UK & EU HR Business Partner

Responsibilities

• Ensure statutory and regulatory compliance across Routeco's European entities, maintaining up-to-date employment law knowledge and reducing legal risk
• Partner with local legal advisers on complex employee relations matters
• Act as a trusted advisor to managers on performance management and the rollout of global frameworks, policies and tools
• Use people data and insights to contribute to quarterly and annual reporting, including trends, metrics and KPIs
• Support talent acquisition, development and succession planning across the region
• Drive associate engagement initiatives, including 'stay' interviews and exit trend analysis
• Coordinate a compliant and competitive European benefits offering aligned to local and group standards
• Promote wellbeing, Diversity & Inclusion and Purpose initiatives, respecting local cultural needs
• Work with Finance to ensure accurate and timely payroll delivery across all European entities
• Contribute to pay benchmarking and reward reviews across Europe
• What do you need to bring?
• Minimum 5 years' HR experience across Talent Acquisition, Benefits and Compensation, including high-level disciplinary, grievance, performance management and appeals
• Strong knowledge of UK and European HR practices; multi-country experience preferred
• Degree in HR/Business (or related) and CIPD qualified (Graduate level)
• Fluent English; additional European languages (French, German, Dutch) advantageous
• High attention to detail, strong analytical and communication skills, and ability to handle confidential information
• Able to use data to drive evidence-based people decisions
• Experienced managing workload independently in a hybrid environment
• Comfortable managing crisis/emergency HR situations
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Copilot) and digital tools
• Willingness to travel
• What can we offer you?
• Base salary: Competitive + bonus
• Time Off: 25 days annual leave, rising to 30, with option to flex up/down 5 days
• Long Service Rewards: Special gifts and up to 5 extra holiday days in your anniversary year
• Wellness Benefits: Health and wellbeing cashback scheme
• BUPA Cover: Medical cover for all associates
• Financial Security: Life assurance at 2x salary
• Free Shares: Eligible after 3 years of service
• Pension: Group personal pension with 5% employer contribution
• Continuous Learning: 1 hour of protected development time every week
• Family-Friendly Leave: Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Recognition: Discretionary on-the-spot and value-based awards
• Volunteer Time Off & Workplace Giving: Paid time off for volunteering
• Exclusive Discounts: Associate Discounts Portal
• Referral Bonuses: Financial reward for referring great people
• Cycle Scheme: Salary sacrifice cycle scheme
• Wellbeing Support: 24/7 EAP via Unum, plus Mental Health First Aiders
• Fitness Benefits: Gym membership discounts
• Our promise
• At Routeco, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If you're interested but don't meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply - you might still be a great match. Please let us know of any adjustments needed.
• We use blind CVs
• We're GEISS accredited
• We're a registered Member of Inclusive Employers
• We have internal focus groups on Mental Health, Menopause, D&I and more
• We publish our diversity aims and figures
• Are you ready to make a difference?
• REF-229 269

Additional Information

Looking for a fresh challenge? At Routeco, our vision is to be Europe's leading industrial automation and controls specialist - combining seamless customer experience with unmatched technical expertise to create lasting partnerships. This is Routeco Know-How. As part of the Sonepar Group-the largest B2B electrical distributor globally-we offer the stability of a global organisation while staying firmly rooted in the UK market. We value professionalism, agility and teamwork, with customers at the centre of every decision. Working Together to Support Our People This role sits within the Sonepar UK people team, supporting Routeco's UK and European entities across the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, and Switzerland. You'll play a key role in delivering consistent, high-quality HR practices across Europe - supporting the associate experience and business growth by embedding effective HR systems, processes, and initiatives across all locations. Working closely with UK and European leadership, you'll provide expert guidance across the full employee lifecycle, operating as a true Business Partner who aligns people strategy with business outcomes. You'll also collaborate across Sonepar's European HR network, sharing best practice and driving continuous improvement.

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