HR Business Partner (M/F/D) in Stevenage

Avantor's Lab and Production Services (LPS) team is the engine behind our customers' scientific and manufacturing success. LPS delivers on-site laboratory, production, and operational support across world-leading research, biopharma, and advanced technology environments. As our HR Business Partner for UK & Ireland, you'll support the people who keep these critical scientific operations running. This is a fully remote role, ideally based near Cambridge or Stevenage, with regular UK travel and ad-hoc travel to Ireland, so full flexibility is essential. You will report directly to the HR Manager UK & Ireland.

The Opportunity

You will partner with the UK HRSP and HRBP LPS Europe to deliver HR support across a population of 350 colleagues in the UK and 50 in Ireland. You'll be the key HR contact for LPS teams, engineers, and Managers in both the UK and Ireland, supporting them with day-to-day HR needs and BAU activity. This role blends hands-on operational HR with the opportunity to grow your strategic capability in a global life sciences organisation.

What You'll Be Doing

• Strategic HR Support — Deliver HR initiatives aligned with business needs across UK & Ireland.
• Strategic HR Support — Partner with global HRBPs and Centres of Excellence to support regional goals.
• Strategic HR Support — Provide guidance on HR processes, policies, and best practices.
• Strategic HR Support — Support engagement, communication, and change initiatives across multiple sites.
• Strategic HR Support — Build strong relationships with Managers in both countries.

Employee Relations & Compliance

• Act as the primary contact for escalated ER matters across UK & Ireland LPS sites.
• Lead consistent ER processes, investigations, and case management.
• Support conflict resolution, grievances, and disciplinary actions.
• Ensure compliance with UK and Irish employment legislation.
• Rework and align Irish policies using appropriate legal resources.

Absence, Wellbeing & Occupational Health

• Own absence management across LPS, including long-term sickness support.
• Partner with Occupational Health and Health & Safety to support wellbeing.
• Implement reasonable adjustments, including mental health and chronic conditions.
• Align Irish absence processes with UK frameworks.

Onboarding & Compliance

• Conduct HR screening, RTW checks (via third-party portal), and OH screening.
• Ensure accurate new starter documentation and requisition management.
• Support compliance processes, including those handled by HRSSC.

Projects & Operational Excellence

• Support HR due diligence for M&A activity.
• Contribute to enterprise-wide HR initiatives and process improvements.
• Help track HR metrics and support data reporting.
• Assist with transitioning work to HRSSC or overseas teams.

You're organised, people-focused, and comfortable working independently in a fully remote role. You enjoy variety, build trust quickly, and thrive in environments where science, operations, and service delivery come together. You're motivated by supporting teams who contribute to meaningful scientific and operational outcomes.

Your First 3-6 Months

• Take ownership of absence management across LPS.
• Build strong relationships with Managers across the UK and Ireland.
• Integrate H&S into HR processes.
• Streamline OH and absence processes across both countries.
• Establish credibility within the LPS Ireland environment.

Ready to Join Avantor?

If you want to support teams shaping the future of science - and grow your HR career in a global, purpose-driven organisation - we'd love to hear from you.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of HR experience, ideally in a generalist or multi-site role.
• Strong ER capability and confidence handling complex cases.
• Knowledge of UK employment law; Irish employment law highly desirable.
• Strong data and HR systems skills.
• Ability to balance hands-on admin with strategic support.
• A full driving licence and flexibility to travel weekly in the UK and ad-hoc to Ireland.
• A proactive, detail-focused approach and a desire to grow as an HRBP.

Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Why Avantor? Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000+ associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science. The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter's down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor. We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world. Apply today!