HR Business Partner

James Fisher and Sons plc; Greater London, Preston; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits

Career development opportunities

Disability Confident employer

Job summary

James Fisher and Sons plc is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to work in London or Preston. You will partner with senior leaders to drive people strategies, talent development, and workforce planning, delivering impactful people initiatives across a multi-site organisation.

The role blends strategic partnership with hands-on operational support. You will influence leaders, manage complex employee relations, and use people data to inform decisions, strengthening management capability

Qualifications

• CIPD Level 7 or equivalent HR expertise demonstrated through experience.
• Proven experience as HR Business Partner, HR Manager or senior HR generalist.
• Experience with strategic and operational HR support in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience managing complex employee relations and organisational change.
• Ability to partner with senior leaders and stakeholders across a multi-site structure.

Responsibilities

• Build strong relationships with senior leaders and managers to support business objectives.
• Provide expert HR guidance across the full employee lifecycle and ensure high-quality HR service.
• Coach and influence managers to build leadership capability and improve performance.
• Lead on employee relations matters with pragmatic, compliant advice.
• Support organisational change initiatives, restructures and workforce transitions.
• Identify current and future workforce needs, skills gaps and resourcing priorities.
• Drive talent, performance and capability initiatives to reach business potential.
• Use people data and insights to identify trends and translate into actions.
• Champion employee engagement and an inclusive high-performing culture.
• Collaborate with HR Shared Services and other HR teams to deliver seamless solutions.

Skills

Relationship-building

Coaching

Stakeholder management

Change management

People data analysis

Communication

Collaboration across HR

Education

CIPD Level 7 qualification

Tools

HR systems proficiency

Job description

About the Role

HR Business Partner Full-time, Permanent UK - London or Preston

Are you a commercially minded HR professional who thrives on building strong relationships, influencing leaders and driving positive business outcomes?

We're looking for an experienced HR Business Partner to join our team and play a pivotal role in shaping our people strategy. Working closely with senior leaders, you'll act as a valued partner, helping to deliver impactful people initiatives that support business growth, organisational effectiveness and employee engagement.

This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive and solutions-focused HR professional who enjoys working in a dynamic environment, balancing strategic partnership with hands‑on operational support. You'll collaborate with leaders across the business to drive talent development, workforce planning, organisational change and performance, while using people insights to support informed decision-making and build management capability.

If you're passionate about making a real difference, building high-performing teams and contributing to business success through great people practices, we'd love to hear from you.

What you'll be doing

• Building strong relationships with senior leaders and managers, acting as a trusted HR partner to support the delivery of business objectives and drive people-focused solutions.
• Providing expert HR guidance across the full employee lifecycle, ensuring a positive employee experience and a consistent, high-quality people service.
• Coaching, influencing and challenging managers to build leadership capability, improve performance and make confident people decisions.
• Leading on a broad range of employee relations matters, offering pragmatic advice that balances commercial needs, employee experience and legal compliance.
• Supporting organisational change initiatives, restructures and workforce transitions, helping teams navigate change effectively and successfully.
• Working with leaders to identify current and future workforce needs, addressing skills gaps, succession planning requirements and key resourcing priorities.
• Driving talent, performance and capability initiatives that help individuals, teams and the wider business reach their full potential.
• Using people data and workforce insights to identify trends, risks and opportunities, translating findings into meaningful actions that improve business performance.
• Championing employee engagement, wellbeing and an inclusive, high‑performing culture where people can thrive.
• Collaborating with colleagues across HR Shared Services and specialist HR teams to deliver seamless people solutions and support wider business and HR initiatives.
• Contributing to continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance HR processes, systems and ways of working.

What we're looking for

• CIPD Level 7 qualified, or able to demonstrate equivalent HR expertise gained through experience.
• Proven experience in an HR Business Partner, HR Manager or senior HR generalist role.
• A strong track record of providing both strategic and operational HR support within a fast-paced business environment.
• Experience managing complex employee relations matters and supporting organisational change initiatives.
• Confidence partnering with, influencing and building credibility with senior leaders and stakeholders.
• Experience working within a multi-site, matrix or complex organisational structure would be advantageous.

Knowledge

• Strong understanding of UK employment law and best practice across the employee lifecycle.
• Knowledge of workforce planning, talent management, performance development and organisational change.
• An appreciation of HR governance, risk management, reward and job architecture principles.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of how effective people practices contribute to business performance.
• Experience using HR systems, people data and insights to support decision-making.

Skills

• Exceptional relationship-building, coaching and stakeholder management skills.
• The ability to influence, challenge and support leaders at all levels with confidence and credibility.
• Strong judgement and the ability to navigate sensitive and complex people matters effectively.
• A proactive and solutions-focused approach to problem solving, balancing commercial objectives with employee experience.
• The ability to analyse people data, identify trends and translate insight into meaningful action.
• Strong communication, organisation and change management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
• A collaborative approach, working effectively with colleagues across HR and the wider business.

Behaviours

We're looking for someone who is:

• Commercially minded, pragmatic and focused on delivering positive business outcomes.
• Confident and credible, with the ability to provide constructive challenge when needed.
• Accountable, resilient and comfortable making decisions in a fast‑paced environment.
• Proactive and self‑motivated, able to take ownership and drive initiatives forward with minimal direction.
• Collaborative and approachable, building trusted relationships across the organisation.
• Adaptable and comfortable operating through change and ambiguity.
• Passionate about continuous improvement and using evidence-based approaches to enhance people practices.
• A role model for our values, leading by example and helping to create an inclusive, high‑performing culture.

Why join us?

• Competitive benefits tailored to the division
• Opportunities for career growth and visibility across the organisation
• A supportive, inclusive culture that values your ideas and contributions
• Work that truly makes a difference in safety, innovation, and global capability

About Us

James Fisher is a global engineering services company with over 50 years of experience delivering complex offshore energy projects in some of the world’s most challenging environments. We operate across Energy, Defence, and Maritime Transport, leveraging cutting-edge technology and deep expertise to support the full lifecycle of our customers’ assets.

Our One James Fisher strategy unites our capabilities under a single vision, building a stronger, more cohesive business within the Blue Economy.

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About us | James Fisher and Sons plc

At James Fisher and Sons, we are committed to taking positive action on diversity and strongly encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and recognise that our success is driven by the talent and diversity of our workforce.

To support an accessible and inclusive recruitment experience in the UK, we partner with Vercida. You can learn more about our approach by visiting our company page: James Fisher and Sons diversity, inclusion, culture - VERCIDA