Senior People Partner

About VIRTUS

VIRTUS Data Centres is a leading European data centre developer and operator, delivering secure, energy-efficient and flexible infrastructure for the rapidly growing demands of cloud, AI and digital services.

With an established UK presence and a growing footprint across Europe, including Germany and Italy, VIRTUS is investing in next-generation, AI-ready infrastructure at scale.

Our ambition is to lead the industry by being different by design, underpinned by our values: Clarity & Quality, Accountability, Customer Commitment, Purposeful Innovation, and Capability & Growth.

Job Summary

We are looking for an ambitious and capable Senior People Partner to join our UK People team and support the delivery of our People and Organisation strategy across Technical Operations and Group Functions.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced People Partner who is ready to take the next step in their career. Working directly with the People Director, you will play a key role in partnering with leaders and managers across a complex, fast-paced operational environment, helping to drive organisational effectiveness, develop leadership capability, and deliver a first-class employee experience.

The role offers broad exposure across the full employee lifecycle, including employee relations, organisational change, talent management, capability development, reward programmes, workforce planning, and engagement initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

People Partnering

· Partner with managers and leaders across Technical Operations and Group Functions to deliver people solutions aligned to business priorities.

· Act as a trusted advisor to middle management teams, providing coaching, guidance and constructive challenge.

· Support workforce planning activities, succession planning and organisational design initiatives.

· Help leaders navigate people-related risks and opportunities, ensuring effective and commercially focused decision-making.

· Build strong and credible relationships across the organisation, becoming a trusted and valued business partner.

Employee Relations & Operational HR

· Provide end-to-end support on employee relations matters including performance, capability, conduct, attendance and grievance issues.

· Coach managers through complex people situations to achieve fair, timely and legally compliant outcomes.

· Support the delivery of annual people processes including performance reviews, salary reviews, talent discussions and development planning.

· Partner closely with People Operations to ensure smooth execution of onboarding, probation management, contractual changes and policy implementation.

· Ensure compliance with UK employment legislation and company policies.

Talent, Capability & Reward

· Support the People Director in delivering talent, capability and succession initiatives across the business.

· Identify capability gaps and support development plans that strengthen organisational performance.

· Work with Talent Acquisition partners to support recruitment and internal mobility activity.

· Contribute to talent review processes and workforce planning discussions.

· Support the implementation of reward and recognition programmes, ensuring alignment with business objectives and employee experience goals.

Organisational Change & Transformation

· Support organisational change programmes including restructures, growth initiatives, team redesign and workforce transformation projects.

· Assist with consultation activities and change management programmes across multiple business areas.

· Partner with leaders to embed change effectively and minimise operational disruption.

· Ensure people considerations are at the forefront of business transformation initiatives.

Culture, Engagement & Wellbeing

· Partner with leaders to develop action plans from engagement survey insights.

· Support initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, leadership effectiveness and organisational culture.

· Champion inclusion, wellbeing and belonging across operational and corporate teams.

· Help build environments where employees can perform, develop and thrive.

People Analytics & Governance

· Analyse people data and workforce metrics to identify trends, risks and opportunities.

· Prepare reports and insights to support leadership decision-making.

· Monitor organisational health indicators including attrition, engagement, absence and capability measures.

· Support policy development and continuous improvement of People practices.

About You

Experience

· Proven experience in an HR Business Partner or People Partner role.

· Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations.

· Experience supporting managers within operational, technical, engineering, infrastructure, technology, logistics or similar environments.

· Experience working across multiple locations and varied stakeholder groups.

· Exposure to organisational change, restructures or transformation programmes.

· Experience supporting annual people processes including performance, talent and reward activities.

Skills & Capabilities

· Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.

· Able to influence and challenge constructively at manager and senior manager level.

· Commercially aware with a pragmatic and solutions-focused approach.

· Strong coaching and communication skills.

· Confident analyzing data and translating insights into practical actions.

· Organized, resilient and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.

· Collaborative team player with a continuous improvement mindset.

Education

• Degree in HR

• CIPD qualification (desirable)

Ideal for Someone Who

· Is currently a People Partner and looking for a broader, more strategic remit.

· Wants exposure to Talent, Capability, Reward and organisational transformation.

· Enjoys working closely with operational leaders and building leadership capability.

· Is ready to step up into a Senior People Partner role with greater scope and impact.

Why Join Us?

This role offers a unique opportunity to work directly alongside the People Director, gain exposure to senior stakeholders across the business, and play a key role in shaping the future workforce capability, leadership effectiveness and organisational success of a growing UK operation.

Additional Information

In line with VIRTUS’ Vetting Policy, the successful applicant must be willing to undergo a BS7858 screening process. VIRTUS is an equal opportunity employer. As part of our commitment to fight for equality, we work to ensure a fair and consistent interview process. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to an inclusive work environment. We reserve the right to close this post for applications should sufficient applications be received.

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VIRTUS Data Centres does not accept unsolicited support from search firms for employment openings. CVs/resumes submitted by search firms to any VIRTUS employee without an active, written search agreement for a specified role will become the property of VIRTUS. No fees will be paid for candidates hired from agency submissions made without such an agreement. Existing agency partnerships must adhere to position-specific terms outlined in their agreements. Please refrain from calling or emailing regarding this matter.