Job Description
People Business Partner
We're Pret: proud makers of freshly made food, organic coffee, and big ideas. Across 750+ shops and 20+ countries, our teams are shaping the future of Pret through innovation, inclusion, great customer service and a shared passion for doing the right thing. We're growing fast on our mission to be the employer of choice in hospitality, everywhere we operate - so this an exciting time to hop on board.
We Believe in Growing Good Things
Growth is at the heart of everything we do. From the freshly hand-made food we create every day, to supporting our teams, we help our people grow in confidence, skills and to pursue their unique paths. Pret is where passionate, hardworking, wonderful people (like you!) find what they need to shine. And the proof is in the pudding - over 80% of our Managers started on the shop floor! So did 20% of our Support Centre teams, including our CEO, Pano.
What we're looking for
We're looking for passionate team players to bring joy to our customers every day - starting with the teams that serve them. As a People Business Partner, you'll act as a trusted advisor to Operations, aligning business goals with people strategies. Reporting to the People Performance Lead, you'll partner with Operations leaders to drive engagement, talent development, well-being, and organisational effectiveness -ensuring Pret continues to deliver operational excellence through its people.
Your mission? To make sure every Operations team has the right people, in the right roles, at the right time-with clear succession plans, strong bench strength, and "aces in places." You'll help align our HR strategy with operational goals, helping our shops deliver exceptional results while building a culture grounded in well-being, equity, and consistent, high-integrity employee relations.
Key responsibilities
Drive Operational performance through a People lens
Strategic Partnering
* Build strong, influential relationships with Regional Managing Directors, Head of Operations and Operations Managers to deliver people strategies that support business success.
* Translate commercial goals into actionable people KPIs.
* Align and set consistent regional scorecards in collaboration with the People Performance Lead.
* Use insights and analytics to shape workforce planning and decision-making
* Optimise succession in our shops-maintaining a clear, simple view of "ready now/ready soon" talent from Leader → AM → GM, including cross-training needs and development actions.
* Manage talent cycles for Ops and GMs, running monthly performance calibrations to assess potential, address gaps, and ensure timely Performance Improvement Plans where needed.
* Take a coaching-first performance approach, setting clear standards, enabling regular check-ins, and building feedback and recognition into daily routines.
* Run practical, high-impact manager training focused on coaching, feedback, ER fundamentals, and inclusive leadership-delivered in bite-sized, on-the-job formats.
* Monitor, analyse, and report on key people KPIs (turnover, absenteeism, performance, engagement, etc.), identifying trends and driving root-cause solutions.
Employee Relations and Policy
* Partner with the ER team to manage complex cases, ensuring early, fair, and compliant resolution.
* Maintain oversight of ER and whistleblowing cases via shared tracking systems.
* Support policy implementation and updates to ensure compliance with UK employment law, ACAS, and Pret standards.
* Guide restructures, TUPE, and organisational change as needed.
* Line Management Responsibilities for People Advisors, ensuring shop teams are supported and our polices and standards are always upheld.
Engagement, DEB & Wellbeing
* Analyse engagement and pulse survey results; create actionable plans that drive meaningful improvement.
* Partner with DEB and Wellbeing leads to deliver initiatives promoting inclusivity, fair access to opportunities, and well-being at work.
* Promote a positive workplace culture and psychological safety across all regions.
Strategic & Continuous Improvement
* Forecast people-related risks & opportunities in operations and create regional strategic plans.
* Benchmark practices against peers/industry standards and recommend innovative people solutions.
* Support change initiatives related to performance management, employee engagement, and process improvements.
What success looks l ike
* Retention: Successful Starts (Stay employed on the first 3 months since joining) 75%
* Annualised overall Shop Turnover < 50%
* Absence: Unplanned absence below 2%
* Experience: Engagement score to be in the top 10% of industry peers
* ER health: Improve case volumes/time-to-resolution and zero upheld claims where policy was followed.
* Capability: 90% of managers achieving the desired performance with clear bench strength for AMs, GMs, & Ops
* Compliance: 100% on right-to-work, working time, under-18 protections, and policy adoption; audit-ready always.
Experience and skills required
* HR/People Partnering in QSR/retail/hospitality or similar high-volume, multi-site environment.
* Strong ER/Policy grounding with UK employment law; comfortable with complexity and pace.
* Data-driven and pragmatic: can translate dashboards into store-level actions that managers use.
* Excellent relationship skills: able to influence Ops leaders and keep things simple.
* Clear, inclusive communication-spoken and written.
About you
* Be kind, honest and generous: bring genuine warmth and your authentic self to work every day.
* Bring your passion: share our passion for food and exceptional customer service.
* Spread joy every day: small acts of kindness are a big part of what makes the Pret experience special.
We offer
* £55,000 - £65,000 per annum plus 20% annual bonus potential
* Gold Card: We love making people's day through our food and drinks. That goes for our teams too. That's why everyone gets a Gold Card. When you're in the office, your food and drinks are on us. And when you're not, you can use your Gold Card to get up to 5 Barista-made drinks a day, and 50% off everything else (food, snacks, bottled drinks - the lot).
A few more perks
1. You'll get 33 days of annual leave (including flexible