Senior HR Business Partner – Denham
Shape it. Deliver it. Trust it with lives!
Develop your professional legacy in a role where strategic people management meets global operational impact. As a Senior HR Business Partner at Denham, you will play a pivotal role in shaping our people strategy and operational excellence across the business. From the boardroom to the hangar floor, your leadership will optimize the human resources, administration, and process improvements that support a world-leading workforce built to perform in the most extreme, safety-critical environments.
Direct Impact, Global Scale. Life-Saving Mission.
At Martin-Baker, the work we do matters. We design, manufacture and support life-saving equipment used by aircrew around the world. Our products operate in demanding environments, where quality, reliability and attention to detail are critical.
We’re proud of our long history in aerospace and defence, also focused on the future. Joining Martin-Baker means becoming part of a business with a clear purpose, strong engineering capability and a long-term commitment to its people, products and customers.
Whether you work in engineering, operations, commercial, finance, supply chain or support functions, your contribution helps deliver equipment that protects lives. It is challenging work, but it is also meaningful, and with over 7,700 lives saved, it gives our people the opportunity to be part of something with real impact.
The Opportunity
As a Senior HR Business Partner, you will base your work at our Denham site, combining high-impact strategic business partnering with ownership of central HR services, systems administration, and process optimisation. You will find a high-visibility, forward-thinking environment where you act as a trusted partner to multiple senior stakeholders across a workforce of over 1,300 employees.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead and develop the central HR administration and onboarding team (3 direct reports) while creating a clear roadmap for HR systems integration. You’ll gain deep exposure to business transformation and change initiatives while operating within a highly supportive, relationship-driven culture that values structured discipline.
This role offers an exceptional path for career progression into a broader, strategic HR leadership role within a world-leading global organisation.
What You’ll Do
- Strategic Partnering: Partner with senior stakeholders across sourcing, commercial finance, IT, and manufacturing to provide expert HR guidance and support.
- Team Leadership: Lead, coach, and develop the central HR administration and onboarding team consisting of three direct reports.
- Systems Optimisation: Oversee and optimise various HR systems with a dedicated focus on integration, efficiency improvements, and expanding manager self-service capabilities.
- Lifecycle Management: Manage the full employee lifecycle, from recruitment handover through to exit, including onboarding, promotions, family leave, and offboarding.
- Data & Analytics: Build KPI dashboards and reporting tools to provide data-driven insights and support senior executive decision-making.
- Compliance & Policy: Ensure all HR policies, procedures, and practices remain strictly compliant, consistent, and aligned with UK employment law.
What We’re Looking For
- Operational Excellence: A strong background in HR administration or operations with proven experience managing teams within HR or administrative functions (essential).
- Systems Transformation: Proven experience working with or implementing HR systems, driving improvements, and delivering process roadmap changes (essential).
- Legal Mastery: Sound, practical knowledge of UK employment law and regulatory frameworks (essential).
- Stakeholder Management: Strong listening, communication, and relationship skills with the ability to influence at a senior executive level (essential).
- Operational Mindset: A practical, hands-on approach with the ability to balance a relationship-driven culture with process discipline without large support functions (essential).
- Sector Exposure: Strategic HR business partnering experience and background building dashboards or working in manufacturing/non-desk-based environments (desirable).
- Share and demonstrate the Martin-Baker values.
Our Values
At Martin-Baker, we value professionalism, understanding, teamwork, humility, accountability and integrity. We look for people who take pride in their work, collaborate openly and act with care because the work we do matters.
What We Offer
- Excellent pension package with strong employer support — Martin-Baker contributes 9% of your salary (non-contributory to the employee), with further employer contributions that grow as you increase your own
- Life Assurance
- Lunchtime finish on a Friday
- Personalised training and development plan
- Healthcare plan
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
- Martin-Baker + (retail discounts platform)
- Occupational Health team
- Workplace Nursery Benefit scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
How to Apply / Your Interview Journey
Please submit your CV and should you wish, a brief covering letter outlining your suitability, including any relevant experience, skills and expertise you can bring to the role.
Hit "Apply Now"
- Initial Telephone interview: A detailed conversation with your Recruitment Business Partner to understand your background and motivation for joining Martin-Baker.
- First Stage Interview: An initial virtual discussion (via Teams) with the Hiring Manager and a designated HR stakeholder to explore your background and motivations.
- Final Stage Interview: A face-to-face formal interview at our Denham site with the Group Vice President of HR and a key business stakeholder, allowing you to demonstrate your strategic capability and approach.
We believe in equal opportunity, committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone is respected. We want you to be able to do your best work.
Martin-Baker is a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, showing our support and commitment to our Armed Forces and their families, proudly supporting those who serve.
This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS).
The role also involves access to information governed by U.S. Export Control Laws (including ITAR); therefore, all applicants must satisfy ITAR eligibility requirements.
