Strategic People & Culture Partner for Hub Leadership

People and Culture Business Partner

Department: Operations - People & Culture

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Solihull

Description

The People & Culture Business Partner provides strategic People & Culture support to business leaders across assigned Hub(s), enabling the delivery of Group People & Culture priorities alongside local business objectives.

The role partners with leaders to drive organisational effectiveness, workforce capability, employee engagement, performance, culture, and change. Acting as the primary People & Culture contact for their Hub(s), the P&C Business Partner works closely with People Support and Centres of Expertise to deliver a consistent, high-quality colleague experience aligned with Sumer's People & Culture strategy and "One Sumer" ways of working.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic People Partnering

• Partner with Hub leadership teams to deliver the People & Culture agenda, supporting organisational effectiveness, workforce planning, talent management, succession planning, performance, reward, engagement, wellbeing, DEI, employee relations, and change.
• Translate Group People & Culture strategy into practical Hub-level plans that support business priorities.
• Provide trusted coaching and advice to leaders, building leadership capability and enabling effective people decisions.
• Balance strategic partnership with operational support to ensure successful delivery of People & Culture initiatives.

Organisational Development and Change

• Support organisational design, workforce planning, and talent development activities that strengthen capability and support business growth.
• Partner with leaders to plan and deliver change initiatives, ensuring effective communication, engagement, and adoption.
• Champion colleague engagement and cultural alignment, reinforcing "One Sumer" behaviours across the Hub(s).

Employee Relations and Risk Management

• Provide guidance on complex employee relations matters, escalating significant or high-risk cases where appropriate.
• Ensure people decisions are fair, consistent, legally compliant, and aligned with Group policies and values.
• Identify emerging people risks and work proactively with leaders to implement effective solutions.

Collaboration and Delivery

• Work closely with People Support and Centres of Expertise to deliver joined‑up People & Culture services and a consistent colleague experience.
• Contribute to Group People & Culture projects and initiatives, ensuring successful local implementation.
• Build strong relationships across the wider People & Culture community, sharing knowledge and promoting best practice.

People Insight and Continuous Improvement

• Use people data and insight to identify trends, inform decision‑making, and support continuous improvement.
• Monitor key people metrics to help leaders improve organisational performance and employee outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, improve consistency, and enhance the effectiveness of People & Culture delivery.

Success in the Role Will Look Like

• Hub People & Culture priorities are delivered effectively and aligned with Group strategy.
• Leaders feel well supported, confident, and accountable in managing their people.
• Workforce planning, talent development, and succession activities strengthen organisational capability.
• Colleague engagement, culture, and performance continue to improve across supported Hub(s).
• Employee relations issues are managed proactively, consistently, and with appropriate risk management.
• People Support, Centres of Expertise, and Business Partners operate as one integrated People & Culture function.
• People data is used effectively to inform decisions, improve outcomes, and drive continuous improvement.
• "One Sumer" culture and ways of working are consistently embedded across the Hub(s).

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Proven experience operating as an HR or People Business Partner within a complex, multi-site or fast-paced organisation.
• Strong generalist HR knowledge across employee relations, organisational development, talent management, performance, reward, engagement, and change.
• Commercially aware, with the ability to align people priorities to business outcomes.
• Strong coaching, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels.
• Experience supporting organisational change and transformation initiatives.
• Confident interpreting people data and using insight to influence decisions.
• Strong problem‑solving skills with a pragmatic, solutions‑focused approach.
• Able to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery while managing multiple priorities.

Belong@ Sumer

At Sumer, we know everyone’s journey is different. That’s why we’re committed to fairness, removing barriers and giving people the support they need to do their best work. If you need any support during the hiring process, just let us know.

Our values represent what matters most to us and guide how we work everyday:

• We Shine Together
• We Do the Right Thing
• We Make It Count

We know diverse teams make us stronger. That’s why we’re creating an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs and differences are valued and celebrated.

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