At OakNorth, we're on a mission to empower ambitious businesses and the communities they serve. Since 2015, we've lent over $21 billion across the UK and US, helped create more than 58,000 new homes and 36,000 new jobs, and supported hundreds of thousands of personal savers — all while driving economic growth in the markets we serve. We are looking for a Junior People Partner to join our People Team at OakNorth. This role provides hands-on support to our Senior People Partners across UK and US employee populations across all business lines. The role is well-suited to someone who is early in their HR career, keen to develop across a broad generalist remit, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. You will get exposure to real partnering work, employee relations, performance processes, people projects, from day one We’re becoming an AI-native business in how we work, build, and grow. This means hiring high-quality interns and graduates who are energised by AI and motivated by the pace, ownership, and exposure that comes with a founder-led business. Early careers is a core pipeline into the roles that matter most at OakNorth. This role is about building that pipeline — with a clear focus on quality, retention, and long-term impact, not just hiring volume. The opportunity This is a builder role, not a maintainer. You will design and run OakNorth’s global early careers programme — spanning internships and graduate hiring across London, New York, Gurgaon, Bangalore, and Manchester. Embedded within the wider Talent function, you’ll connect early careers to experienced hiring, workforce planning, and long-term talent development. There is no finished playbook. You’ll define it — building a programme that is structured, scalable, and aligned to real business demand. What success looks like (Year 1) A clear, scalable internship and graduate programme designed Internships established as the primary feeder into high-quality hires Strong, engaged hiring manager base — aligned on bar and actively participating A forward workforce plan in place, with hiring driven by real business demand Measurable quality of hire: strong conversion, retention, and early performance. What you’ll own ️ Programme design & delivery Own a two-track early careers programme: internships, Apprecnticeships, Insight week and a 1-year graduate scheme Define rotations, learning pathways, mentoring, and conversion frameworks Set clear standards and success metrics from entry through to post-programme performance Build internships as the primary feeder into graduate hiring Own the full lifecycle: Attraction → Assessment → Offer → Onboarding → Programme → Conversion → Retention Track performance, conversion rates, and long-term outcomes Talent & business alignment Translate business hiring needs into structured early careers pipelines across: Debt Finance Engineering Product Finance & Legal Operations Partner with hiring managers to define what good looks like Build a forward-looking workforce plan based on real demand Continuously improve pipeline quality using data and insight Connect Talent, People Partners, L&D, and business leadership Attraction & university strategy Build a focused university strategy across the UK, US, and India Prioritise depth over breadth in relationships Represent OakNorth on campus through events, partnerships, and societies Develop a compelling early careers narrative against banks, Big Tech, and startups Partner with Talent and Marketing to ensure consistent messaging Selection & assessment Design a rigorous, fair, and scalable selection process Assess for potential, not polish Implement high-signal, low-bias assessment methods Train hiring managers to assess consistently Define and track quality of hire (performance, progression, retention) Ensure strong outcomes beyond hiring — retention and development Global coordination Align programme structure and standards across UK, US, and India Partner with local teams to adapt programmes to each market Coordinate hiring cycles, budgets, and reporting Maintain a clear global view of pipeline health Stakeholder partnership Operate as part of the core Talent team Align early careers with experienced hiring and broader people strategy Influence hiring plans and talent investment decisions Provide clear, data-led insights on pipeline quality and ROI Priority pipelines You will build reliable, high-quality feeder pipelines into critical junior roles across the business, includding Debt Finance, Engineering, Product, Finance. legal and operations. Build a clear pathway from intern → graduate → junior role, particularly for hiring where consistency, quality, and retention are critical. AI & the future of work OakNorth is becoming an AI-native business — and how we hire should reflect that. Use AI tools to improve sourcing, assessment, and programme delivery Apply data and insight to continuously improve hiring quality Build modern, high-signal candidate experiences Engage with AI-curious and high-potential talent communities What we’re looking for Core experience A recruiter with 4 years in early careers / campus recruiting Track record of building programmes end-to-end Experience operating within a broader Talent function Exposure to global hiring (UK, US, India preferred) Capabilities Strong instinct for quality over volume Experience measuring outcomes (performance, retention, conversion) Builder mindset — comfortable creating and iterating Able to operate at pace in a high-growth environment Credible with both students and senior stakeholders Data-driven and outcome-focused Curious about AI and its impact on hiring Culture fit Focused on long-term talent value, not short-term hiring Holds a high bar and owns outcomes Connects the dots across teams Brings energy and authenticity What this role isn’t A standalone campus role disconnected from Talent A coordination-heavy or purely operational role A people management role (initially) A role with a fixed playbook We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.