Job title
HRBP at Whyte & Mackay
Location: Head Office, Glasgow or Grangemouth Bottling Plant – Hybrid 2-3 office-based days per week.
Contract: 12 Month FTC / Secondment – 35 hours per week, with early finish on a Friday. Occasional flexibility around working hours and travel to different sites may be required; not a weekly expectation.
Date vacancy will close: 19 September 2025. Vacancies may close early if we receive high numbers of applications.
Who we are
Born in Glasgow, made in Scotland and enjoyed around the world. Whyte & Mackay is home to a collection of multi-award-winning global whisky brands led by The Dalmore, Fettercairn, Jura and Tamnavulin. Our mission is to drive growth in whisky, renowned for building brands that stand out. Enabled by our community of 700 colleagues across 16 countries, we continue to grow and invest and are looking for great talent to join our community.
What the opportunity looks like
Reporting to the Head of HR Business Partnering, this role is an experienced HR professional with strong grounding in employee relations in a fast-paced FMCG environment. You will support leaders and teams across commercial, supply chain, and distilling through a wide range of activities, with a heavy focus on employee relations.
Responsibilities include managing complex casework, advising on policy, coaching managers through sensitive conversations, and driving fair outcomes. You will be a trusted expert in navigating employee relations and will help foster a culture of respect, accountability, and engagement. You will collaborate with stakeholders across varied business areas, using data to inform decisions and improve colleague experience. You will contribute to broader people initiatives including change leadership, performance management, and workforce planning. This is a hands-on, people-first role in a fast-paced environment, commercially aware and focused on positive outcomes for colleagues and the business.
Responsibilities
* Take ownership of complex ER casework, guiding managers through challenging situations while promoting consistency, fairness, and a positive colleague experience.
* Build strong, trusted relationships with department leaders to understand business goals and challenges.
* Develop and maintain effective working relationships with trade union representatives, fostering open dialogue and mutual respect.
* Provide proactive advice that supports operational and strategic decision-making.
* Coach, advise, influence and challenge senior leaders on short- and medium-term people issues as required.
* Help manage significant risk and avoid cost and reputational damage.
* Collaborate with the broader HR function to provide the best solutions for the business.
Qualifications and experience
* Proven experience managing complex employee relations cases with knowledge of UK employment law and a track record of fair, consistent outcomes in a fast-paced environment.
* Experience working in unionised environments and fostering constructive relationships with trade unions.
* Experience of managing an international workforce is advantageous.
* Experience working with a senior leadership group across multiple functions, ideally in a growth environment.
* Coaching capability to inspire credibility, competence, and respect.
We believe in growth opportunity for everyone. If you have relevant experience even if you don’t meet every box, we’d rather you apply than self-limit.
Why join us
We offer a competitive salary, bonus package, life assurance, pension, product allowance, 35 days annual leave, and enhanced family-friendly policies. Our Rewards & Benefits page has further information.
Our application process
If you’re interested, please apply before the closing date listed. We review every application and will be in touch in due course. Guidance on the use of AI in the application and screening process is available on our careers site. If you require adjustments to our recruitment process, please contact HRTeam@whyteandmackay.com and we’ll support you.
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