Senior Human Resources Business Partner

Senior HR Business Partner Manchester / Hybrid (2 days per week on-site) 12-month contract Inside IR35 - £70-£75 per hour (based on a 37.5-hour work week) A global travel agency is looking for an experienced Senior HR Business Partner to support the Ground Transportation business unit. This role is a key partner to senior leadership, with responsibility for shaping and delivering strategic people initiatives across the function. You’ll work closely with global HR teams, Centres of Excellence, and business stakeholders to ensure alignment between people strategy and business goals. This is a hybrid role based in Manchester , requiring two days per week on-site.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with the business and ensure that colleagues receive a consistent and value add experience with People led initiatives.
• Act as a strategic partner to business leaders, providing HR expertise on global and local initiatives including reward, DE&I, talent, and change.
• Provide guidance and thought leadership to People Managers and the ELT on organisation design, leadership effectiveness, and talent planning.
• Lead complex change initiatives including restructures, M&A activity, and workforce design—ensuring they align with HR policies and UK employment law.
• Support the recruitment of senior hires against defined competency frameworks, ensuring fair and transparent hiring and internal mobility.
• Collaborate with global Centres of Excellence (COEs) to ensure HR products, tools, and services meet the needs of the business.
• Act as a senior escalation point for HR Generalists, resolving sensitive people matters on behalf of the HR Director when needed.
• Champion the end-to-end talent lifecycle within your business unit, from succession planning to capability development and resourcing.
• Work cross-functionally across People, Finance, and Business teams to drive commercial outcomes and operational effectiveness.

Key Stakeholders & Communication Style

• Business Leaders & ELT – Strategic guidance and coaching
• People Managers – Day-to-day partnering, mentoring, and upskilling
• HR Generalists & COEs – Collaboration and issue resolution
• Recruitment & Talent Teams – Alignment on hiring strategy and talent plans

You’ll need to influence, persuade, and partner with a range of stakeholders—advising on complex people issues while delivering both strategic and operational support.

What We're Looking For

• 8–12 years’ experience in senior HR Business Partnering roles.
• Extensive HR generalist knowledge across performance, reward, employee relations, and workforce planning.
• Deep expertise in organisational change , ideally within the UK—experience leading transformations, restructures, and business readiness programmes.
• Strong commercial acumen with a solid understanding of P&L, budgeting, and financial planning .
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in HR, Business, or related discipline.
• Exceptional communication, influencing, and coaching skills.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally and manage complex stakeholder relationships.
• A strong track record of aligning HR strategies with wider business objectives.

Preferred Experience

• Background in fast-paced, global matrix environments.
• Experience delivering people programmes across both regional and global scopes.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment legislation and best practice.

This is a great opportunity to take ownership of HR strategy in a highly visible function within a global brand. If you enjoy partnering at a senior level and influencing change across complex environments, we’d love to hear from you.