People Business Partner – Scale & Change (FTC) in Northam

Employment Type: Fixed Term Contract (12 months, with strong possibility for extension)

Hours of Work: 37.5 hours

Location: Hybrid with 4 days per week in Bideford

Your next chapter

Travel Chapter is growing at pace. Our teams are scaling, our functions are maturing and our culture is moving forward with purpose. The People Team plays a critical role in that journey and we are looking for a People Business Partner who brings expertise, clarity and authenticity. This FTC role will support priority business activity over the next 12 months, with scope for extension as our organisational needs evolve. It would suit someone who enjoys pace, is comfortable with change and can land impact quickly. This role also plays a key operational leadership role within the People Team, overseeing the delivery of high-quality People services and ensuring a consistent, efficient and people-centred experience across the employee lifecycle. Most importantly, it’s for someone who is brilliant and grounded. Skilled and humble. Confident and genuinely collaborative.

What will I be doing?

• You’ll partner closely with leaders and teams, providing practical guidance across performance, capability, workforce planning and organisational change.
• You’ll be a steady voice in complex moments and a thoughtful challenger when it’s needed.
• Alongside your partnering responsibilities, you’ll lead and oversee the delivery of our People Shared Services function, ensuring that our People processes run smoothly, consistently and in line with best practice.
• You’ll also support TUPE transitions and integration, ensuring we balance operational requirements with a people-centred experience.
• Working closely with Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development, you’ll help ensure a seamless experience from attraction through to development and offboarding, while continuing to shape how we work as a People Team.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead People initiatives across the full employee lifecycle including workforce planning, restructuring, resourcing, talent, pay and reward, performance and engagement.
• Lead and oversee the People Shared Services function, ensuring efficient, accurate and high-quality People administration.
• Manage, coach and support People Team Assistants, setting clear priorities and maintaining strong service delivery standards.
• Ensure People queries are managed effectively and escalated appropriately where needed.
• Oversee employee lifecycle administration including contracts, onboarding, changes and offboarding processes.
• Maintain accurate People systems (HiBob) and ensure data integrity, compliance and GDPR standards are met.
• Support recruitment processes, including oversight of Teamtailor ATS, interview coordination and candidate experience.
• Work closely with Talent and Development to support learning coordination and LMS activity.
• Support TUPE processes and employee transfers, ensuring smooth transitions and positive employee experience.
• Partner with managers and teams to drive morale, productivity, retention and absenteeism outcomes.
• Embed a high-performance culture through effective coaching, performance and absence management.
• Manage complex employee relations matters with confident, pragmatic and legally-sound advice.
• Collaborate across the People Team to support a healthy, engaged and empowered workforce.
• Adapt quickly to change with resilience and a solutions-focused mindset.

Experience And Expertise

We know the perfect candidate who ticks every box doesn’t exist, so if you’re excited by the role and can do most of the below, we’d love to hear from you.

• Experience in a People Business Partner or operational People leadership role.
• Experience leading or overseeing a People administration or shared services function.
• Experience managing or supporting team members.
• Strong experience across the full employee lifecycle and operational People processes.
• Experience in a scaling or multi-site organisation, ideally with change or TUPE exposure.
• TUPE knowledge including integration and employee experience.
• Experience working with HR systems (e.g. HiBob) and ATS platforms (e.g. Teamtailor).
• A track record of improving People processes and service delivery.
• Strong experience in performance and absence management with high standards for accountability.

Skills And Attributes

• Excellent interpersonal, coaching and influencing skills with credibility at all levels.
• Confident and proactive, with the ability to influence People processes and initiatives.
• Strong organisational skills with high attention to detail and accuracy.
• Adaptable, energetic and comfortable working at pace.
• Constructive and solutions-focused when challenges arise.
• Calm under pressure with sound judgement in sensitive situations.
• Passionate about engagement, culture and building an inclusive workplace.
• Genuine, straightforward communicator.
• High levels of discretion and professionalism when handling confidential information.

Qualifications

CIPD Level 7 (or equivalent experience) preferred.

What’s in it for you?

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rated for FTC).
• A special day off for your birthday or a loved one’s birthday.
• £500 paid towards a holiday of your choice (eligibility rules apply).
• A paid volunteering day for a charity you care about.
• Friends and family discount scheme.
• Life assurance.
• Social clubs for a range of interests.
• Fun events throughout the year including our famous Christmas parties.

Who are we?

We’re Travel Chapter, the holiday home people, and we’re on a mission to showcase great places to stay across the UK. We’ve grown from a small South West agency to one of the market leaders in our industry, but we’ve never lost our values or people-first ethos. We are proud to have been recognised as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024. Our culture is inclusive, friendly and fair, encouraging people to explore new ideas and push boundaries. We learn when things don’t go to plan, adapt quickly and keep evolving. Diversity matters to us and we work hard to be inclusive. If you need adjustments to support you during the application or interview process, just let us know and we’ll be happy to help.