Senior HR Business Partner

Job title: Senior HR Business Partner

Location: Trafford Park Factory

Type: permanent, full-time

Who we are and what we do:

LIPTON Teas & Infusions is the world’s leading tea business, home to iconic, purpose‑driven brands like Lipton, Pukka, Tazo, T2, Lyons and PG Tips.

We craft great teas for every occasion, to bring joy and inspire a healthier lifestyle. Guided by our values of people first, ownership, passion for excellence, and consumer and customer centricity, we create long‑term value for our people, trade partners, suppliers, and the communities where we operate.

If you’re a diverse thinker who takes personal ownership to connect ideas and make impactful things happen, someone who shares our values around humanity and courage and someone who enjoys a good cup of tea (on the house!), then we could be a good match! 🍃✨

Your role:

This is a visible, high-impact role at the heart of our Trafford Park manufacturing site. As a member of the site leadership team, you will partner the Site Director and operational leaders to turn business priorities into a clear people agenda. 

You will combine strategic partnership with hands-on leadership across employee and industrial relations, workforce planning, talent, performance, engagement, wellbeing and change. Your work will help create a fair, inclusive and high-performing environment while supporting the site transformation journey and the production of PG Tips and Pukka.

Your key responsibilities:

Shape the site people agenda 

• Partner the Site Director and leadership team to align people priorities with site strategy, operational performance and transformation goals. 

• Turn business priorities into practical workforce, organisation, capability, culture and engagement plans. 

• Use people data and external insight to identify risks, track progress and improve outcomes. 

Lead employee and industrial relations 

• Build constructive relationships with recognised trade unions and lead collective consultation and negotiation. 

• Lead annual pay review and collective pay negotiations, preparing evidence-based proposals and supporting sustainable agreements. 

• Guide complex employee relations matters, including absence, disciplinary and grievance cases, with fair, consistent and legally compliant outcomes. 

Build capability and lead change 

• Anticipate workforce and skills needs across organisation design, workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, talent and succession. 

• Lead the people aspects of organisational change, ensuring clear communication, effective consultation, risk management and sustainable implementation. 

• Coach and challenge leaders to strengthen performance conversations, accountability and inclusive leadership. 

• Champion engagement, wellbeing and inclusion through visible leadership and trusted relationships across the site. 

Connect beyond the site 

• Collaborate with P&O Centres of Excellence and contribute to wider UKI or global projects where they support site priorities and your development. 

What we are looking for:

Essential experience 

• Significant HR Business Partner experience in a complex manufacturing, industrial or production environment. 

• Strong knowledge of UK employment law, employee relations, collective consultation and industrial relations. 

• Proven experience partnering recognised trade unions and employee representatives. 

• Hands-on experience of collective pay negotiations and annual pay review activity. 

• Experience translating operational priorities into a site people strategy and workforce plan. 

• Experience leading organisational change and supporting business transformation. 

How you work 

• You are credible with senior stakeholders and comfortable coaching, influencing and constructively challenging leaders. 

• You combine sound judgement with a practical, hands-on approach and can move confidently between strategy and delivery. 

• You communicate clearly, use data to make decisions and stay effective when priorities move quickly or the answer is not obvious. 

• You build trust through visibility, fairness and follow-through. 

Useful additions 

• Experience in FMCG, continuous improvement or operational excellence. 

• Exposure to automation, site expansion, culture transformation or regional and global P&O projects. 

• CIPD qualification or equivalent professional experience. Chartered CIPD status is desirable. 

• Fluent business English. Additional languages are welcome. 

What success looks like 

• People priorities are clearly connected to the site strategy and delivered to agreed standards and milestones. 

• Leaders take stronger ownership of people management and handle performance conversations consistently. 

• Employee and industrial relations matters are managed fairly, promptly and with appropriate risk control. 

• Constructive trade union relationships support effective consultation, negotiation and site delivery. 

• Workforce, talent and succession plans strengthen capability and resilience. 

• Change is implemented with clear communication, consultation and adoption. 

• Engagement, inclusion, wellbeing and employee experience improve through insight-led action. 

What’s in it for you:

• A senior, influential role with direct access to the Site Director and site leadership team. 

• Real ownership of a broad people agenda in a lean organisation where your contribution is visible. 

• The opportunity to shape culture, capability and transformation at a manufacturing site behind iconic tea brands. 

• Broad exposure across UKI and global P&O initiatives, supported by experienced colleagues and Centres of Excellence. 

• Growth through real responsibility, hands-on experience and the chance to step forward as the business evolves. 

Working at Trafford Park 

This is a site-based role, normally four to five days per week. Regular visibility across the manufacturing site is important, with flexibility to connect with employees and leaders across operating patterns. Occasional UK or international travel may be required. 

You will need to work safely in a manufacturing environment and follow all site safety, hygiene and operational requirements. We will consider reasonable adjustments to support candidates and employees.

What to expect from us:

We know that the whole recruitment process can be stressful, so we promise to make it as straightforward as possible. Our process is usually 2-3 stages (depending on the seniority of the role) and we are aiming to review every CV within 2 weeks. 

We are an organization committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. We are interested in every individual bringing their whole self to work and this includes you!