Junior People Partner in London

Junior People Partner

Location: Roaming, working from home, at client offices and at least one day a month in Sevenoaks
Hours: Full-time, with part-time working also considered
Salary: £35,000 to £40,000 p.a. FTE (pro rata for part-time hours)
Start date: To be agreed

At The Fractional HR Department, we give small businesses and growing teams practical, flexible HR support, so they get expert people advice without the cost or complexity of a full-time hire.

Our approach is simple, human and effective. We give clear advice, keep processes sensible and focus on HR that helps businesses grow. We don’t hide behind jargon or over-engineered solutions. We give clients what they need, when they need it.

We work as an extension of our clients’ teams and build close, trusted relationships with founders and leaders. Our clients are entrepreneurial, fast-moving and values-led, so the work is hands-on, varied and has a visible impact.

The role

We’re looking for a Junior People Partner to join our team and develop into a fully rounded People Partner.

This role is ideal for someone with strong generalist HR and employee relations experience who is ready to broaden their skillset across people partnering, client management, HR projects and more strategic people work.

You don’t need previous People Partner experience. You might be an experienced HR Advisor looking for your next step, or you may be in another generalist HR role and ready for more responsibility and variety.

What’s important is that you have solid HR foundations, strong ER experience and the judgement and confidence to give clear, practical advice.

You’ll work alongside experienced People Partners and have a clear development plan towards becoming a People Partner, gradually broadening your experience and taking greater ownership of client relationships as you develop.

What you’ll be doing

People partnering and HR delivery

• Providing clear, practical and legally compliant HR advice across the employee lifecycle
• Managing ER matters including disciplinaries, grievances, performance, sickness and changes to terms
• Supporting more complex ER matters such as redundancies, restructures and TUPE, with guidance where needed
• Working alongside People Partners to support founders, directors and managers with their people priorities
• Supporting the development and delivery of annual People Plans
• Bringing structure and calm to people situations that are still unfolding or unclear
• Using HR data, such as absence trends and benchmarking, to support recommendations
• Supporting and delivering HR projects that make people practices simpler and more effective
• Coordinating recruitment and supporting effective onboarding
• Supporting and developing performance management approaches
• Coaching managers so they can handle people issues with greater confidence
• Preparing and reviewing template contracts, policies and core HR documentation
• Supporting and delivering practical client training

Client relationships and account support

• Building strong, trusted relationships with clients
• Supporting People Partners with ongoing account management and client reviews
• Developing your confidence advising founders and senior leaders
• Building your commercial understanding of our clients and how their businesses operate
• Spotting opportunities where clients may benefit from additional projects or HR support
• Contributing to scopes, proposals and resource planning
• Gradually taking greater ownership of client relationships as you develop

Contributing to the wider team

• Sharing knowledge and learning across the People Partner team
• Suggesting improvements to our processes, tools and ways of working
• Helping develop our services as we grow
• Supporting the delivery of training courses and webinars

Your development

You’ll have the opportunity to develop your skills across:

• People planning and strategic HR advice
• Client and stakeholder management
• Commercial HR and understanding our clients’ businesses
• Scoping and delivering HR projects
• Using people data to influence decisions
• Coaching and influencing managers and senior leaders
• Managing client accounts
• Identifying opportunities for additional client support
• Training and facilitation

As your confidence and capability grow, you’ll take on increasing responsibility and develop towards managing your own portfolio of clients.

About you

We’re looking for someone with:

• Strong UK generalist HR experience
• Good hands-on ER experience and confidence managing cases
• A sound understanding of UK employment law and HR best practice
• Experience advising and coaching managers
• The ability to give clear, practical and balanced advice
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• The ability to manage competing priorities without losing sight of the detail
• Confidence working independently while knowing when to ask for support
• Curiosity about how businesses work and a desire to develop commercially
• A genuine interest in broadening your experience beyond operational HR and ER
• A desire to develop into a People Partner role
• CIPD Level 5, working towards it, or equivalent practical experience

Experience working in an HR consultancy, supporting SMEs, delivering HR projects or working across different HR systems would be an advantage, but isn’t essential.

What you’ll get from us

• A clear development pathway towards a People Partner role
• A structured development plan to help you build your skills and experience
• Coaching and support from experienced People Partners
• Exposure to a wide range of industries, businesses and people challenges
• The opportunity to broaden your experience across ER, projects, people planning and client management
• Increasing responsibility and ownership of client relationships as you develop
• A supportive HR team who share knowledge and back each other
• Opportunities to shape our services and influence how we work
• Hybrid and flexible working
• Full-time or part-time working options
• 26 days’ holiday (pro rata for part-time hours)
• Holiday exchange scheme
• Pension scheme
• Monthly whole-team co-days in Sevenoaks, including lunch
• Free refreshments and snacks in the Sevenoaks office

Working pattern

We’re open to both full-time and part-time applicants and are happy to discuss a working pattern that works for both you and the needs of our clients.

The role is hybrid, combining home working with client visits and at least one whole-team co-day a month in Sevenoaks.