Senior HR Manager - International

Thomas Franks; Banbury, Hook Norton; Hybrid; GBP 58,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wider wallet scheme

Volunteers leave

Enhanced maternity/paternity leave

Cycle to work scheme

Recommend a friend bonus

Training & development

Job summary

Thomas Franks is recruiting a Senior HR Manager – International to oversee HR across its international portfolio. The role leads day-to-day HR delivery for multiple jurisdictions, guiding employees and managers, and partnering with local teams to ensure compliant, effective people practices.

Based from our Hook Norton near Banbury offices or remote internationally (Portugal/Italy ideal), you will manage the International HR Officer and drive workforce strategy and improvements across Ireland,

Qualifications

• Substantial generalist HR experience in a commercially focused, multi-site, international or similarly complex environment.
• Experience managing complex employee relations matters, including performance, conduct, grievance, dismissal, redundancy, absence and organisational change.
• Experience advising and coaching managers, including challenging decisions and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Experience developing and implementing international HR policies, processes and reporting.
• Excellent written and spoken English; able to communicate credibly at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operation of the international HR function across jurisdictions.
• Oversee the International HR inbox and triage, assign and resolve queries and cases.
• Coordinate with local advisors to obtain specialist advice when required.
• Develop and improve international HR services, systems, policies and guidance.
• Collaborate with managers to translate business priorities into practical people plans.

Skills

HR management

Employee relations

Coaching managers

Policy & compliance

Stakeholder management

Job description

Contract: Full Time , Permanent
Salary: £ 64,000 per annum
Hours: 40 per week

Our head offices based in the beautiful village of Hook Norton near Banbury. Here you will find our teams of finance, HR, purchasing, marketing & creative that support all of our locations across the Thomas Franks family. There is ample parking space available when visiting.

This is a Hybrid/Remote role and applicants can also be based Internationally ideally in Portugal or Italy.

We are recruiting for a Senior HR Manager to oversee the HR function across our International Portfolio.

The role will lead the day-to-day delivery of the HR function for the international business, providing a professional, responsive and commercially focused HR service. The role provides timely advice, guidance and practical support to employees and managers, contributes to the continued development of the international HR service, and ensures that people practices are legally compliant, consistent and appropriate for each jurisdiction.

The Senior HR Manager - International will manage the International HR Officer and oversee the International HR inbox, ensuring that queries, employee relations matters and operational HR activities are prioritised, allocated and resolved promptly. The role will work in close partnership with managers to strengthen people management capability, support employees through workplace matters, improve the employee experience and help the business achieve its objectives.

The current international remit covers Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Lithuania, Hungary, the United States, Canada and Brazil, with further expansion planned.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the daily operation of the international HR function, providing a reliable, professional and timely service across all current and future jurisdictions.
• Oversee the International HR inbox, ensuring queries and cases are appropriately triaged, assigned, progressed and concluded, with clear ownership and appropriate records maintained.
• Act as a key point of escalation for complex or sensitive international HR matters and ensure appropriate specialist local advice is obtained where required.
• Contribute to the development of the international HR service, including improved processes, systems, policies, templates, guidance and management information.
• Build effective relationships with employees, managers, senior leaders, clients and relevant internal and external stakeholders.

Employee relations and manager support

• Provide practical, commercially focused advice and hands-on support on employee relations matters, including performance management, conduct, capability, grievance, absence, sickness absence, redundancy, restructuring, organisational change and employment transfers.
• Support employees and managers through workplace issues as they arise, ensuring matters are handled promptly, fairly, sensitively and in accordance with Company procedure and the applicable local legal framework.
• Coach and collaborate with managers to improve people management capability, address concerns at an early stage, get the best from employees and promote a positive employee experience.
• Lead or support formal HR processes, including preparing correspondence, meeting documentation, outcome letters, management guidance and case records.
• Identify and manage employee relations risk, including potential employment claims, and coordinate responses, evidence, bundles and witness statements where necessary.
• Lead the HR contribution to restructures, change programmes, acquisitions and employee transfers, including TUPE where applicable or the relevant local equivalent.

