Associate People Partner

Studio Overview

We are Sports Interactive. The studio behind Football Manager. Founded in 1994, Sports Interactive became a wholly owned subsidiary of SEGA Europe in 2006. Based at the Here East technology hub in Stratford, East London, the SI team continues to expand as we bring our titles to an ever-growing audience across an increasing variety of platforms. To support our growth, we welcome the opportunity to connect with passionate people with the drive to match our ambitions and initiative to realise your individual potential.

Position Overview

We are looking for a proactive and adaptable Associate People Partner to help foster a positive, high‑performing culture across the Studio, supporting managers and team members to do their best work and continue to develop. You will be working closely with the People Partner Team and line managers providing practical day-to-day people support and guidance. You will join a small, well-respected and supportive People team, aligned with the wider Sega of Europe HR function. With the benefit of HR shared service support across Recruitment, Total Reward, L&D, HR Tech, and HR Ops, you will have the tools and support to make a meaningful impact.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partner to Line Managers: Build strong relationships with your stakeholders so that you become a trusted advisor and their ‘go-to’ for any HR related matters. Work closely with the People Partner team to support Studio people priorities, helping managers deliver their people plans and respond to the needs of their teams. Support and coach managers to effectively manage performance, development, wellbeing and engagement within their teams, helping them build confidence in handling people matters. Support performance and development processes, including objective setting, performance reviews, succession planning and career development activities. Partner with line managers and the Recruitment team to support recruitment activity, helping to deliver a positive candidate experience and effective hiring outcomes. Contribute to the People Manager Group and other initiatives that support managers in developing their people management skills. Provide guidance to managers on day-to-day employee relations matters, including absence, probation, performance and conduct issues, escalating more complex cases where appropriate.
• Generalist HR & HR Projects: Take ownership of key aspects of the team member lifecycle, supporting activities such as onboarding, probation reviews, internal moves and offboarding. Support initiatives that strengthen engagement, retention and a high-performing culture aligned to Studio values. Work collaboratively with central HR services and SEGA Studios HR teams on relevant activity and shared initiatives. Identify opportunities to improve people processes and ways of working, helping to create a consistent and positive experience for team members and managers. Use engagement survey results and other people data to identify themes, support action planning and track progress. Work in conjunction with the HR Co-ordinator to prepare and maintain people reports and metrics, helping to identify trends and inform people-related decisions. Ensure HR policies and processes are applied effectively and consistently, while maintaining legal compliance.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Knowledge: Good understanding of HR best practice and UK employment law, with the ability to apply this in day-to-day situations with support where needed. Understanding of core people processes, including performance management, talent development, engagement and employee relations.
• Skills: Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility with managers and team members. Strong listening, communication and coaching skills, with the ability to provide practical guidance and support. Analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate people data into meaningful insight and action. Well organised, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities. Adaptable and resilient, able to respond quickly, manage issues calmly and identify practical improvements where appropriate. Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Outlook and Word. Able to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• Experience: HR generalist experience operating at the level of HR Advisor or Junior HRBP/People Partner level. Experience supporting managers with day-to-day people matters. Experience supporting performance, talent and engagement processes. Experience using HR systems and databases; experience of Workday would be advantageous. Previous experience of, or an interest in, the games industry, sport or a creative environment would be advantageous.

Benefits of Working at Sports Interactive:

• Private Healthcare and Dental Plans.
• A range of Gym Membership options through our Benefits partners.
• Travel Insurance for yourself and your family.
• Subsidised mental health, therapy, and coaching sessions are available.
• Access to our on-site physical and massage therapist services.
• Free access to games released under the SEGA Europe umbrella.
• Contributory Pension Scheme (up to 7% of annual salary).
• Regular events in collaboration with our partnered football clubs.
• Free onsite evening bar in our London HQ.
• A well-stocked breakfast bar with cereals, fruits, teas, and coffees.
• Multiple clubs and societies to join e.g., book club and art workshops.
• Your club’s shirt personalised upon passing probation.
• Trophies & gift cards for length of service milestones.
• Cupcakes delivered on your birthday.

What is it like to work here?

We approach everything with passion, whether that is making our mark on the football industries or doing our bit for the world around us. We want to share that outlook with everyone who shows up to work here each day. For us, talent wins games, but teamwork wins titles. All our roles require a level of Studio attendance to help us collaborate effectively and stay connected as a team. Collaboration is the key to constantly topping our best. Everyone's contribution counts, no matter which part of the business you are in. We encourage and support our people in driving your own growth and realising your full potential. But, more than anything else, we are a team. A team with a down-to-earth dynamic, that has a lot of fun doing what we do. And whether that’s technical tweaks or fine-tuning our creative process, everything is geared at producing the best game possible for our players. To do that, we need to be tenacious and ambitious and not be afraid of switching things up. It is these principles that have enabled us to produce a game that has defined year after year, and that will continue to push us for many more to come. We’re also a London Living Wage employer and boast one of the lowest staff turnover rates in the industry. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from any relevant candidate irrespective of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion, or belief. SI is proudly a Disability Confident Committed employer, and we are dedicated to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible. Our studio has disabled access and facilities but please ensure you advise us if you require any other reasonable adjustments to be made to support you during the recruitment process.

Our Values:

• Keep collaborating: Teamwork wins titles – Here, ideas belong to everyone, whatever department you’re part of. Collaboration lets us score more as a team than we could individually.
• Be flexible: We think fast and adapt faster. The football and entertainment worlds never stand still, so we keep progressing and switching things up to stay ahead.
• Stay Tenacious: We don’t overlook the details. Everything we do is about producing the best game possible, in other words, never settle.
• Show Ambition: Let your drive lead the way – Your individual outlook can give everyone the edge. Make the studio’s purpose personal and let your drive lead the way.
• Bring the Passion: Have fun doing your thing – Don’t be fooled, what we do is not a game. Making our players’ passion come to life is our passion.
• Consider the Bigger Picture: Keep things in perspective – We want our impact to be a positive one. From built-in work/life balance to initiatives covering the most important topics of today, we have what matters in focus.