HR Manager

ZendBox

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: Paddock Wood • 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

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Job Level

Mid-LevelSenior

About the role

  • Zendbox.io is a fast-growing, tech-led eCommerce fulfilment and distribution business based near Maidstone in Kent. We help ambitious brands scale by delivering smart, reliable warehousing and logistics solutions - and we’re now looking for an experienced HR Manager to support our next stage of growth.
  • **About the Role**
  • We’re looking for a confident, hands-on HR Manager to lead and develop our people strategy at our Kent HQ near Maidstone. This is a true blend of strategic and operational HR in a fast-paced distribution environment, overseeing the full employee lifecycle from recruitment and onboarding through to performance, wellbeing, absence management and retention.
  • You’ll need to hit the ground running: setting direction quickly, making clear decisions, taking ownership of absence management (including use of the Bradford Factor) and giving managers the support and challenge they need to deliver.
  • You’ll work closely with senior leadership to ensure our people practices directly support business objectives, while creating a culture that enables our teams to thrive.
  • **Key Responsibilities**
  • HR Leadership (Operational Focus)
  • - Oversee day to day HR activities to ensure effective people processes across the business
  • - Support managers with organisational changes, staffing needs and people related decisions
  • - Contribute to initiatives that improve culture, engagement and team performance
  • Employee Relations (ER) & Absence Management
  • - Lead on all ER matters including investigations, disciplinaries, grievances and policy updates
  • - Design and own a robust absence management framework across the business
  • - Use tools such as the Bradford Factor to monitor sickness and identify trends
  • - Support and coach line managers to confidently manage attendance, conduct return-to-work meetings and follow through on formal processes where needed
  • - Act as a trusted advisor to managers on complex people issues
  • Board Reporting & Metrics
  • - Provide regular reports on key HR metrics including turnover, absence, engagement, ER activity, recruitment and DEI
  • - Use data to demonstrate impact, support planning and drive accountability across the business
  • Recruitment & Onboarding
  • - Oversee end-to-end recruitment and employer branding strategy
  • - Work at pace to attract and secure the right talent for a fast-moving distribution environment
  • - Streamline and enhance onboarding processes for a seamless employee experience
  • Compliance
  • - Ensure HR policies, processes and practices are legally compliant and up to date
  • - Keep the business informed and prepared for changes in employment law and HR best practice
  • - Oversee right-to-work checks, data protection compliance (GDPR), and all statutory reporting
  • Manager Development & Training
  • - Develop and deliver training and support to build confident, capable line managers
  • - Equip managers to handle ER, performance and absence matters consistently and effectively
  • - Promote values-based leadership across the business
  • Performance & Development
  • - Design and manage effective performance management frameworks
  • - Foster a culture of regular feedback, growth and accountability
  • Wellbeing & Benefits
  • - Lead wellbeing and mental health initiatives
  • - Manage and optimise employee benefits to support attraction and retention

Requirements

  • Proven experience as an HR Manager or senior HR generalist in an SME environment (essential)
  • Strong generalist background with hands-on expertise across ER, absence management, recruitment, L&D and engagement
  • Confident and decisive, with the ability to hit the ground running and make clear, pragmatic decisions
  • Commercially minded, with the ability to align people strategy with business needs
  • Skilled in coaching, influencing and supporting leaders at all levels
  • A practical, solutions-focused approach and ability to work autonomously
  • Familiarity with distribution, logistics, warehousing or other fast-paced operational environments (experience with eCommerce fulfilment businesses like Zendbox.io is highly beneficial)
  • Comfortable using HR data and metrics (including Bradford Factor or similar tools) to drive action
Benefits
  • - Hybrid (4 days on site, 1 day WFH)
  • - Career development opportunities
  • - 33 day holiday allowance (inc bank holidays)
  • - On site free parking
  • - Paid birthday leave

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard skills
employee relationsabsence managementrecruitmentlearning and developmentengagementperformance managementHR metricscompliancedata protectionwellbeing initiatives
Soft skills
confidentdecisivecoachinginfluencingsupporting leaderssolutions-focusedautonomouspragmatic decision-makingstrategic thinkingteam performance