Role : Global HRBP B&W R&D and Site HR Leader, Port Sunlight R&D
Grade: WL2C
Location: UK (Port Sunlight)
As HR Business Partner for Beauty & Wellbeing R&D and Head of HR for Port Sunlight R&D, this role serves as a strategic advisor to senior leaders, ensuring the organisation has the talent, capabilities, structure and culture required to deliver business priorities.
Partnering closely with leaders across Beauty & Wellbeing R&D, the role primarily supports the Hair and Skin category teams while also coordinating the global Beauty & Wellbeing R&D people agenda. This includes driving talent, organisation effectiveness, capability building, leadership development and workforce planning across the function.
As the HR lead for Port Sunlight R&D, the role works in close partnership with the Site Leader, Site Director, senior leaders, HR colleagues and employee representatives to create an environment where people and the business can thrive. Acting as the primary interface between employees, their representatives and the business, the role is responsible for fostering a positive employee experience, maintaining strong employee relations, and ensuring that people priorities support both site and business objectives.
Background to Global B&W R&D
Beauty & Wellbeing R&D brings together scientists, engineers and technical specialists who develop the products, packaging and capabilities that support some of Unilever's most well-known beauty and wellbeing brands. The organisation combines deep scientific expertise, innovation and technology to solve complex consumer and business challenges, helping bring new products and experiences to market.
Operating across global and Business Unit teams, Beauty & Wellbeing R&D includes expertise in areas such as product development, packaging, digital technology, safety, regulatory science and specialist technical capabilities. Success depends on attracting, developing and retaining highly skilled talent while creating an organisation that can adapt to changing business priorities, new technologies and evolving consumer needs in an increasingly complex global context.
Background to Port Sunlight R&D site
Port Sunlight R&D is one of Unilever’s flagship innovation centres, combining over a century of scientific expertise with world-class research facilities. It brings together ~500 scientists, engineers and consumer experts to develop future beauty, personal care and home care innovations. Advanced laboratories and pilot-scale manufacturing capabilities accelerate product development from idea to launch at the site. The R&D site is a key part of the broader Port Sunlight campus.
HR Business Partner Responsibilities
HR Business Partnering
· Support the business as a HR professional , championing and using the HR operating framework.
· Collaborate with the Head of HR for R&D to develop and execute overarching People Plans in service of the business objectives.
· Provide trusted advice, challenge and coaching on organisational and people matters.
· Use data, analytics and insights to support decision making and identify organisational risks and opportunities.
· Work across R&D leadership teams and HR networks to ensure a joined-up approach to people priorities.
Organisation and Workforce Planning
· Support organisational design, workforce planning and role clarity.
· Partner leaders on people costs, headcount management and organisation effectiveness. Close interaction with finance teams.
· Lead and support change programmes, ensuring change is implemented fairly and effectively with impactful business outcomes.
· Simplify ways of working and improve organisational effectiveness.
Talent, Capability and Leadership
· Lead talent and succession planning for critical R&D roles.
· Build plans for scarce and specialist technical capabilities.
· Coach leaders to develop high-performing and inclusive teams.
· Support performance, development and reward decisions.
· Partner Talent and Learning teams to build future capabilities.
Culture and Employee Experience
· Support a culture of inclusion, accountability and continuous improvement working in partnership with leadership teams.
· Use employee feedback to identify and address organisation health priorities.
· Ensure globally defined people practices are implemented consistently and effectively across R&D teams.
Port Sunlight Site and Employee Relations Responsibilities
HR Site Leadership
· Partner the Site Leader, Site Director to deliver the site people agenda
· Provide HR leadership and visibility across the site including the operational management the shared facilities on site.
· Build strong relationships across Business Groups and functions operating at Port Sunlight R&D.
· Support site-wide initiatives that improve employee experience, engagement and organisational effectiveness.
· Support employee resource groups eg. Inclusion and Mental Health.
Employee Relations and Unite Partnership
· Lead employee relations activity across the site ensuring that clear and timely communications are made to employees.
· Build constructive working relationships with employee representatives. The site has a collective agreement at WL1 which covers 550 WL1 employees represented by Unite.
· Lead and /or support consultation and negotiation activity where required (including annual pay negotiations for WL1)
· Provide expert advice on complex employee relations matters. Work closely where necessary with UK Geography and UK Employee Excellence team.
· Work in partnership with the People Experience teams to ensure people issues are managed fairly, consistently and in line with policy and employment law.
· Identify trends and risks and work proactively with leaders to resolve them
· Line management of full-time Trade Union representative.
Stakeholder Management and Governance
· Build effective relationships with senior leaders, functional teams and employee representatives.
· Coordinate and align stakeholders around shared site priorities.
· Ensure robust governance, consultation and record keeping for employee relations matters.
· Communicate clearly and credibly on sensitive issues.
Key Interfaces
BW R&D
- HR Lead R&D (Line Manger) & broader BG HR team of BW.
- VP Hair R&D & VP Skincare and Prestige VP & their leadership teams
Port Sunlight
- Port Sunlight Site Lead
- Unilever HR Leads for R&D (PC, BW & HC) & broadr HRBP community with employees on site
- Employee Representatives & Unite officials
- UKI Employee Experience Director & UKI HR HoC.
What You Will Bring
- Strong HRBP experience in large, global, matrixed organisations.
- Exceptional influencing skills and stakeholder partnership across senior global teams.
- Ability to navigate complexity, ambiguity, and multicultural environments with resilience and agility.
- A passion for capability building, future‑ready talent, and human‑centred design.
NOTES
What We Offer
Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.
Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.
Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Unilever | Unilever.
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