HR Business Partner – Corporate Office

SSP Group plc (LSE:SSPG) is a global leading operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations employing 49,000 colleagues in around 3,000 units across 38 countries. We specialise in designing, creating and operating a diverse range of food and drink outlets in airports, train stations and other travel hubs across six formats: sit-down and quick service restaurants, bars, cafés, lounges, and food-led convenience stores. Our extensive portfolio of brands features a mix of international, national, and local brands, tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clients and customers. Our purpose is to be the best part of the journey, and our focus is on making every journey taste better – bringing great food and welcoming hospitality to travellers across the globe. Sustainability is crucial for our long-term success, and we aim to deliver positive impact for our business while uniting stakeholders to promote a sustainable food travel sector.

About the role

The Corporate Office HR Business Partner (HRBP) works closely with Directors, senior leaders and line managers to deliver the annual People Plan and the core colleague lifecycle. The role acts as a trusted adviser, providing HR expertise, coaching and guidance to build leadership capability, drive engagement, and support a high‑performance culture. This position also holds responsibility for leading senior leader recruitment and shaping organisational capability to meet business needs. This is a hybrid role with 3 days per week required in our Camden, London office.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver the Annual People Cycle
• Advise and coach line managers on pay and lead the annual pay review process.
• Manage the end‑to‑end annual talent cycle, supporting managers in identifying high‑potential talent and building succession pipelines.
• Lead the development, delivery, and analysis of the annual employee engagement survey and facilitate action planning.
• Work with the Shared Service Centre to ensure all people changes are accurate and completed on time.
• Oversee performance review processes to ensure high‑quality, consistent and meaningful conversations.
• Shape and Deliver the Annual People Plan
• Contribute to the People Plan, ensuring alignment with the Group People Strategy and the needs of your business area.
• Plan, communicate and deliver the People Plan activities to agreed timelines.
• Act as an advocate and champion of change, supporting leaders through change programmes and cultural initiatives.
• Lead and support bespoke people projects, continuous improvement activity and business-wide initiatives as required.
• Act as the People Expert for Line Managers
• Provide HR expertise and coaching on organisational design, structural changes and role creation.
• Advise and coach managers on performance management, supporting issues through to resolution.
• Manage ER cases from start to finish, ensuring fair, timely and legally compliant outcomes.
• Identify root causes of ER issues and partner with leaders to implement preventative measures.
• Maintain and update People content on the intranet, ensuring clarity and consistency.
• Maintain monthly People KPIs and produce insight-driven commentary for leadership.
• Support Managers to Develop Their Teams
• Partner with the Resourcing Manager to ensure high‑quality recruitment outcomes, with a strong focus on internal mobility and talent development.
• Collaborate with L&D to design and deliver learning and development solutions for managers.
• Support leaders in building high-performing, engaged and inclusive teams.
• Lead Senior Leadership Recruitment
• Lead the end‑to‑end recruitment of senior leaders and business-critical roles.
• Partner with Directors to shape role requirements, success criteria, and leadership behaviour expectations.
• Manage relationships with executive search firms and ensure high-quality candidate experience.
• Support and deliver senior-level assessment processes, including competency-based interviewing and psychometric testing.
• Advise leaders on offer development, negotiation, and onboarding to ensure successful integration.

Skills & experience

• Proven experience in an HR Business Partner or senior HR Advisory role.
• Strong background coaching and advising managers on ER, performance, talent, and organisation issues.
• Experience delivering the annual People Cycle (pay review, performance, talent, engagement).
• Demonstrated ability to analyse people data and present insights to leaders.
• Experience managing end‑to‑end ER cases, including complex or sensitive situations.
• Track record of building strong stakeholder relationships with senior leaders.
• Experience managing senior, specialist, or business-critical recruitment.
• Ability to influence directors and shape leadership hiring decisions.
• Experience working with executive search providers and running robust assessment processes.
• Strong understanding of leadership capability, behaviours, and succession implications.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Evidenced commitment to continuous professional development.