People & Culture Business Partner

Job Description

Are you a commercial People & Culture Business Partner who thrives in FMCG environments -close to the Managing Director, embedded in operations, and accountable for labour cost, capability, and culture?

Do you enjoy operating at pace, balancing cost discipline, people insight, and leadership influence in a business where decisions are made quickly and execution matters?

Do you want real ownership of the UK people agenda — where your insight directly shapes cost, capability, and performance on the ground?

MacGregor Black is partnering with a global FMCG manufacturer in the hot beverages category to appoint a People & Culture Business Partner to lead the UK people agenda.

This is a high-impact, hands-on role for a commercially minded HR leader who wants real ownership - shaping people strategy while staying deeply connected to the day-to-day rhythm of an FMCG operation.

Reporting into the UK Managing Director and working closely with the senior leadership team, you will act as a trusted people advisor and commercial partner, owning the full UK HR agenda.

You’ll balance strategic people leadership with operational delivery, ensuring the organisation has the right structure, capability, and culture to support growth - all underpinned by strong labour cost governance and data-led decision-making. This role offers autonomy, visibility, and genuine influence in a fast-moving, performance-driven FMCG environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partner closely with the Managing Director and UK leadership team, providing commercially grounded people advice
• Own and manage UK labour costs, including budgeting, forecasting, productivity metrics, and variance analysis
• Deliver clear, high-quality people insight and reporting into senior leadership and board-level forums
• Lead core FMCG people cycles including performance management, salary and bonus reviews, talent planning, and benchmarking
• Use people analytics to influence workforce planning, organisational design, and cost efficiency
• Support organisational change, restructures, and engagement initiatives in a dynamic operating environment
• Implement and adapt global HR frameworks to meet local UK business and compliance needs
• Lead complex employee relations cases with a pragmatic, commercially balanced approach
• Work cross-functionally with Finance, Operations, and Commercial teams to support business priorities
• Champion culture, accountability, and performance while maintaining strong employee advocacy
• Partner with external providers across payroll, benefits, and statutory compliance

What We’re Looking For:

• CIPD Level 5+ qualified (Chartered status advantageous)
• 4+ years’ HR experience, including time as a People Partner / HR Business Partner in FMCG, PE-backed, or high-velocity environments
• Strong experience owning labour cost management, people analytics, and workforce-related financials
• Highly commercial and data-literate, confident working with numbers as well as people
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and contribute credibly at leadership and board level
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-changing environments
• Pragmatic, resilient, and delivery-focused — someone who gets things done
• High integrity and discretion when handling sensitive matters
• A collaborative, down-to-earth style that works well on-site and close to operations

Why This Role?

• True FMCG exposure with pace, accountability, and visibility
• Direct partnership with the Managing Director
• Ownership of the end-to-end UK people agenda
• A business that values commercial HR, not process for process’ sake

For more information, please contact Alice Redmond .