HR Manager

Who we are
Bennett Construction is an international construction and construction services company with a proud heritage dating back to 1917. With offices in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Germany, we deliver high-quality projects across a broad range of sectors. Our success is founded on the expertise of our people, a hands on approach and an unwavering commitment to safety, quality, innovation and sustainability. As we continue to grow our UK operation, we are seeking talented professionals who share our ambition and commitment to excellence.

About the role
This is a high-impact opportunity for an experienced HR professional to shape and lead the people agenda for our growing UK business. As the standalone UK HR Manager, you will work closely with the UK Managing Director and HR Director in Ireland, combining strategic influence with hands on delivery across the full employee lifecycle. You will have the autonomy to build a trusted, commercially focused HR function, shape senior level decisions and deliver practical people initiatives that enable sustainable business performance and growth. This is a full time, office based position located in our London office in Clerkenwell.

Key responsibilities

• Lead all day to day HR activity for the UK business, providing practical and commercially focused advice to directors, managers and employees.
• Manage end to end recruitment across professional, operational and project based roles, from workforce planning and sourcing through to offer and onboarding.
• Build effective relationships with hiring managers and recruitment partners, strengthening talent pipelines and ensuring a positive candidate experience.
• Provide expert guidance on UK employment legislation and HR best practice, keeping policies, contracts and procedures current and compliant.
• Provide training and guidance to managers to ensure their practices align with current UK employment legislation.
• Manage employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, performance, absence and family leave processes.
• Coordinate contracts, employee changes, onboarding, offboarding, right to work checks and accurate HR records.
• Support payroll, benefits, reward, learning and development, employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives.
• Partner with the UK Managing Director and HR Director in Ireland on people priorities, organisational development and workforce planning.
• Support early careers, graduate and work placement activity, including links with schools, colleges and universities.
• Contribute to equality, diversity and inclusion, modern slavery, contingent labour, social value, Section 106 obligations and wider workforce compliance requirements.
• Provide HR information for client, tender and audit requirements, support wider business priorities, and lead other projects as required.

Candidate profile

• Senior generalist HR experience in a standalone or lean team environment.
• Strong recruitment expertise and excellent knowledge of UK employment legislation.
• Sound commercial judgement, with credibility and confidence to advise the senior team.
• A pragmatic, flexible and hands on approach.
• CIPD qualifications and construction or comparable sector experience are desirable.