HR Operations Manager

Zendbox; Paddock Wood; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Private healthcare and pension

Employee benefits platform

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Career development and growth

Job summary

Zendbox in Kent is seeking an experienced HR Operations Manager to lead our people strategy across the full employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to performance, wellbeing, absence management and retention.

You will partner with senior leadership, own absence framework (Bradford Factor), build robust HR processes, reporting, training for managers, and ensure GDPR compliance in a fast-paced eCommerce fulfilment environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as HR Manager or senior HR generalist in SME environments.
• Hands-on with ER, absence management, recruitment, L&D and engagement.
• Confident decision-maker with strong influencing and coaching skills.
• Familiar with distribution, logistics and fast-paced operations.
• Proficient in HR data handling and GDPR compliance.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day HR activities and people processes across the business.
• Support managers with organisational changes, staffing decisions and people-related matters.
• Develop culture, engagement and team performance initiatives.
• Lead ER matters including investigations, disciplinaries and grievances.
• Design and own a robust absence management framework (Bradford Factor).
• Provide regular HR metrics reports to leadership and board.
• Oversee end-to-end recruitment and onboarding processes.
• Ensure HR policies are compliant with employment law and GDPR, including right-to-work checks.
• Coach and train line managers in ER, performance and absence handling.
• Align people strategy with business objectives and promote values-based leadership.

Skills

HR leadership

ER & absence management

Recruitment & onboarding

People metrics & reporting

Change management

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

Bradford Factor

Job description

Zendbox is a fast-growing, tech-led eCommerce fulfilment and distribution business in Kent. We help ambitious brands scale by delivering smart, reliable warehousing and logistics solutions - and we’re now looking for an experienced HR Operations Manager to support our next stage of growth.

About the Role

We’re looking for a confident, hands-on HR Operations Manager to lead and develop our people strategy at our Kent HQ. This is a true blend of strategic and operational HR in a fast-paced distribution environment, overseeing the full employee lifecycle from recruitment and onboarding through to performance, wellbeing, absence management and retention.

You’ll need to hit the ground running: setting direction quickly, making clear decisions, taking ownership of absence management (including use of the Bradford Factor) and giving managers the support and challenge they need to deliver.

You’ll work closely with senior leadership to ensure our people practices directly support business objectives, while creating a culture that enables our teams to thrive.

Key Responsibilities

HR Leadership (Operational Focus)

• Oversee day to day HR activities to ensure effective people processes across the business
• Support managers with organisational changes, staffing needs and people related decisions
• Contribute to initiatives that improve culture, engagement and team performance

Employee Relations (ER) & Absence Management

• Lead on all ER matters including investigations, disciplinaries, grievances and policy updates
• Design and own a robust absence management framework across the business
• Use tools such as the Bradford Factor to monitor sickness and identify trends
• Support and coach line managers to confidently manage attendance, conduct return-to-work meetings and follow through on formal processes where needed
• Act as a trusted advisor to managers on complex people issues

Board Reporting & Metrics

• Provide regular reports on key HR metrics including turnover, absence, engagement, ER activity, recruitment and DEI
• Use data to demonstrate impact, support planning and drive accountability across the business

Recruitment & Onboarding

• Oversee end-to-end recruitment and employer branding strategy
• Work at pace to attract and secure the right talent for a fast-moving distribution environment
• Streamline and enhance onboarding processes for a seamless employee experience

Compliance

• Ensure HR policies, processes and practices are legally compliant and up to date
• Keep the business informed and prepared for changes in employment law and HR best practice
• Oversee right-to-work checks, data protection compliance (GDPR), and all statutory reporting

Manager Development & Training

• Develop and deliver training and support to build confident, capable line managers
• Equip managers to handle ER, performance and absence matters consistently and effectively
• Promote values-based leadership across the business

Performance & Development

• Design and manage effective performance management frameworks
• Foster a culture of regular feedback, growth and accountability

Wellbeing & Benefits

• Lead wellbeing and mental health initiatives
• Manage and optimise employee benefits to support attraction and retention

Proven experience as an HR Manager or senior HR generalist in an SME environment (essential)

Strong generalist background with hands‑on expertise across ER, absence management, recruitment, L&D and engagement

Confident and decisive, with the ability to hit the ground running and make clear, pragmatic decisions

Commercially minded, with the ability to align people strategy with business needs

Skilled in coaching, influencing and supporting leaders at all levels

A practical, solutions-focused approach and ability to work autonomously

Familiarity with distribution, logistics, warehousing or other fast‑paced operational environments (experience with eCommerce fulfilment businesses like Zendbox is highly beneficial)

Comfortable using HR data and metrics (including Bradford Factor or similar tools) to drive action

• Competitive salary
• Private healthcare and company pension
• Employee benefits platform
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Career development and the opportunity to grow with a fast-scaling business
• Supportive, ambitious culture where you can influence how we do things