HR & Culture Manager

Whittlebury Park is excited to be recruiting for an HR & Culture Manager. Whittlebury Park is a fast-moving business, processing change consistently, so we are looking for the right individual to be autonomous and be able to pick up multiple tasks and projects at once.

This is a role calling out for someone who is up to the challenge of working with a great HR team with a blank canvas to bring fresh ideas to create a culture that attracts great talent, nurtures existing talent, and promotes a healthy work environment. You will need to understand business strategy/objectives and then deliver the principles in a people-oriented capacity.

This will be a challenging yet highly rewarding role within a fast-paced environment. The initial challenge is to embed in our new colleagues the values of delivering service above expectations, driving business growth, and supporting and engaging each other.

As part of this role, you will have the ability to determine the future people and culture strategy of the business, owning projects playing a key part in the design, implementation, and ongoing development of the department.

You will need to be confident at working by yourself and taking initiative where necessary to utilise your own experiences to create a set of people processes
and policies that move the business forward to becoming the place everyone wishes to work.

We have a dynamic but supportive culture, and you must be a confident and concise communicator as you will be required to roll out initiatives across the business to director level. You will have a small team of direct reports and must be able to offer them support to allow them to grow.

The priorities for the next twelve months are:

• Work with the leadership team on organisation design & talent acquisition for growth, as well as introduce scalable talent management practices that will ensure we have the right skills for the future.
• Enhance our existing employee engagement program that will boost our culture and retain, develop, and excite our team.
• Working with local schools and universities to develop a Student Placement Programme to provide ongoing talent pipelines of future talent, including apprenticeship utilisation to nurture future talent.
• Engage leaders in recruiting and developing the best talent in the market that fit the culture, skills, and behaviours of the business in the immediate, mid, and long-term.
• Continually develop, review, and implement relevant policies and procedures in line with new government legislation.
• Assess the business with appropriate partners to ensure that the right people are in the right roles, with the right skills, with a focus on performance.
• Creation and implementation of competencies and behaviours linked to career pathways. Assess what ‘good’ looks like for the immediate, mid, and long-term.
• Coaching managers to improve their people management capabilities and sharing best practices.

Your role outside of the priorities will include:

• To develop a first-class HR function within the business, building a strong people network across external hospitality businesses.
• To lead and oversee the HR function, which is accountable for employee engagement, employee relations, talent acquisition, and learning and development, that operates efficiently and aligns with our culture, ambition, and values.
• Work with Managers to determine and understand current skill shortages and provide appropriate learning interventions to support leaders in providing service above expectations.
• Devise an effective recruitment strategy and oversee its implementation.
• Identify and evaluate innovative and future talent acquisition.
• Managing student placements and apprenticeships.
• Lead a culture of inclusivity and diversity in line with our values, cultures, and recruitment principles.
• To ensure that in all instances, employment legislation is respected, and best practice is adopted.
• Oversee complex employee relations issues, such as grievance and disciplinary cases, and manage difficult cases with professionalism.
• Assist in employment law matters and make commercial recommendations to the business based on risk, legal advice, and best practice in conjunction with our General Counsel.
• To lead and instill a collaborative working environment across the whole business.
• Update and review HR policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Translate key data into an effective, focused HR strategy and practice that is implemented.
• Champion a high-performance culture and continuously review colleague productivity and employee development, making recommendations for improvements.
• Analyse data and provide recommendations for improvements of key performance metrics including employee engagement, colleague turnover ,and HR budgets.
• Look for opportunities to simplify processes and procedures across the business, including building effective organisational design operating models for the future.

• BSc/BA in Human Resources, Law, Business, or Chartered CIPD and relevant field experience are essential
• Proven experience in a generalist HR role.
• Sound understanding of employment law and understanding of associated risks to the business.
• Experience in controlling budgets.
• Experience in organisation design and strong employee relations skills.
• Excellent organisational and leadership skills.
• Energetic, highly motivated, with an enquiring mind and passion for excellence and innovation in pursuit of business growth and success.

• Food & Beverage: Up to 50% off food & drink, including our delicious Sunday Carvery
• Spa Products and Treatments: Pamper yourself with discounted spa products and treatments, and exclusive staff offers
• Hotel Stays: Enjoy discounted rates on luxurious stays