People Partner

Role: People Partner

Location: North England, Scotland and NI

Reference: HOB1222121

Closing Date: {Expiry Date}

Creativity is Hobbycraft’s reason for being, so when you join our fantastic team, you will be surrounded by like-minded imaginative people. We believe that working together and embracing new and innovative ideas are the best way to make our colleagues feel part of something.

People Partner

Salary - £50k

Company Car

33 days holiday inc.bank holidays increasing every year

40% discount in our stores

Pension with a 4% contribution

This is a full-time role, working 37.5 hours per week. As retail operates 7 days per week flexibility may be required to support the needs of the business.

Due to the nature of the role, you will need to be willing and able to travel extensively within the assigned areas.

The expectation is you will be in stores a minimum of 3 days per week.

Key Accountabilities / Responsibilities

Strategic HR Partnership

• Partner with Area Managers and store leadership teams to translate commercial priorities, colleague insight and operational challenges into clear people plans.

• Act as a trusted advisor on workforce planning, organisational design and capability, using evidence and judgement to influence decisions.

Talent, Culture & Development

• Support recruitment, onboarding and development activity to attract, retain and grow colleagues who reflect our values and passion for creativity.

• Lead the talent and performance agenda in your areas, helping leaders identify potential, build succession plans and address underperformance fairly and consistently.

• Coach managers to lead confidently, hold effective performance and wellbeing conversations, and create high performing, values led teams.

Employee Relations, Wellbeing & Engagement

• Provide clear, practical and legally sound guidance on ER matters, ensuring cases are managed fairly, consistently and in line with our values and policies.

• Use engagement insight to support action plans that improve colleague experience, wellbeing, recognition and retention.

• Help shape and implement company-wide engagement, wellbeing and recognition programmes.

HR Operations, Insight & Projects

• Use people data, including turnover, absence, engagement and ER trends, to identify root causes and agree practical actions.

• Work with the HR Shared Service Centre to ensure colleagues and managers receive accurate, timely and consistent advice, with clear ownership of escalations.

• Lead and contribute to people projects as required.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven HR partnering experience, ideally within retail or another multi-site environment.

• Strong commercial awareness, with the ability to balance business priorities, colleague experience and operational delivery.

• Confident coach and influencer, able to build trusted relationships and support managers to improve performance through their people.

• Sound employment law knowledge and experience managing complex ER cases fairly and commercially.

• Able to use people data to identify trends, root causes and practical recommendations.

• Organised and resilient, with the judgement and pace to manage competing priorities and deliver projects successfully.

• Trusted to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion, integrity and sound judgement.

Salary & Benefits

In addition to the advertised salary, here are some of our key benefits:

• Company car.

• 33 days holiday including bank holidays pro rata, which grows with you during your time with us. You will also get a day off to celebrate your birthday

• Access to a personal pension scheme (4% contribution matched by us)

• Option to join Hobbycraft pension scheme offering x2 life insurance

• 40% colleague discount

• Employee Assistance Programme, for overall wellbeing for you and your family including financial advice and up to 6 counselling sessions

• Long service awards to thank you for your time spent with us

• Cycle2Work scheme

• Discounted gym membership

• Fundraising events for our charity partners and an annual charity volunteer day

• Vouchers for free eye tests for VDU users

• Access to a range of high street discounts

• Access to a Health Cash Plan

• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption pay

• Access to learning and development opportunities to help you grow

We are completely committed to supporting anyone with a disability in applying for our vacancies. If you have a disability and require support throughout our recruitment process, you can contact us at and let us know what adjustments you may need.

At Hobbycraft we celebrate the joy of crafting, and we celebrate all of our colleagues and customers. As a retailer we have a diverse Colleague base from a broad range of all communities. Our colleagues are recruited for their skill, passion, love of craft and customer service, which is also reflected in our customer base. It is this skill and love of crafting which defines them. Hobbycraft, is an equal opportunity employer who takes equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging very seriously, we regularly review our policies and practices to ensure not only compliance, but also best practise from an employment perspective.

Hobbycraft are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, and we are committed to equal and fair treatment for all colleagues or potential colleagues irrespective of race, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnic origins, religion or belief, disability, age, gender, marital or family status.