Junior HR Business Partner in Hemel Hempstead

About Selecta

Selecta is the largest provider of unattended self‑serve coffee and convenience food in Europe, leading the way in vending solutions and specialist coffee services. Selecta operates across 16 countries within Europe, serving 12 million people every day. Within the UK we deliver a national service, relied on and trusted by circa 3,500 businesses to serve tasty beverages and snacks at a variety of locations from workplaces to schools, universities and hospitals and everywhere in‑between.

About the Role

We are seeking a Junior HR Business Partner to join our UK HR team. This is a true HR generalist Business Partner role with a strong emphasis on employee relations. You will support a defined business area, partnering closely with managers to deliver practical, commercially focused HR advice across the full employee lifecycle.

A key part of this role is confidently managing employee relations cases end‑to‑end. You will act as the first point of HR support for ER matters, helping managers navigate issues such as absence, performance, conduct, and workplace concerns, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes.

We are looking for someone who is comfortable being hands‑on in ER, enjoys working closely with operational managers, and is keen to develop into a strong and credible HR Business Partner. In this role, you will support the delivery of people‑focused initiatives and partner closely with managers to drive performance, engagement, and organisational effectiveness. You will provide guidance on employee relations, support talent and capability development, and help implement HR policies and processes across your assigned business areas.

Your goal is to foster a positive working environment, support leaders in making informed people decisions, and ensure a consistent, high‑quality HR service is delivered across the organisation.

Responsibilities

• Partner with managers to provide proactive, practical HR guidance on a range of people matters, supporting informed decision‑making and building management capability
• Build strong relationships with operational leaders and support them in effective people management
• Coach managers in handling difficult conversations and applying HR policy consistently
• Challenge constructively where needed to support fair and commercially sound decision‑making
• Support the delivery of HR initiatives and organisational priorities, including engagement, culture, recognition, and communication activities
• Manage the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, probation reviews, secondments, work experience placements, and changes to terms and conditions
• Manage employee relations cases across your business area, including investigations, disciplinaries, grievances, absence, performance, and probation management
• Support managers through ER processes from initial issue through to outcome and documentation
• Ensure fair, consistent, and legally compliant handling of cases, escalating where appropriate
• Provide practical advice on risk, policy, and appropriate outcomes in line with employment law and company policy
• Support end‑to‑end recruitment activity, including pre‑employment checks, references, and DBS processing
• Maintain accurate HR records and ensure compliance with employment legislation and internal policies
• Build strong, trusted relationships with stakeholders across operational and support functions
• Collaborate with HR colleagues to ensure consistent and high‑quality delivery of people processes across assigned business areas
• Contribute to HR projects, change programmes, and continuous improvement initiatives aligned to business needs
• Support workforce processes such as job changes, organisational updates and system access requirements
• Maintain awareness of operational HR processes to support a seamless end‑to‑end employee experience

Qualifications

• Experience in an HR, People, or advisory support role within a fast‑paced environment
• Strong exposure to employee relations case management (essential)
• Strong understanding of UK employment law and HR principles (or working towards CIPD Level 5)
• Confidence partnering with managers and building effective relationships
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret people data and trends
• Good communication skills, with the ability to influence and challenge constructively
• High attention to detail and ability to handle sensitive information confidentially
• A genuine interest in developing as a HR Business Partner

Benefits

25 days holiday per annum +