HR Business Partner

Location/s: Bristol, Birmingham, Croydon, Cambridge, London, or Glasgow; UK
Recruiter contact: Steven Johnston

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. 

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual. 

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit  
The Buildings Unit (BLD) has a major presence in Mott MacDonald's regional offices throughout the UK and mainland Europe, providing a wide range of diverse and transferable cross-sector skills across five key Sectors; Advisory, Built Environment, Energy, Transportation and Water. We also provide local services to customers and technical leadership to the rest of the Group in these sectors.

Overview of the role

As an HR Business Partner, you will combine strategic partnership with hands-on support to deliver practical, commercially informed people solutions. Your remit will include employee relations, organisational change, workforce planning, talent and succession inclusion, wellbeing and compliance.

Key responsibilities and duties include: 

• Stakeholder partnership
  • Build strong, sustainable relationships with the HR community, senior leaders and key stakeholders, including the Unit executive team
  • Act as a trusted HR partner, translating policy and employment law into clear, practical business solutions
  • Remain visible and accessible, communicating effectively and providing credible, timely advice
  • Use positive, pragmatic engagement to embed strategic people initiatives and support delivery
• Employee relations and operational HR
  • Identify employee-related issues early, including performance concerns, and recommend practical interventions that reflect business needs
  • Manage complex employee relations cases from start to finish, advising and coaching managers and employees on policy, procedure, legislation and risk
  • Guide managers through investigations, disciplinary, capability, conduct, performance and grievance processes; facilitate meetings where needed to support fairness and consistency
  • Advise on short- and long-term absence, occupational health referrals, reasonable adjustments, flexible working, family leave, time off for dependants and special leave
  • Support secondments, transfers and relocations, working with internal and external stakeholders to provide a consistent and efficient experience
  • Partner with the Immigration team on sponsorship, visa and right-to-work matters, ensuring employment changes meet immigration requirements and organisational policy
  • Support managers with cyclical reward and development activity, including salary reviews and connected conversations
• Organisational change and workforce planning
  • Advise and support managers through reorganisations, accelerated growth, restructuring, redundancy, redeployment and consultation
  • Lead talent, succession and workforce planning, translating business needs into clear people priorities
  • Shape resourcing and promote consistent grading and pay decisions
  • Coach managers to develop their teams and implement agreed workforce plans
• People strategy, inclusion and insight
  • Contribute to HR business and people plans by leading priority initiatives and projects, such as EDI/Wellbeing, absence management and employee engagement
  • Champion inclusion and employee wellbeing, partnering with relevant teams and employee networks to promote a safe, respectful and supportive workplace
  • Use people data and management information to identify trends, inform recommendations and meet reporting requirements
  • Review key performance indicators with business leaders and turn insight into improvements in performance and efficiency
• Compliance and professional standards
  • Protect employee information and comply with data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation
  • Respond to compliance matters in line with HR procedures and complete operational reporting requirements
  • Role model behaviours aligned with Our Code and PRIDE values

Candidate specification

You will be an experienced HR professional who balances strategic thinking with confident, hands-on delivery. You will exercise sound judgement, establish credibility quickly and communicate with impact at all levels.

Essential qualifications and experience:

• Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD), or an equivalent qualification
• Experience in a comparable generalist HR operational role, including work in a global market
• Proven ability to manage complex employee relations casework from start to finish
• Experience supporting talent management, succession planning and reward programmes
• Sound knowledge of current employment law and its practical application, particularly within UK procedures and processes

Skills and approach:

• Strong business acumen, commercial awareness and emotional intelligence, with the ability to influence at senior level
• Resilience and confidence to challenge constructively and handle differing views professionally
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to establish effective, collaborative relationships quickly
• Ability to learn quickly, absorb and retain information, and understand the wider business environment
• A flexible approach to work and the ability to travel to other offices and sites

Desirable:

• Post-qualification generalist experience in the private sector, ideally within consulting, professional services, construction or engineering
• Knowledge or experience of global mobility and organisational change
• Strong organisation and prioritisation skills, with the flexibility to respond to changing priorities
• A pragmatic, professional approach focused on the needs of the team and wider business
• Strong analytical and numeracy skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and information
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and HR databases
• Ability to work effectively both collaboratively and independently
• A continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to strengthen HR processes and practices in line with functional objectives and organisational needs

If you meet around 80% of the criteria, we encourage you to apply. We recognise that strong candidates may not meet every requirement.

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working  

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

AI Usage

At Mott MacDonald, we see the value AI can bring, but we take a people-first approach to hiring. While AI tools can help candidates prepare and build confidence, every application and hiring decision is reviewed by our recruitment and hiring teams. We encourage the responsible use of AI while ensuring we get to know the real person behind the application.

Accessibility

We want you to feel supported and able to perform at your best throughout our recruitment process. If there is anything we can do to make applying or interviewing with us more accessible, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we'll be happy to discuss how we can help.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Employee Ownership

• Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.
• Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.
• As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long-term impact and contribution.
• Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.
• For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• 10 days additional paid leave for Armed Forces Reservists and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

 Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
• We offer policies and dedicated support to help military families balance service life with career and wellbeing.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and Gold Award holders in the MOD Employer Recognition Scheme, supported by our dedicated internal Armed Forces Network.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.