Job Purpose
The HR Business Partner (HRBP) will partner with senior leaders and managers within the Cycle 2 component repair business and across strategic projects, providing proactive HR support that aligns people strategy with operational delivery. The role will ensure the component repair function has the right skills, workforce planning, and culture to meet regulatory, safety, and commercial requirements while contributing to long-term transformation initiatives across the aerospace business.
Key Responsibilities
HR Partnering – Cycle 2 (Component Repair)
1. Partner with functional and operational leaders in the component repair division to align people strategies with production, turnaround, and quality objectives.
2. Support workforce planning to meet fluctuating demand cycles, ensuring capacity and skills availability in critical trades and technical roles.
3. Provide expert HR guidance on employee relations, engagement, shift working patterns, and regulatory compliance.
4. Champion employee wellbeing, safety culture, and continuous improvement within a high-performance repair and overhaul environment.
Strategic Projects
5. Lead or contribute to HR workstreams within enterprise and divisional strategic projects (., digitalisation of repair processes, lean transformation, workforce modernisation, and global collaboration).
6. Assess people implications of strategic projects, ensuring effective organisational design, capability development, and change management.
7. Collaborate with cross-functional project teams to deliver solutions that support operational excellence and competitiveness in aerospace MRO.
Talent & Workforce Development
8. Drive the people cycle for Cycle 2: performance management, succession planning, capability reviews, and skills development.
9. Partner with technical training and L&D to ensure engineering talent pipelines, apprenticeships, and certification pathways are aligned to repair demands and regulatory standards.
10. Support leadership development, coaching, and team effectiveness within operational teams.
Change & Transformation
11. Act as a change partner for transformation initiatives, including automation, digital repair systems, and process efficiency programmes.
12. Support leaders in embedding a culture of innovation, safety, and accountability.
13. Facilitate communications and employee engagement during times of organisational or process change.
Data, Compliance & Governance
14. Analyse workforce data and repair productivity metrics to provide insight-driven HR solutions.
15. Ensure compliance with employment law, aerospace regulations, trade union agreements, and company policies.
16. Promote best practice in HR operations and contribute to continuous process improvement.
Key Relationships
17. General Manager and leadership teams within Cycle 2 (component repair).
18. HR Centres of Excellence (Reward, Talent, L&D, OD, Employee Relations).
19. HR Operations and Global Mobility teams.
20. Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Programme Management stakeholders.
21. External stakeholders: regulatory bodies, training providers, and trade unions.
Person Specification
Knowledge & Experience
22. Significant HRBP or senior HR advisory experience in aerospace, engineering, MRO, or other highly regulated operational environments.
23. Demonstrable track record in workforce planning, organisational design, and employee relations within technical/operational teams.
24. Experience partnering with senior stakeholders in delivering transformation or strategic projects.
25. Strong understanding of aerospace industry workforce challenges (., critical skill shortages, ageing workforce, apprenticeship pipelines).
Skills & Attributes
26. Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills at senior and operational levels.
27. Proven ability to operate effectively in a high-paced, compliance-driven environment.
28. Analytical, data-driven approach to HR problem-solving.
29. Skilled in coaching, conflict resolution, and driving engagement.
30. Resilient, pragmatic, and commercially aware, with a focus on long-term capability building.
Qualifications
31. CIPD Level 7 or equivalent qualification/experience.
32. Project/change management certification desirable (., Prince2, Agile, Prosci).
Measures of Success
33. Delivery of effective HR support that improves operational performance, workforce stability, and engagement in Cycle 2.
34. Positive impact on talent pipelines, training effectiveness, and certification readiness for technical roles.
35. Successful HR contribution to strategic projects (., digitalisation, workforce transformation, global collaboration).
36. Measurable improvements in people-related KPIs (attrition, absence, performance, engagement) in the component repair function.