Grow your career with Stonebridge

At Stonebridge, we support a national community of over 1,400 mortgage advisers — and our people are central to making that possible. Their ideas, expertise and drive shape how we operate, how we grow, and how we deliver outstanding outcomes for our network members.

If you’re an experienced HR professional who thrives in a collaborative, fast‑moving environment — someone who enjoys solving people challenges, strengthening leadership capability and embedding great people practices — this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a growing, regulated business.

This role is hybrid, based in our Basildon office (3 days on site).

About the Role

As our HR Business Partner, you’ll play a key role in supporting leaders across the business and ensuring we maintain high standards of conduct, compliance and employee experience. Your primary focus will be employee relations — managing cases end‑to‑end, coaching managers, and ensuring all activity aligns with employment law, FCA expectations and internal policy.

Alongside ER, you’ll contribute to wider people initiatives, including onboarding, performance management, policy development and organisational change. You’ll work closely with the Head of People and collaborate with colleagues across HR, Payroll, Recruitment and Communications to deliver a consistent, high‑quality service.

If you enjoy combining hands‑on casework with strategic people support — and you want to help shape a positive, proactive and compliant people culture — you’ll feel right at home here.

What You’ll Be Doing

Employee relations (primary focus)

• Managing ER casework end‑to‑end, including disciplinaries, grievances, performance, absence and capability
• Coaching managers through sensitive conversations and formal processes
• Ensuring all ER activity is fair, consistent and aligned with employment law and FCA conduct rules
• Tracking ER trends and identifying opportunities to strengthen people practices

Induction and onboarding

• Overseeing the design and delivery of engaging, compliant onboarding experiences
• Partnering with hiring managers and Recruitment to ensure a smooth start for new colleagues
• Continuously improving onboarding content, processes and touchpoints

Performance and development

• Supporting the company’s performance framework and ensuring clear goal‑setting
• Coaching managers on performance conversations and managing underperformance
• Working with the Head of People to evolve performance metrics that drive engagement and results

Generalist HR support & people projects

• Acting as a trusted advisor across recruitment, engagement, reward and development
• Maintaining and enhancing People policies, procedures and documentation
• Supporting organisational change, people initiatives and regulatory requirements
• Ensuring HR processes meet FCA expectations and audit standards

Operational HR governance

• Ensuring HR processes are documented, consistent and compliant
• Supporting coordination between HR, Payroll, Compliance and Operations
• Maintaining accurate employee records and documentation

Your Objectives

Your success will be measured by:

• Delivering high‑quality, compliant employee relations support
• Strengthening leadership capability across the business
• Embedding consistent, effective people practices
• Reducing people‑related risk and improving employee experience
• Supporting the People Team in delivering strategic HR initiatives

Flexibility is essential — the regulatory landscape evolves, and so do our business needs.

What You’ll Bring

Personal Qualities

• A proactive, solutions‑focused approach
• Strong communication and relationship‑building skills
• Confidence coaching managers at all levels
• Sound judgement and the ability to navigate sensitive issues
• A calm, structured approach to complex casework
• Commercial awareness and accountability for outcomes
• Able to fully satisfy the pre-employment screening process, which comprises code of conduct, right to work, identity, 5 years referencing, AML, credit screen, financial sanctions and DBS checks 

Essential Experience

• HR Business Partner or HR Generalist experience with strong ER expertise
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and best‑practice HR processes
• Experience working in an FCA‑regulated or similarly regulated environment
• Proven experience managing the full employee lifecycle
• Experience supporting performance management frameworks
• CIPD Level 5 (or equivalent experience)

Desirable Experience

• Experience supporting organisational change, restructuring or TUPE
• Confidence using HR systems and interpreting people analytics

Why Join Stonebridge?

We believe great work deserves great rewards. You’ll enjoy:

• A collaborative, open, people‑first culture
• Competitive salary (the salary band for this position is £40,000 - £50,000) 
• Annual performance‑related bonus (non-contractual)
• 22 days holiday + your birthday off + extra days for length of service
• Hybrid working (Basildon + home)
• Free breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks in the office
• Company pension with optional matched contributions
• 2 volunteering days + 1 team volunteering day
• 2 half‑days of paid “me time” for wellbeing
• Employee recognition schemes and retail discounts
• Salary sacrifice options (home tech, cycle to work, pension)
• Gym subsidy, company sick pay and EAP support
• Option to buy up to 5 extra holiday days
• £500 employee referral scheme
• Death in service and critical illness cover

Ready to Make an Impact

If you’re motivated by improving people outcomes, strengthening leadership capability and supporting a high‑performing, regulated business, we’d love to hear from you.