About the role

We are recruiting for a strategic and collaborative Senior Business Partner to join our team here at the John Lewis Partnership, for a 12 month fixed term contract. You'll partner closely with our Director of Distribution, helping to drive cultural transformation within Waitrose Supply Chain across our Bracknell and Aylesford Distribution Centres. In this pivotal role, you'll be instrumental in building high-performing teams, cultivating exceptional leadership, building core people management capability and ensuring our Waitrose Supply Chain is set up for success both now and in the future. This will be delivered through building a clear plan, effective coordination and leadership of the team and resources, and great stakeholder management.

• Salary - £70,500 - £110,500

• Contract type - This position is a 12 month secondment/fixed term contract.

• Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between our Partnership locations and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business.

• Location - This role is based at our Bracknell Head Office and Aylesford Regional Distribution Centre, with regular travel to other Partnership locations. 

• Please note, internally this role is known as ‘Senior Talent Partner’.

Key responsibilities

• Accountable for creating innovative, effective talent plans and reliable live succession plans for your business area. Understands and translates the complexity and breadth of the different levers you can pull to close critical capability gaps, optimise organisational effectiveness and support the Partnership diversity and inclusion ambitions.

• Collaborates with the rest of the Talent and Performance team to define an overarching Partnership Talent Plan. Shares insight to ensure bottom-up business requirements shape the People Plan, in combination with top-down approach, on a regular rhythm as critical input from the organisation.

• Works with Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development to create and deliver a holistic and effective “Build, Buy, Borrow, Develop & Automate” plan that ensures we have the talent and capabilities required now and in the future.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Experience driving Talent and Performance agendas in Supply Chain/Distribution/Logistics business areas.

• Demonstrates substantial knowledge of wider HR practices and industry leading practices in Talent and Performance.

• Demonstrates intellect and capability to develop a well thought out talent plan to underpin the delivery of the Partnership Plan.

• At ease with complexity and able to articulate a clear vision for the future.

• Has confidently managed multiple programmes of work running concurrently.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, managing stakeholders with multiple important priorities.

• Strong influencing skills, including demonstrated ability to influence and drive results at all levels of the organisation.

• Strength in engaging data reporting & analytics.

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Recognised qualification in Human Resource Management, Occupational Psychology or Business.

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The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.  

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. 

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