Senior Specialist, People Partner

JR United Kingdom; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading racing organization in Guildford is seeking a Senior Specialist, People Partner to support either the Aero or Performance, Software & Race teams. The successful candidate will serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner, driving performance and cultural initiatives. This hybrid role requires strong HR advisory experience, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to foster inclusive and innovative environments. A comprehensive benefits package is provided.

Benefits

Private healthcare

Car schemes

Gym access

Generous pension contributions

Qualifications

• Proven HR advisory and partnering experience in high-performance or engineering environments.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A proactive, agile approach with a passion for innovation and culture.

Responsibilities

• Build strong relationships with teams to understand their challenges.
• Champion a people-first mindset tailored to your function's needs.
• Lead complex employee relations cases confidently.

Skills

HR advisory experience

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Proactive approach

People Partnering mindset

Job description

Join our high-performance journey in either Aero or Performance, Software & Race.

Are you passionate about people, performance, and purpose? We’re looking for two outstanding HR professionals to join our People Team as Senior Specialist, People Partners—each supporting a different high-impact function within our world-class racing organisation:

Aero Team – Partner with our aerodynamicists and engineers to drive performance through people in one of the most technically advanced areas of the business.

Performance, Software & Race Teams – Support the teams that bring innovation and performance to life on and off the track, from software development to race-day execution.

In both roles, you’ll be more than an HR partner—you’ll be a trusted advisor, coach, and culture champion. You’ll work closely with leaders and teams to deliver people-led solutions that unlock potential, drive performance, and shape the future of racing.

What You’ll Do (in both roles):

As a Senior Specialist, People Partner, you’ll be embedded within your assigned function—either Aero, or Performance, Software & Race—acting as a trusted advisor and strategic partner. You’ll:

• Build strong, embedded relationships with your teams to understand their world, challenges, and performance motivators.
• Champion a people-first mindset by tailoring support, coaching, and initiatives to fit the unique needs of your function.
• Lead complex employee relations cases with confidence, ensuring resolution and minimising risk.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to support hiring, internal mobility, and early careers campaigns, including STEM and graduate pipelines.
• Drive organisational design and model changes with a strong people lens to enhance team effectiveness.
• Co-own talent and succession planning with leaders, turning strategy into action.
• Support the development and delivery of L&D initiatives in collaboration with the People Experience team.
• Lead reward initiatives including benchmarking and salary reviews, ensuring fairness and budget alignment.
• Shape and deliver DE&I activities tailored to your team’s context.
• Own and interpret HRIS data to guide decisions, spot trends, and ensure compliance.
• Contribute to people operations and projects, ensuring seamless user experience from insight to implementation.
• Deliver immersive onboarding and culture induction experiences.
• Foster inclusion, well-being, and psychological safety across your function.
• Partner on people strategy—spotting trends, shaping initiatives, and aligning with McLaren’s High Performance Principles and team goals.

Job requirements

What You’ll Bring:

• Proven HR advisory and partnering experience in high-performance or engineering environments.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A proactive, agile approach with a passion for innovation and culture.
• Championing a People Partnering mindset—building strong internal relationships through curiosity, inquisitive questioning, and genuine engagement.
• A track record of getting things done—decisively and collaboratively.

What can McLaren offer?

We constantly strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. Our ambition is to be the most pioneering and exhilarating racing team in the world, and our collective task is to set the standards for high performance in sport. We show up every day with energy and enthusiasm, ready to play our part.

We encourage and support diversity, equity and inclusion. We will actively promote a culture that values difference and eliminates discrimination in our workplace.

McLaren Racing is based at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) near Woking. Here at McLaren, we offer hybrid working with 3 days a week based in the MTC.

Our state of the art, sustainable campus offers many facilities including a gym, restaurant and indoor and outdoor break-out areas, as well as direct access to park and common land. The MTC is connected to Woking mainline station via regular shuttle buses, from which London Waterloo is a 30 minute train ride.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including private healthcare, car schemes, life insurance and generous pension contributions.