People Partner

Yorkshire Water; Leeds; On-site; GBP 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car allowance

Annual incentive bonus up to 15%

Private health care

Pension up to 12% company contribution

Life assurance 4x pensionable salary

25 days annual leave + bank holidays +

Wellness days

Wide benefits package

Job summary

Yorkshire Water in Leeds is seeking a strategic People Partner to join the People team. You will partner with People Leaders to shape and deliver people strategies that enable business performance and drive transformation.

This role requires experience in complex, fast-paced environments and the ability to translate organisational goals into practical people plans using data and external thinking to influence decisions and build capability.

Qualifications

• Business partnering experience in complex, operational or regulated environments.
• Experience delivering people plans that support business strategy and transformation.
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to coach and advise senior leaders.
• Experience of leading or supporting organisational change.
• Ability to use data and external thinking to shape decisions and improvements.

Responsibilities

• Partner with leaders to develop and deliver strategic people plans aligned to business priorities and transformation.
• Use workforce data and insights to identify risks, opportunities and interventions that improve performance and colleague experience.
• Lead the people aspects of organisational change, advising on design, engagement and cultural impact.
• Coach leaders to build capability and drive accountable, inclusive teams.
• Drive talent, succession and strategic workforce planning to ensure capability now and in the future.
• Collaborate with People Centres of Expertise to deliver joined-up solutions meeting business needs.
• Build strong stakeholder and industrial relations as a trusted advisor to leadership teams.

Skills

Business partnering

Stakeholder management

Organisational change

People data analytics

Trade Unions experience

Communication & presentation

CIPD qualification desirable

Education

CIPD qualification or HR experience

Job description

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Hello! Thanks for stopping by. Let us tell you about all the great reasons to join us here at Yorkshire Water:

We offer a salary up to £60k per annum depending on experience

• A company car allowance scheme (£6,000 per year)
• Annual incentive related bonus (up to 15% of annual salary for the 2026/2027 performance year)
• Private health care (self only)
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution)
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays – plus two wellness days!
• A great benefits package – choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover.
• Retail savings scheme
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more!

Location: You’ll be based at our new Leeds Valley Park office, with hybrid working that combines office and home working.

Work type: This is a permanent role, working full time, 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday between a working window of 8:00am-6:00pm.

We have an exciting opportunity for a strategic People Partner to join the People team at Yorkshire Water. In this role, you will partner with People Leaders to shape and deliver people strategies that enable business performance, support organisational transformation and create a high-performing, inclusive colleague experience.

We’re particularly keen to hear from candidates who have operated in complex, fast-paced environments and can bring practical operational experience from sectors such as utilities, logistics or manufacturing. This background will help you understand the pace, pressures and priorities of our operational teams and enable you to provide credible, commercially focused People support.

What we do:

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this.

We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity.

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry.

Where you fit in:

As our People Partner, you will act as a strategic partner to leaders across your business area, bringing insight, challenge and expertise to shape people priorities that support our business plan and long-term transformation agenda. You will translate organisational goals into practical people plans, using data, workforce insight and external thinking to influence decision making, build leadership capability and improve organisational effectiveness.

You will:

• Partner with leaders to develop and deliver strategic people plans aligned to business priorities, workforce plans and the wider transformation agenda
• Use workforce data, insight and external trends to identify risks, opportunities and interventions that improve performance, productivity and colleague experience
• Lead the people aspects of organisational change, providing strategic advice on organisation design, engagement, implementation and cultural impact
• Coach and challenge leaders to build capability, strengthen accountability and create high-performing, inclusive teams
• Drive talent, succession and strategic workforce planning activity, ensuring the business has the capability and capacity needed now and, in the future.
• Work collaboratively with People Centres of Expertise to deliver joined-up solutions that meet business needs and improve colleague outcomes
• Build and maintain strong stakeholder and industrial relations, acting as a trusted advisor, critical friend and positive disruptor to leadership teams

What skills and qualifications you will need:

• Business partnering experience, ideally gained within a complex, operational or regulated environment
• Proven experience of developing and delivering people plans that support business strategy, transformation, workforce planning and organisational effectiveness
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to coach, challenge and advise senior leaders
• Experience of leading or supporting organisational change
• Ability to use people data, workforce insight and external thinking to shape decisions, identify trends and deliver measurable improvements
• Experience of working constructively with Trade Unions
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex people priorities into clear, practical solutions
• CIPD qualification or equivalent HR/People experience would be desirable; previous utilities sector experience would be advantageous

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn’t always easy!

Do we sound like your cup of tea?

Recruitment Process:

Closing Date – 26th August, 2026

If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance.

All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required.

We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application. We will then discuss any reasonable adjustments required.