People Partner - 12 Month Contract

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced People Partner to join us on a 12 month contract who can act as a trusted advisor to business leaders—building strong, credible relationships and providing commercially grounded people guidance. You will work collaboratively with colleagues across the People & Culture team to ensure a joined‑up, aligned and strategic approach to people initiatives.

You will partner closely with leaders to understand their business priorities, shape people plans, coach on leadership and performance, and use insight to influence outcomes.

Job Purpose: 

As a key member of the UK People & Culture team, the People Partner acts as a strategic advisor to senior leaders across multiple business units. Reporting into the Chief People Officer, this role blends high‑quality partnering with operational excellence—shaping people strategy, influencing decision‑making, and ensuring an exceptional employee experience.

This role also provides day‑to‑day leadership and works closely with the People Operations, Reward, Talent and DEI teams to ensure consistent, aligned and high‑quality delivery across the People & Culture function.

While strategic partnering is central to this role, you will also bring strong employee relations capability, managing complex and sensitive cases with fairness, confidence, and sound judgement.

Experience supporting reward processes (including salary review and bonus cycles) is an advantage.

Strategic Partnering & Trusted Advisor

• Build deep, effective partnerships with senior stakeholders—acting as a sounding board, coach, and trusted advisor.
• Shape and influence people plans that balance people best practice with commercial priorities.
• Collaborate closely with colleagues across the HR team (People Operations, Reward, Talent, DEI) to ensure integrated, consistent and high‑quality people support.
• Use data, insight, and business context to guide decision‑making and strengthen leadership capability.
• Drive employee engagement by partnering with leaders to understand team sentiment and develop action plans.
• Support leaders in building robust talent pipelines, succession plans, and capability development.
• Challenge and influence leaders with pragmatic recommendations that balance risk, culture and commercial impact.

Employee Relations

• Lead complex ER cases with sound commercial judgement.
• Provide expert advice on UK employment law and practical, commercially‑aware solutions.
• Proactively identify people risks and mitigate commercial, reputational, and operational impact.

Reward (Desirable)

• Support reward cycles through commercially grounded pay and bonus recommendations.
• Advise leaders on pay decisions that balance competitiveness, affordability, and internal equity.

People Projects

• Lead or contribute to strategic projects across talent, engagement, DEI, wellbeing and organisational development.
• Deliver talent management initiatives including succession and leadership development.
• Support engagement initiatives that lift productivity, culture and retention.
• Drive continuous improvement of policies, processes, and manager capability.

Qualifications

Essential

• Proven ability to partner with senior stakeholders, balancing people best practice with commercial acumen.
• Strong employee relations experience with ability to manage complex cases.
• Understanding of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Ability to interpret data and translate insights into commercially meaningful action.
• Excellent coaching, communication and influencing skills.
• CIPD qualification (or equivalent experience).

Desirable

• Experience supporting reward cycles.
• Experience in professional services, real estate, or a matrix organisation.

Personal Attributes

• Commercial, pragmatic and solutions‑focused.
• High levels of integrity and discretion.
• Strong emotional intelligence with ability to build trusted relationships.
• Ability to balance empathy with business priorities and financial realities.

Additional Information

Please tell us what would help you take part and give enough practical detail for us to arrange it. We will handle your request confidentially, and it will not affect how you are assessed. We make reasonable adjustments in line with the Equality Act 2010.

At Colliers, we empower people to perform at their best. As a Disability Confident Employer, we want every candidate to feel welcome. If anything would help you take part in our process, such as extra time or rest breaks, step-free access, or a different interview format, please tell us in your application. You are not expected to share a diagnosis or medical history.

Colliers is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We do not discriminate based on age; disability; gender; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins); religion or belief; sex; or sexual orientation. We also value diverse experience and neurodiversity.

*Any CVs, Candidate details or Introductions sent directly to Colliers employees without a prior written mandate from the Colliers UK Talent Acquisition or HR Team shall be deemed unsolicited and provided voluntarily.

In such cases, Colliers shall have no obligation to pay any introduction, recruitment or placement fee, and may engage or hire the Candidate without liability to the Agency.