Senior HR Business Partner (6 Month FTC)

Rocket Lab; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech company seeks a Senior HR Business Partner for a 6-month, full-time role in London. This position involves overseeing HR operations, change management, and fostering a high-performance culture across multiple locations, driving employee engagement, compliance, and strategic people initiatives.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of senior HR experience in tech or operations.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law.
• Experience leading payroll, performance, and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Oversee people business partnering and operations.
• Ensure HR compliance, payroll processes, and document People processes.
• Champion high-performance culture and lead development planning.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Change management

Data analytics

HRIS management

Job description

Senior HR Business Partner - UK

About Zeelo:

Zeelo is a leading global B2B TransitTech company committed to transforming commutes for frontline workers, bus operators, and employers. With a rapidly expanding presence in the US, Zeelo empowers its riders, clients and partners with sustainable, efficient and affordable transportation programs.

Our software and managed services improve service levels, enhance bus occupancy, minimize CO2 emissions, reduce costs and streamline administrative processes. Launched in London, with an R&D team in Spain and operations in the UK and US, Zeelo is poised for significant growth in the US market. Zeelo has 130 employees, completes 500,000 rides per month, and serves clients including Amazon, Ocado, Microsoft and many more.

About the Role:

Zeelo is looking for a Senior People Business partner (FTC). This 6-month, full-time role is a rare opportunity to operate at the heart of a scaling, culture-first business and support strategic transformation across the UK and Spain.

Reporting to the COO, you'll step into a pivotal leadership role overseeing people business partnering, operations, and engagement initiatives driving process improvement, ensuring compliance, and owning critical culture and engagement project—ensuring that we drive a high performance environment, ensuring our Zeeloites are productive, engaged, and excited about the journey ahead.

This is a high-impact role, ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced tech environment and is experienced in supporting scaling operations across multiple geographies.

What you’ll be doing/Role Responsibilities:

People Partnership

• Providing proactive HR support across our London HQ, Barcelona, (occasionally Boston offices).
• Act as a trusted stakeholder to the C-suite, supporting senior leaders with strategic people initiatives, culture building, and organisational development, supporting Zeelo’s team transformation into an AI-first company, contributing to the change management roadmap, team enablement, and internal communication strategy and execution.
• Provide line management and day-to-day guidance to a London-based HR Business Partner, ensuring operational consistency, team alignment, and effective delivery of People initiatives.

HR Operations & Compliance

• Ensure HR compliance including contracts, right-to-work, policy updates, and local labour law adherence.
• Oversee accurate, timely payroll processes in collaboration with Finance.
• Streamline and document People processes to ensure consistency and scalability.
• Own and improve the HRIS (Rippling) for automation, data reporting, and improved team experience.

Performance and talent development

• Champion high-performance culture and support People Leaders in managing team productivity and performance.
• Drive consistency and accountability in development planning.
• Lead the delivery and evaluation of ZeePR (Performance Reviews), ensuring development plans are in place and aligned with succession goals.

Engagement & Culture

• Own the Engagement from Survey to Action Plan, across offices.
• Support local leaders to action meaningful culture and engagement initiatives based on survey feedback.
• Help reinforce our Office-First model through practical, inclusive in-office initiatives.
• Support DEI action plans, collaborating with teams to foster belonging and visibility for all Zeeloites.

People Analytics & Dashboard Ownership

• Own the HR Dashboard, ensuring real-time visibility into key HR metrics for Zeelo
  
  

Learning & Development

• Support the rollout and reinforcement of Zeelo’s Manager & Leadership Development Programme.
• Identify and address capability gaps across key business areas, working with functional leads to align development needs with business priorities.

What you should bring:

• 7+ years of senior-level HR experience in high-growth, international businesses—ideally in tech, mobility, or operations-driven sectors.
• Proven ability to lead a People function with hands-on ownership and strategic impact.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law..
• Experience owning payroll, performance, engagement, and compliance at a leadership level.
• Highly competent in HRIS management (ideally Rippling or similar), with comfort in data dashboards and people metrics.
• Experience leading or co-leading change management projects—especially business transformations or digital capability shifts (e.g. AI integration).
• A culture carrier—proactive, organised, and relationship-focused.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, from new joiners to C-level.

You will be a key figure in the drive towards a High Performance team. You’ll be full of energy, enthusiasm and genuinely love an in-person environment where you see your impact!

Note: This role requires in-office first presence (minimum 4 days/week). It is not a remote or hybrid position.