People & Culture Manager - #2185854

People & Culture Manager

Part-time – 3 days per week

(2 days Manchester + 1 day Ulverston - (Travel to alternative location paid for by company)

£50,000+ FTE, pro rata

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced People & Culture professional to join a growing, ambitious technology business operating within the retail SaaS sector.

This is a key position within the business, offering the opportunity to take ownership of the entire people function and play an important role in shaping its culture, supporting its growth and developing a high-performing workforce.

Working closely with the COO and senior leadership team, you will be responsible for developing and implementing people strategies, improving HR processes and ensuring employees have the support, guidance and opportunities they need to succeed.

This is much more than a traditional HR role. The successful individual will be comfortable operating both strategically and hands-on, building processes, influencing managers and creating a positive working environment where people are recognised, developed and supported.

Key responsibilities

People Strategy & Performance

• Develop and implement a people strategy aligned with the company's wider business objectives.
• Introduce clear performance management processes, helping managers set expectations, measure performance and address underperformance constructively.
• Establish transparent career progression and employee development pathways.
• Coach and support managers with performance management and wider people-related challenges.

Recruitment & Employee Development

• Oversee the full recruitment process, working with managers to attract and secure the right talent.
• Develop a consistent and positive candidate experience.
• Improve onboarding processes, ensuring new starters are supported and set up for success.
• Identify training and development needs across the business.

Culture & Employee Engagement

• Help shape and embed a positive, inclusive and high-performing company culture.
• Develop initiatives that improve employee engagement, wellbeing and retention.
• Introduce effective ways of gathering employee feedback and ensuring improvements are made.
• Encourage an environment where people feel valued, supported and able to develop.

HR Operations & Employee Relations

• Take ownership of HR policies, procedures and employment documentation.
• Provide advice and guidance on UK employment law and best practice.
• Manage employee relations matters, including disciplinaries, grievances and absence management.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee records, ensuring GDPR compliance.
• Monitor HR metrics, identifying trends and opportunities to improve performance and retention.

Continuous Improvement

• Review and improve existing HR processes, making the function as efficient and effective as possible.
• Identify opportunities to introduce technology and AI to improve HR operations.
• Work closely with senior stakeholders on workforce planning, organisational structure and future business requirements.

About you

We're looking for someone who enjoys building and improving a people function, rather than simply maintaining existing processes.

You'll ideally bring:

• Experience operating at HR Manager, Senior HR Business Partner or equivalent level.
• A strong generalist HR background, covering the full employee lifecycle.
• Proven experience developing HR policies, procedures and people management frameworks.
• Confidence handling complex employee relations matters and advising managers independently.
• Experience developing recruitment, performance management and employee engagement strategies.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law.
• The ability to influence and build relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• A pragmatic, commercially minded approach, balancing employee experience with business requirements.
• Experience within an SME, technology, SaaS or fast-growth environment would be advantageous, particularly if you've previously built or developed an HR function with limited internal support.
• You'll need to be comfortable working autonomously, taking ownership and switching between strategic planning and day-to-day HR matters.

What's on offer?

• Part-time position, working 3 days per week (24 hours).
• Salary equivalent to £50,000+ FTE, depending on experience, paid pro rata.
• Flexible split between two locations:
• 2 days in Ulverston and 1 day in Manchester; or 2 days in Manchester and 1 day in Ulverston (Travel to alternative location paid for by company).
• 31 days' annual leave including bank holidays and Christmas closure, pro rata.
• Private healthcare, including dental, optical and mental health support.
• Regular one-to-one meetings and annual salary reviews.
• The opportunity to shape and develop the people function within an ambitious, growing technology business.