Head of People Partnering

ABOUT THE ROLE

As Head of People Partnering, you’ll lead a team of three Regional People Partners and an ER Lead, supporting a workforce of 3,000+ brilliant bakery team members across the country.

You will partner closely with our Heads of Operations, Talent, L&D, and People Services to deliver exceptional people initiatives that improve performance, strengthen our culture, and enhance the employee experience across GAIL’s.

This is a highly impactful, visible, and strategic role—perfect for someone who thrives on autonomy, collaboration, and meaningful relationship‑building.

Lead With Drive

• Inspire and guide your People Partners to deliver local talent support and leadership coaching.
• Shape an exceptional onboarding experience for new managers across regions.
• Champion continuous improvement across all people processes, policies, and touchpoints.
• Own key people metrics—driving improvements in retention, engagement, wellbeing, and absence.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with bakery managers, regional operations teams, and the wider support office.
• Role‑model inclusivity, diversity, belonging, and our purpose: “Feed more people better.”

Lead to Deliver

• Analyse people data to identify trends and drive fact‑based decisions.
• Manage complex ER matters with expertise, pragmatism, and commercial awareness.
• Oversee data accuracy on Fourth and ensure effective reporting.
• Produce monthly board packs and support seamless onboarding and offboarding processes.
• Manage team budgets and ensure efficient use of resources.

Lead Through People

• Coach, develop, and inspire your team—creating a culture of growth and accountability.
• Maintain a healthy work‑life balance for your team while supporting a 7‑day operational business.
• Drive succession planning for our ‘Fab 5’ bakery management roles.
• Collaborate with L&D to bring career pathways to life for all roles and levels.
• Ensure bakery leaders have the tools they need to lead their people brilliantly.
• Own B‑Heard survey results for your team and act on insights.

Lead With Vision

• Partner with the Head of People to enhance the end‑to‑end employee experience.
• Stay ahead of industry trends and competitor activity, ensuring our people plans are best‑in‑class.
• Build talent pipelines to support new openings, internal moves, and long‑term growth.
• Lead cross‑functional projects, hitting key milestones and delivering strong outcomes.
• Create space for reflection: what’s going well, what’s not, and what we’ll do differently.

ARE YOU THE MISSING INGREDIENT

• CIPD Level 5+ (desirable)
• Experienced leading People Partners or operating as a senior People Partner within a fast‑growing hospitality, retail, or consumer business of 3,000+ employees.
• Passionate about “doing the right thing” for people and the brand.
• Commercial, solution‑oriented, and resilient.
• A strong relationship‑builder who can influence senior leaders and challenge constructively.
• Authentic, grounded, and able to bring a sense of fun to your work.
• Highly organised, detail‑driven, and able to juggle competing priorities.
• Comfortable with nationwide travel and occasional weekend working.
• A natural coach and communicator who cuts through noise with clarity.
• Trusted, confidential, and professional at a senior‑leadership level.

BENEFITS BAKED IN

• Free food and drink when working
• 50% off food and drink when not working
• 33 days holiday
• Pension Scheme
• Discounts and Savings from high-street retailers and restaurants
• 24 hour GP service
• Cycle to work scheme
• Development programmes for you to RISE with GAIL’s