People Partner

Leonardo; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Leonardo in Southampton is seeking a People Partner to join the UK People Team, focusing on Engineering and supporting leaders across the business. Based at the Southampton site, you will provide proactive HR partnering, deliver the UK People Plan, and drive initiatives that enhance culture and performance.

You will work with Senior People Partners and a wide People Team to offer business-focused HR services, develop relationships with managers and employees, and contribute to meaningful people

Qualifications

• Experience in an HR generalist role with exposure to employee relations and core HR activities.
• Passion for people and ambition to develop career in HR business partnering.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with stakeholders at different levels.
• Proactive, solutions-focused mindset with ownership and accountability.
• Good working knowledge of UK employment law and practical application of HR policies.
• Strong communication, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Interest in understanding how a business operates and how people practices contribute to success.
• Ability to use HR data and insights to inform decisions and identify opportunities.
• Experience supporting people projects, organisational change or continuous improvement initiatives preferred.
• CIPD qualification (Level 5 or working towards) desirable.

Responsibilities

• Build positive, trusted relationships with managers and employees; provide practical HR advice.
• Support UK People Plan delivery and align priorities with business needs.
• Deliver dedicated people partnering to Engineering workforce and liaise with leaders across functions.
• Assist leaders with performance management, employee engagement, attendance, development and ER.
• Contribute to people projects and change initiatives to strengthen culture and effectiveness.
• Support talent management, succession planning and workforce planning activities.
• Use people data to identify trends and inform decisions.
• Coach managers to develop leadership capability and accountability.
• Champion inclusion and employee experience across the organisation.
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition, L&D, Early Careers and Reward for joined-up solutions.

Skills

HR generalist

UK employment law

Stakeholder management

HR data & insights

People partnering

Change & improvement

Communication

Collaboration

Education

CIPD Level 5 (desirable)

Job description

Job Description

Your Impact

We have an exciting opportunity for a passionate and ambitious People Partner to join our People Team at Leonardo, supporting our Integrated Sensing & Protection (ISP) Line of Business within Electronics UK.

Based at our Southampton site, this is a fantastic opportunity for a HR generalist looking to take the next step in their career, working within a dynamic, technology-led business at the forefront of innovation in the defence sector.

Working closely with our Senior People Partners, you will provide proactive, high-quality people support across the line of business, with a particular focus on our Engineering population. You'll build strong relationships with leaders and employees, help deliver our UK People Plan and play an active role in initiatives that enhance our culture, develop our people and support business performance.

This is a varied and rewarding role offering the opportunity to broaden your HR experience, develop your business partnering capabilities and contribute to meaningful people projects across a complex and growing organisation.

What You'll Do As a People Partner

Reporting to the VP People, you will work collaboratively with our Senior People Partners and wider People Team to deliver an effective, business-focused people service. With a particular focus on Engineering, you'll gain exposure to a broad range of people activities and work with stakeholders across different functions and UK sites.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Build positive and trusted relationships with managers and employees, providing practical, commercially aware HR advice and support.
• Work closely with Senior People Partners to deliver the UK People Plan, ensuring people priorities are aligned to the needs of the business.
• Provide dedicated people partnering support to our Engineering population, developing an understanding of the challenges, opportunities and skills needed within a highly technical environment.
• Support leaders with a broad range of people matters, including performance management, employee engagement, attendance, development and employee relations.
• Play an active role in delivering people projects and change initiatives that strengthen our culture, improve employee experience and support organisational effectiveness.
• Support talent management, succession planning and workforce planning activities, helping the business attract, develop and retain critical skills.
• Use people data and insights to identify trends, highlight opportunities and support informed decision-making.
• Coach and support managers in developing their people leadership capability, encouraging accountability, effective decision-making and positive team performance.
• Champion inclusion, employee experience and continuous improvement, contributing ideas and initiatives that make Leonardo a great place to work.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the wider People Team, including Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Early Careers and Reward, to deliver joined-up people solutions.

What you'll bring

• Experience in an HR generalist role, with a good breadth of exposure to employee relations and core HR activities.
• A genuine passion for people and an ambition to develop your career in HR business partnering.
• The ability to build effective working relationships with stakeholders at different levels, establishing credibility through sound judgement, professionalism and a collaborative approach.
• A proactive, solutions-focused mindset, with the confidence to take ownership, challenge constructively and make things happen.
• Good working knowledge of UK employment law and experience applying HR policies and processes in a practical business environment.
• Strong communication, organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• An interest in understanding how a business operates and how effective people practices contribute to its success.
• The ability to use HR data and insights to inform decisions and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Experience of supporting people projects, organisational change or continuous improvement initiatives would be advantageous.
• CIPD qualification (Level 5 or working towards) is desirable.
• A collaborative team player who is keen to learn, share ideas and contribute positively to a high-performing People Team.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government's Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work-life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, We're here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team - they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location

GB - Southampton

Contract Type

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Hybrid