People Business Partner

Join us at Wavin: Where purpose comes to life.

You’re purpose driven. Growth minded. Ready to stretch your potential. Welcome to Orbia’s Building & Infrastructure business, Wavin, where our purpose ‘to advance life around the world’ drives our entire global team. 

Every day, we are thinking big and working smart to solve some of the toughest challenges impacting the world. Whether it’s facilitating clean drinking water for communities, creating climate resilient cities, or designing more comfortable living spaces, we never settle for “good enough” when there’s an opportunity to make life better. 

Where purpose comes to life, it changes lives. This is what we work for. How about you?

At Orbia Building & Infrastructure (Wavin), we advance life around the world by building healthy, sustainable environments. And where is our help most needed? The places we live in: cities where drinking water is leaking away, greenery is disappearing, streets are flooding after heavy rain, and outdated sewer systems are polluting our groundwater. It’s time to join our team and help build more sustainable environments! 

We are currently looking for a People Business Partner to join us at Chippenham. If you want to make a difference and work for a purpose-led company, please read on.

Reporting to the Head of People, the People Business Partner will be responsible for leading the HR activity and delivering the people aspects of the site’s strategic plans and providing a first-class support service across the full HR remit for the Operations and Supply Chain teams on site whilst liaising with the wider People Team.

The successful candidate will also be responsible for linking Corporate HR to ensure HR processes are effectively delivered in line with global timelines and protocols.

The role will be a hybrid role consisting of 3 days on site and 2 days working from home.

The role

• To operate as a trusted and knowledgeable business partner on matters such as employment law, training and development, recruitment and selection, employee relations, organisational change and Company Policies and Procedures
• To manage the site’s operational People priorities on a day-to-day basis
• To have full involvement in the development of People and Training strategies
• To assist the wider People team in the development, co-ordination and implementation of Company Policies and Procedures ensuring legal compliance, good practice and ‘best fit’ to achieve business strategy
• To initiate and influence change management programs
• To champion communication and staff engagement within all business functions
• To influence, coach and mentor Managers in all areas of people management
• To support the development of senior management and their teams, by adopting a critical friend approach
• To be proactive and positive with own personal development and to attend to all training opportunities
• To drive and deliver People and improvement projects ensuring outcomes are aligned to the business strategy and legislation
• To partner management teams at Operation Reviews, Pay Reviews, Consultative Council and Trade Union Meetings
• To partner the Occupational Health function in line with overall business and HR strategy
• To work within the People budget, ensuring costs are kept to a minimum, e.g., recruitment
• To create and deliver Talent Management Recruitments/Development plans with senior teams in accordance with Succession Planning strategies
• To engage, complete and deliver People metrics and reports
• To lead to completion any business restructurings, using your legal knowledge and compliance of all elements of the redundancy process
• To liaise with the onsite recruitment agency (temporary labour) and embrace the tendering process when necessary
• To ensure that all People record keeping, documentation and related HRIS systems comply with legislation, are accurate and are kept up to date
• To monitor and drive the completion of all Appraisals in conjunction with local management teams
• To ensure a comprehensive induction of all new starters to the business is carried out

The profile

• Current knowledge of UK HR best practice gained within a manufacturing or similar industry is essential
• Demonstrable influencing, persuasion and coaching skills
• Ability to constructively challenge accepted norms
• Flexible and willing to travel across the UK locations – possession of a full UK licence is key
• Commercially focused, able to manage and process information with absolute confidentiality
• Ability to prioritise and work accurately under pressure and well organised
• Business partner experience gained in an international manufacturing business or similar
• Significant experience working within a unionised environment
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and HR ERP software (ideally SAP)
• Ability to manage several complex priorities concurrently and to a high standard
• An understanding of working within a Global Manufacturing company would be beneficial
• GCSE Grade C (or equivalent) in Maths and English and a Post Graduate diploma in HR or a relevant, related subject is required
• Membership of Professional HR body (CIPD or equivalent), Psychometric testing training (BPS level A or B) and knowledge of job evaluation (Hay Methodology) is desirable

What Orbia Building & Infrastructure offers 

Do you want to make a difference by working with a purpose? Count on a warm welcome at Orbia Building & Infrastructure (Wavin)! Here we take responsibility for each other and our company. We stay brave in pursuing calculated risks that fuel innovation. And we embrace diversity in perspectives, skills and talents to transform the way we work and the impact we have on the world. Above all we encourage all our employees to develop their talents and to become the best version of themselves. Together, as a strong team, we grow and deliver on our purpose every day. Orbia B&I is the place to be if you truly wish to make an impact. In addition to working with an enthusiastic, professional team in an international environment, we offer a competitive compensation and benefit package.

Organization

Orbia’s Building & Infrastructure business, Wavin, is an innovative solutions provider for the global building and infrastructure industry. Backed by more than 60 years of product development experience, we advance life around the world by building healthy, sustainable environments for global citizens. Whether it’s to improve the distribution of clean drinking water, to make sanitation accessible for everyone, to create climate resilient cities, or to design comfortable living spaces, Orbia B&I collaborates with municipal leaders, engineers, contractors, and installers to help future-proof communities, buildings and homes. Orbia B&I has 11,000+ employees and 65 production sites worldwide, serving over 80 countries through a global sales and distribution network. Our key commercial brands are: Wavin, Amanco Wavin, Pavco Wavin, Plastigama Wavin, and Bow Wavin.

Orbia Building & Infrastructure is part of Orbia – a company driven by a shared purpose: to advance life around the world. Orbia operates in several sectors including: Polymer Solutions (Vestolit and Alphagary), Building and Infrastructure (Wavin), Precision Agriculture (Netafim), Connectivity Solutions (Dura-Line) and Fluor and Energy Materials (Koura). These five Orbia business groups have a collective focus on expanding access to health and wellness, reinventing the future of cities and homes, ensuring food and water security, connecting communities to information and accelerating a circular economy with basic and advanced materials, specialty products and innovative solutions. Orbia has a global team of over 24,000 employees, commercial activities in more than 100 countries and operations in over 50, with headquarters in Boston, Mexico City, Amsterdam and Tel Aviv. The company generated $8.2 billion in revenue in 2023.