People Partner

People Partner - North - ManchesterConsidering making an application for this job Check all the details in this job description, and then click on Apply.About usLoungers is a substantial and growing operator in the UK hospitality sector, operating over 300 sites in England and Wales across three distinct but complementary brands, Lounges, Cosy Club, and Brightside. Founded in 2002 by three friends who wanted to create a neighbourhood caf-bar that they would want to go to, the Group is now the only growing all-day operator of scale in the UK and has consistently outperformed the wider UK hospitality sector over the past three years. Despite being the fastest growing caf / restaurant group in the Country, Loungers has retained its entrepreneurial spirit and quirky 'Loungey' local community atmosphere.The Role in a NutshellReporting into the Head of People Operations, the People Partner is the strategic and operational partner to Operational Leaders : Providing insight, challenge, and hands‑on support with all regional people priorities, working very closely with Operations Directors (OD), and Regional Operations Managers (ROM) but also providing regular day‑to‑day support of the Operations team.They play a pivotal role in ensuring the people agenda is fully embedded into operational processes and are the go‑to person for ODs and ROMs on a broad range of people matters and issues, with a strong emphasis on employee relations support.Through building strong, trusted relationships with ROMs and ODs and levering the expertise of central teams (L&D and Recruitment) the People Partner is close to the operation and able to balance hands‑on support for ROMs with strategic challenge and foresight.This is a hands‑on role that demands both credibility, influence. They will need a strong grounding in ER as the key priority will be helping to prevent the root causes of ER issues but also resolve them quickly when they arise. In addition, they'll also need a breadth of experience / know‑how across the end‑to‑end employee lifecycle : Engagement, Data, Retention.Getting into the DetailEmployee RelationsProvide practical, commercial advice to ODs and ROMs on regional employee relations cases, including investigations, disciplinaries, grievances, performance issues, appeals, and ETs.Prioritise swift ER issue resolution, balancing simplicity for teams with commercial and legal requirements. Primarily coach and advise, but take a hands‑on role in complex cases (e.g. writing outcomes, conducting investigations, accompanying senior leaders to HR meetings).Build ROM and Ops confidence and capability through proactive training on key ER topics, ensuring leaders handle cases effectively.Lead regional ER projects where required, such as TUPE consultations or restructures.Champion an employee‑centric culture through fair decision‑making, analysing ER trends, and supporting ROMs and Ops to address root causes (e.g. poor follow‑up, weak PIPs, ineffective leadership, onboarding).Partner with the People Advisor and Head of People Ops to design, implement, and communicate ER policies (e.g. Day 1 rights, handbook updates, guaranteed hours changes).Collaborate closely with the People Advisor and Head of People Ops to ensure consistent, clear ER advice and role clarity across teams.Contribute to onboarding and training to ensure new managers are equipped with essential ER knowledge from the outset to prevent issues.Regional People Plans and People InitiativesSupport ROMs with regional people plan actions, ensuring effective follow‑through on performance management and supporting development and succession planning initiatives.Own understanding of regional people metrics (e.g. 90‑day leavers, turnover, absence, ER activity, hiring data), breaking them down to help ROMs and Ops identify performance trends and solutions for improvement.Lead quarterly Regional "People" P&L sessions with the CPO, Head of People Ops, and ODs, presenting insights on people metrics to drive meaningful discussion and actions; report back on outcomes and opportunities to ODs, MDs, and senior leaders.Regularly engage ROMs and Ops outside of P&L sessions on people KPIs‑especially 90‑day retention‑to address early leaver drivers such as onboarding quality or leadership issues.Coach and support Ops and ROMs on key areas including engagement action planning and mental health support.Attend ROM / Ops huddles to share People Team updates (e.g. engagement survey results, commitments, employment law changes) and gather feedback on how the People Team can increase impact.Lead agreed projects with the CPO / Head of People Ops related to specific business areas or brands (e.g. engagement surveys, Loungefest, mental health support hubs, office / customer service management, recognition).Recruitment and People DevelopmentSupport Recruitment and Talent Partners to ensure Ops, GMs, and HCs follow Loungers' recruitment framework, hire quality talent, and maintain a strong candidate experience through site visits or Ops / ROM huddles.Champion People Development with Ops and ROMs, ensuring teams see clear progression opportunities and that performance is driven through effective training and development. This includes assessing the impact of Step Up programmes, ensuring sufficient support, and monitoring onboarding compliance (e.g. Four Week Review completion rates).Act as a voice within sites to understand team experiences, providing meaningful feedback to the People Team and Ops / ROMs on where expectations aren't met and highlighting areas of success.What you'll bringYou're great at balancing what's right for people with what makes sense for the business.You know your stuff when it comes to employee relations and can handle tricky cases with confidence and care.You love using data to spot trends and help leaders make better people decisions.You build trust easily and aren't afraid to challenge or support senior leaders when needed. xpwpeyx You care about helping people grow and creating a fair, positive workplace where everyone can do their best work.What's in it for you?25 days holiday plus bank holidaysA culture that appreciates ideas and celebrates individualityFounder‑led business - we might have c300 sites, but we still maintain an entrepreneurial spirit through everything we do50% off food at all Lounges, Cosy Clubs and BrightsidesUp to 10% bonusPension contribution24 / 7 mental health supportAmazing events including LoungeFest - our annual company festival - Christmas parties and moreWe want to work with nice people so if you want to work hard, have fun and be part of the Loungers ride, we'd love to have you.#J-18808-Ljbffr