[Hiring] People Ops Business Partner @Reserv

Role Description

We are looking for an HR Business Partner to create a seamless and supportive experience for every employee at Reserv in the UK. In this role, you will manage key processes throughout the employee lifecycle — from onboarding to day-to-day HR support — while serving as a trusted partner to both team members and leadership. You will bring empathy, organization, and sharp problem-solving skills to a fast-paced, fully remote environment where we value initiative, clear communication, and continuous improvement. If you are excited about building thoughtful people processes, supporting a growing team, and shaping the future of HR at an ambitious insurtech, we would love to connect with you.

What you'll do

• Strategic partner
  • Act as a trusted advisor and sounding partner to managers and team leads, providing guidance on team dynamics, performance management, and workforce planning.
  • Develop and execute people strategies that drive business performance, retention, and engagement — translating organizational goals into tangible people initiatives.
  • Lead on end-to-end recruitment activity for the UK, partnering with hiring managers to attract and retain top talent while maintaining a consistent, positive candidate experience.
  • Drive culture change and organizational development initiatives, holding leaders and managers accountable for adoption and embedding change effectively across teams.
  • Develop, own, and continuously improve HR policies from inception through to implementation, ensuring they are fit for purpose, legally compliant, and aligned with the company’s values and growth trajectory.
• Employee relations
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for all UK employee relations matters, managing a high volume of cases end-to-end — including performance management, disciplinaries, grievances, and occupational health referrals — with minimal escalation.
  • Bring proven experience managing complex, long-running cases including long-term sickness absence, reasonable adjustments, and occupational health-led processes, ideally gained in operational or high-volume frontline environments.
  • Negotiate and manage Settlement Agreements (formerly Compromise Agreements), including liaison with legal counsel where required, ensuring commercial and legal risk is appropriately managed.
  • Balance empathy with compliance in line with UK employment law, escalating matters to the VP, People Operations only where necessary.
  • Help leaders proactively identify and address team health concerns and interpersonal conflict before they reach formal process stage.
  • Support investigations, policy interpretation, disciplinary, and grievance procedures in accordance with ACAS Codes of Practice and internal policy.
  • Help foster an inclusive, equitable, and engaging remote-first culture using data and employee feedback to make evidence-based recommendations.
• Performance & talent management
  • Manage the performance review cycle, lead calibration sessions, and coach managers on delivering constructive feedback and meaningful development conversations.
  • Collaborate with the VP, People Operations to roll out talent development programs, promotion frameworks, and career pathways that scale with the company.
• HR programming
  • Design, implement, and continuously improve HR programs, policies, and workflows spanning the full employee lifecycle, with a focus on scalability and automation.
  • Lead the development and delivery of the company’s EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) strategy, building programs and initiatives that foster a culture of belonging, psychological safety, and equitable opportunity across the UK workforce.
  • Drive employee engagement through structured listening programs (e.g. surveys, focus groups), translating findings into actionable recommendations for leadership.
  • Leverage data and employee feedback to recommend improvements to People Ops processes that increase efficiency and impact.
  • Support employee recognition, onboarding, and retention initiatives.
• Operations & compliance
  • Maintain an up-to-date working knowledge of UK employment law, proactively monitoring legislative changes and implementing updated policies and practices ahead of new laws coming into effect.
  • Oversee right-to-work checks and ensure ongoing compliance with UK immigration and employment eligibility requirements.
  • Uphold UK GDPR and data privacy obligations, ensuring employee data is handled with appropriate confidentiality and in accordance with ICO guidance.
  • Serve as a secondary point of contact for employee questions requiring a nuanced or strategic response.
• Analytics & reporting
  • Analyze HR data and trends (turnover, engagement, headcount, etc.) and deliver insights to leadership to shape people strategies.
  • Develop reporting mechanisms that support business leaders in making data-informed decisions.

Qualifications

• CIPD Level 7 qualified (or equivalent experience), operating at a strategic HR level with the confidence to work autonomously and advise senior stakeholders.
• 4–6+ years of experience in HR advisory / People Operations, with at least 2 years in a Business Partner or advisory capacity.
• 2+ years of end-to-end payroll management experience for a workforce of up to 200 employees, including pension administration (auto-enrollment and ongoing scheme management).
• 2+ years of experience in a high-growth startup, scale-up, or fast-paced operational environment — you know how to balance ambiguity, pace, and flexibility.
• Solid, hands-on knowledge of UK employment law, including the Employment Rights Act, Equality Act 2010, ACAS Codes of Practice, and UK GDPR.
• Demonstrable experience managing a high volume and wide range of ER cases end-to-end, including Settlement Agreements, long-term sickness, and occupational health processes.
• Experience with UK benefits administration is desirable but not essential, including auto-enrollment pensions, private health insurance, and statutory entitlements (SSP, SMP, SPP, etc.).
• Proficient with HR systems; experience with Rippling is a bonus.
• High emotional and social intelligence, with the confidence and composure to navigate highly sensitive or contentious situations with care and professionalism.
• Strong interpersonal skills, good intuition, and the ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the organization.
• Able to manage multiple ongoing projects independently with excellent attention to detail and organization.
• A decisive problem solver with a “get it done” attitude who thrives in a fast-paced, sometimes ambiguous environment.
• Exceptional standards of confidentiality and ethics when handling sensitive people information.
• A genuine growth mindset — keen to continue learning and developing as the company scales.
• Comfortable working fully remotely and with a geographically distributed team.
• Proficient with standard tech tools — Apple Mac, Google Workspace, and Slack — and comfortable picking up new technology quickly.

Benefits

• Generous health-insurance package with nationwide coverage, vision, & dental.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching.
• Competitive PTO policy – we want our employees fresh, healthy, happy, and energized!
• Generous family leave policy after 8 months of continuous work.
• Work from anywhere to facilitate your work-life balance.
• Apple laptop, large second monitor, and other quality-of-life equipment you may want. Technology is something that should make your life easier, not harder!