’re energised by pace, motivated by ownership and want to feel the direct impact of your work on a business you’re proud of, you’ll fit right in.

What We Can Offer You

• Competitive Salary & Benefits: We believe in rewarding the hard work and dedication of our employees with a comprehensive compensation package. Our standard benefits include Life Assurance, Employee Assistance Programme and Employee Benefits Platform.
• Dynamic Work Environment: Be part of a vibrant, collaborative team where innovation, ownership and continuous improvement are encouraged.
• Career Growth: Take advantage of clear development opportunities, exposure to strategic People initiatives and the chance to progress your People Partnering career within a growing business.
• Real Impact: Work directly with operational and business leaders to influence people decisions and help shape the future of our organisation.