Human Resources Lead

Company: Vanilla Recruitment
Apply for the Human Resources Lead
Location: Northampton
Job Description:

We’re delighted to be recruiting a Human Resources Operations Lead on behalf of a well-established, operationally focused organisation. This new and varied HR vacancy offers the opportunity to play a pivotal role in supporting depot-based teams, partnering closely with leadership to drive performance, engagement, and workforce stability within a fast-paced environment.

  • Salary up to £45,000
  • Full-time, 35 hours per week with flexible working hours (e.g. 8am–4pm or 9am–5pm)
  • Hybrid working – 3 days on site in Northampton, 2 days from home
  • One day per month travel to Wigan (expenses covered)
  • 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
  • Private healthcare, pension scheme, and discretionary bonus
  • Regular social events and an excellent benefits package

Duties and responsibilities

  • Act as the primary HR contact for depot leadership, supporting delivery of operational goals through effective people strategies
  • Build strong on-site relationships with managers and frontline employees, providing practical HR guidance aligned to business priorities
  • Manage a range of employee relations cases including disciplinaries, grievances, absence, performance, and investigations
  • Provide expert advice to managers, ensuring fair and consistent application of policies and employment legislation
  • Support recruitment, onboarding, and retention initiatives for operational roles to ensure workforce stability
  • Coach and develop managers to strengthen people leadership capability across the depot
  • Analyse HR metrics such as absence and turnover, providing insights to inform decision-making and support continuous improvement

Required skills and experience

  • Proven HR experience within an operations-led environment such as logistics, transport, manufacturing, or warehousing
  • Strong employee relations knowledge with experience handling complex cases
  • Ability to influence and challenge operational leaders in a constructive and professional manner
  • Confident coaching and advisory skills, with a focus on developing management capability
  • Good understanding of employment law and HR best practice
  • CIPD Level 5 (or above) qualification, or equivalent experience, is desirable
  • Strong communication skills with the ability to build credibility across all levels of the organisation

Posted: July 11th, 2026