Senior HR Business Partner

The Opportunity

Our client is seeking an experienced Senior HR Business Partner to provide immediate, hands-on support within a dynamic, multi-site physical distribution operation.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an individual ready to make a significant impact from day one! The ideal candidate will quickly build trusted relationships, understand operational priorities, and offer stability and direction to the leadership team.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with senior operational leaders to translate business priorities into a focused people plan.
• Lead strategic workforce and headcount planning across distribution centres, identifying future capability and resourcing needs.
• Deliver a defined people project, coordinating stakeholders and driving practical, sustainable outcomes.
• Oversee data management and analytics for physical distribution HR, leveraging insights to inform strategic decision-making and drive key HR initiatives.
• Support organisational design and change initiatives aimed at improving operational effectiveness.
• Partner with HR and Finance leadership on workforce budgets, forecasting, and resource allocation.
• Strengthen the talent agenda through succession planning, capability development, attraction, retention, learning, and inclusion.
• Coach and influence senior leaders, applying sound judgement and a pragmatic approach in a complex environment.

About You

• Proven experience as a Senior HR Business Partner in a complex, fast-paced operational environment.
• Ideally, experience within distribution, logistics, manufacturing, or FMCG sectors.
• Strong background in workforce planning, organisational design, change, and talent management.
• Commercially astute and comfortable working with headcount data, budgets, and senior stakeholders.
• A confident and credible influencer, capable of quickly establishing trust and navigating ambiguity.
• Highly organised, resilient, and adept at balancing strategic priorities with hands-on delivery.
• Ideally CIPD qualified, or able to demonstrate equivalent senior-level HR experience.

What Success Looks Like

• Rapidly establishing trusted relationships across the Manchester and wider operational teams.
• Providing clear people insights and practical leadership support.
• Making tangible progress on the agreed people project.
• Strengthening headcount, workforce, and budget planning for the distribution centres.