HR Business Partner

Gooch & Housego Plymouth; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading optical technology company in Plymouth is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner on a 10-month fixed-term contract. This role requires solid experience in HR management, particularly in a manufacturing environment. You will translate business needs into HR activities and ensure effective implementation of HR initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a CIPD qualification, strong communication and organizational skills, and be able to manage HRIS functions effectively. This position offers various benefits, including annual leave and a bonus scheme.

Benefits

25 Days annual leave plus UK Bank Holidays

Cycle to work scheme

Bonus scheme

Health & wellbeing cash plan

Qualifications

• Solid experience in HR management within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience in providing HR service in a growth environment.
• Able to quickly gain trust and respect of colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Translate business needs into HR requirements.
• Deliver on tactical and strategic HR matters.
• Report HR KPIs to meet business needs.

Skills

HR management

Performance Management

Strong communication skills

Organisational skills

Team-building

Education

CIPD qualification

Tools

HRIS

Job description

Description

ABOUT US

G&H is a world leader in optical designing, testing and manufacturing. As experts in the technology of light, G&H works with customers to provide optical systems, assemblies, and components for demanding applications.

Headquartered in Ilminster Somerset, UK with primary operations in the USA and Europe, G&H is recognised for the breadth of our acousto-optic, electro-optic, crystal-optic, fibre optic, and precision optic products. G&H is recognised as the preferred source for OEMs in the life sciences, industrial, and aerospace and defence industries, with a history of quality and excellence that dates back over seventy-five years.

Our success is built on innovation, precision, and the talent of our people. We are committed to developing capability at every stage of a career, from apprenticeships and graduate pathways through to leadership development.

LOCATION

GH Artemis, Plymouth, Devon

EMPLOYMENT TYPE

10-month fixed-term, maternity cover contract (commencing March 2026)

ROLE

As HR Business Partner you will be a member of the G&H Artemis senior leadership team having responsibility for meeting business performance commitments to key stakeholders.

The HRBP helps to translate business needs into HR requirements and activity to drive and implement value-adding HR initiatives in order to build capability and increase organisational effectiveness and business performance.

The role will provide an HR business partner service to this site to meet the expectations of key stakeholders.

The job holder is also a member of the Optical Systems Divisional management team and team member of the Global HR function and is responsible for ensuring relevant Regional and divisional HR policies and global HR Ways of Working are adopted and maintained across the division and site.

The job holder will also act as HR function lead for assigned processes; overseeing the administrative function to include the Global HR information system; working closely with the in-house technical recruiter and in-house payroll specialist.

RESPONSIBILITIES & PERFORMANCE MEASURES

• Understand the people implications of the site business plans and translate into pragmatic option/ solutions.
• Deliver on both the tactical and strategic matters rising within the workforce
• Report on a suite of HR KPIs and reports to meet business needs as agreed with HR Directors & Site Leads
• Operate company’s ways of working to enable the identification and hiring (from within or outside the company), motivated and capable people to fill key positions and ensure onboarding and induction programmes are applied to enable effective integration into the business.
• Support the in-house Technical Recruiter to manage the recruitment process
• Support training & development programmes (e.g. identifying external resource options as required) in line with site and R&D business plans.
• Deploy the talent pipeline and succession planning process in partnership with site leadership to provide the capability needed to grow the businesses.
• Deploy the company’s employee engagement, performance management, communications and retention programmes and measures as required (e.g. employee survey, employee recognition schemes)
• Deploy change management processes in agreement with leaders to ensure consistency and excellent execution.
• Manage employee relations matters to conclusion as required
• Provide robust advice and coaching to site management
• Support the maintenance of the Global HRIS to ensure timely employee life cycle processes are actioned and managed accordingly
• Undertake HR function projects or support business improvement programmes as required
• Promote and display the G&H values: Customer focus, Integrity, Action, Unity, and Precision.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES AND SECTOR EXPERIENCE

• Solid experience in HR management, within a manufacturing environment; some multi-site, matrix organisation experience is required
• Experience of providing an HR service in a growth environment
• Demonstrable experience/ potential of delivering on all responsibilities as defined above.
• Able to quickly gain trust & respect of colleagues, strong persuasive skills
• Hands on, solid administrative skills and experience of working with HRIS and data provision to payroll.
• Experience of training and/or coaching others and motivated to learn new skills in a continuous improvement environment.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• CIPD graduate
• Performance Management
• Drive and determination
• Delivering Results
• Motivating others
• Strong communication and organisational skills
• Excellent team-building and interpersonal skills

OUR BENEFITS INCLUDE

• 25 Days annual leave plus UK Bank Holidays
• Cycle to work scheme
• Bonus scheme
• Health & wellbeing cash plan

Notes: This job description is not intended to be exhaustive in every respect, but rather to clearly define the fundamental purpose, responsibilities and dimensions for the role. Therefore, this job description does not describe any individual role holder. In addition to the contents of this job description, employees are expected to undertake all other reasonable and related tasks allocated by their line manager

The Company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunity or practices on the grounds of gender, race, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by national laws under which the Company operates.

Potential candidates should be aware that many of the employment roles at Gooch & Housego are subject to government security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities that you may have previously held and your place of birth, could restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation.

All UK applicants must, as a minimum, be able to successfully complete security vetting to the UK government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard, which includes a criminal record check being performed. Many roles may also require higher levels of security vetting to be completed, where applicants must typically have been continuously resident within the UK for the past five to ten years.