Legal compliance and governance

• Maintain an up-to-date working knowledge of employment law and HR practice across the jurisdictions within the role’s remit.
• Ensure HR advice, policies, documentation and processes reflect the legal requirements and established practice of the relevant jurisdiction, seeking qualified local legal or professional advice where appropriate.
• Raise manager awareness of employment law developments, policy requirements and good people management practice.
• Promote consistent standards while recognising that different legal, cultural and operational requirements may apply in each country.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality, data protection standards and accurate HR records in line with Company requirements and applicable law.

People management and collaborative working

• Line manage, support and develop the International HR Officer, setting clear priorities, objectives and service expectations and providing regular supervision and feedback.
• Manage team workload and capacity, ensuring effective cover, appropriate escalation and timely delivery across jurisdictions and time zones.
• Work closely with the wider People and Training team and support functions, including Learning and Development, Recruitment and Health and Safety, to provide a joined-up service to the international business.
• Partner with operational managers and senior leaders to understand business priorities and translate them into practical people plans and solutions.

Workforce insight and continuous improvement

• Analyse available people information and identify themes or trends relating to employee relations, recruitment, retention, absence, workforce cost and employee experience.
• Use insight from cases, feedback and business activity to recommend and implement preventative or corrective action.
• Review, simplify and improve HR systems, processes and documentation so they remain practical, scalable and fit for an expanding international business.
• Lead or contribute to international HR projects and support the delivery of HR-related manager training where required.
• Support the oversight and coordination of mandatory training requirements where this falls within the international HR remit, working with relevant subject-matter leads.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Attend International senior meetings and deputize for the Director of HR in International Board Meetings as required.
• Undertake reasonable travel, including international travel, as required by the role.
• Work flexibly across different time zones; occasional unsociable hours may be required.
• Carry out any other duties consistent with the scope and seniority of the role, as requested by the Director of People & Training.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential experience, knowledge and skills

• Substantial generalist HR experience in a commercially focused, multi-site, international or similarly complex environment.
• Demonstrable experience of managing complex employee relations matters, including performance, conduct, grievance, dismissal, redundancy, absence and organisational change.
• Experience of advising and coaching managers, including constructively challenging decisions and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Experience of managing and developing an HR team member and of overseeing a shared HR workload or service channel.
• Practical knowledge of employment law and HR practice across multiple international jurisdictions, together with the judgement to identify when local specialist advice is required.
• Experience of supporting restructures, employment transfers, acquisitions or comparable organisational change.
• Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to communicate clearly and credibly at all organisational levels.
• Strong organisational, analytical and case-management skills, with the ability to prioritise competing demands, maintain accurate records and deliver to deadlines.
• Ability to work autonomously and collaboratively in a remote, mobile and multi-site environment.
• A recognised HR management or professional qualification relevant to one of the jurisdictions in which the Company operates, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.

Desirable experience and attributes

• Experience in contract catering, hospitality, facilities management or another people-intensive service environment.
• Experience of working directly with clients or within a client-facing operating model.
• Working proficiency in one or more languages used across the international business.
• Experience of developing international HR policies, processes, systems or reporting.
• A pragmatic, hands-on and adaptable approach, with the resilience to manage sensitive matters and changing business priorities.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

This role may require regular travel within Europe and to other international locations, together with occasional work outside normal UK business hours to support colleagues and operations in different time zones.

• Wider wallet scheme (discounts at major retailers, restaurants, gyms etc).
• Volunteers leave - up to one day per year.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoptive leave.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Recommend a friend bonus.
• Unrivalled individual training and development.
• Well established apprenticeship programme.
• Team & company social events.
• Employee assistance programme.
• Excellent career progression within a leading independent contract caterer.

About us

Thomas Franks is a founder led, fresh food catering business with a focus on excellence and service delivered with individuality, passion and style. We are unique in every approach and our clients, and our people are paramount to our daily success.

Disclaimer

All applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have the Right to Work in the UK to be considered for this role.

An enhanced DBS, Identity & reference checks (covering the last five years) will form part of the selection process. As an organisation using the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure service to assess applicants' suitability for positions of trust, Thomas Franks Ltd complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure based on conviction or other information revealed. However, for any post in a school please be aware that any application is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such any criminal conviction, caution or bind-over must be declared.

Diversity and Inclusion at Thomas Franks

We actively encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and continue to develop a culture of growth and inclusion and would like to invite applications from groups who are currently under-represented, because we believe greater diversity leads to exceptional results and provides a better working life.