HR Business Partner
About this role
Graphcore is a UK-headquartered semiconductor and AI compute company, now part of SoftBank’s global AI ecosystem. Our headquarters are in Bristol, with offices in London, Cambridge, Poland, Germany, and Taiwan. In 2026, we opened new key locations in India and US with the aim to build out key engineering and operational hubs to support our next phase of growth.
Our mission is to build the future of AI compute – and that depends not only on exceptional engineering but also on an outstanding People function. As we scale globally, the People team is focused on building strong operational foundations and a great employee experience everywhere we operate.
You will be part of the Global People Team, working closely with People Partners and collaborating with People Operations, Talent Acquisition, Finance, Legal, and Workplace teams.
Job Summary
You will work as part of the business partner team to provide expert advice on workforce planning, employee relations, performance management, and organisational development while ensuring compliance with UK employment law and HR policies.
This role is critical to supporting an expanding leadership team, increasing organisational complexity, and ensuring consistent and effective People practices as the business scales.
You will act as a trusted partner to senior leaders, supporting decision-making on organisational design, team effectiveness, and performance in a fast-paced environment.
Responsibilities and Duties
Strategic Responsibilities
Partner with senior leaders to align HR strategy with business objective
Provide strategic workforce planning and organisational design support
Analyse workforce data to inform people-related decision making
Support business transformation, restructuring, and change management initiatives
Employee Relations & Compliance
Advise managers on UK employment law, policies, and best practice
Lead and manage complex employee relations cases, ensuring timely, consistent, and pragmatic outcomes
Ensure organisational compliance with UK employment legislation e.g., Equality Act 2010, Employment Rights Act 1996
Support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies
Talent & Performance Management
Partner with leaders on talent management, succession planning, and leadership development
Support recruitment strategy and workforce capability planning
Drive performance management frameworks and employee development initiatives
Employee and Manager Experience
Provide high-quality employee support to the Operations team across the lifecycle – contracts, letters, benefits queries, and general HR advice
Support and coach managers and engineers on People policies, change management, employee relations, communication processes and day-to-day management practices to help build healthy, high-performing teams
Support employee engagement activities, wellbeing initiatives, and policy awareness
Promote consistency with Graphcore’s global people processes while adapting for local needs
Champion our values of collaboration, respect, and continuous improvement
Identify organisational capability gaps and support development initiatives
Candidate Profile
Requirements
- Strong Experience in HR Generalist Lead/Business Partner roles
- Strong working knowledge of UK statutory requirements and employment law
- Ability to coach managers on people management, leadership behaviours, and performance issues
- Confident in challenging and influencing decision-making when needed
- Experience in building strong relationships with senior leaders and managers
- Proven ability to manage workflows, prioritise effectively, and deliver high-quality outcomes under time pressure.
- Skilled at managing multiple stakeholders across the organisation
- Experience supporting organisational change, restructures, and transformation programmes
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills across cultures and time zones
- Comfortable with ambiguity and change – able to build structure while scaling rapidly
Nice to have
- Experience working in a global or technology/engineering environment
- Exposure to setting up or supporting new entities or international offices
- Familiarity with global HRIS, benefits, and compliance frameworks
- Skilled in HR systems and data management
- Mindset and Approach
- Values collaboration over hierarchy and builds trust through openness and involvement
- Is confident and knowledgeable, yet curious and humble enough to learn from others
- Enjoys working in a fast iterative environment – building while flying
- Balances structure with pragmatism, and compliance with a people-first approach
- Motivated by helping managers and engineers build great teams
- Builds a culture of accountability, ownership, and high standards
- Demonstrates urgency and a proactive, say yes mindset