Senior People Partner (Product, Engineering and Operations)

About Motorway

Motorway is the UK’s fastest-growing used car marketplace – our award winning, online-only platform connects private car sellers with over 7,500 verified dealers nationwide, who compete to offer the best price. Founded in 2017, our technology makes the process refreshingly easy, earning us an 'Excellent' Trustpilot rating with over 70,000 reviews. We're not just building a platform; we're changing how people sell cars.

Backed by leading investors like Index Ventures and ICONIQ Growth, and following a successful $190 million funding round, we're on a mission to transform the used car market.

About the team

👋 Hi, I'm Savannah, Head of People. I'm on the hunt for a strategic and commercially savvy Senior People Partner to join my team and work closely with our Product & Engineering and Operations teams. This is a crucial role where you'll drive business growth through smart people initiatives, make sure our people have a great experience, and build a high-performing culture that aligns with our business goals. You'll be a trusted advisor to senior leaders, turning complex business needs into impactful people strategies, and working with our People Operations, Workplace, and Talent teams to deliver joined-up solutions.

You'll be part of a collaborative team, reporting directly to me, and working alongside another Senior People Partner, a People Operations/Advisory team of 4, and 3 Workplace Experience members. If you're a humble, driven, and strategic people leader looking to make a real difference by translating business needs into meaningful people initiatives, this is the perfect opportunity.

About the role

• Strategic Business Partnership:

  • Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership, with a solid grasp of how engineering and product teams are structured and work, as well as an understanding of central operations (like legal, finance, and people teams).

  • Translate business strategies into actionable people plans, driving organisational effectiveness, talent optimisation, and cultural alignment.

  • Proactively identify opportunities to boost organisational performance and drive business growth through strategic people initiatives.

  • Provide thought leadership and critical thinking to stakeholders on key people areas like compensation & benefits and learning & development.

• Commercial Acumen & Impact:

  • Develop and implement people strategies that directly support commercial goals, including revenue growth, profitability, and long-term success.

  • Provide strategic insights on organisational design, talent, people experience and performance management to optimise business outcomes.

  • Measure and demonstrate the ROI of people initiatives, aligning people strategies with key business metrics.

• Holistic People Experience Leadership:

  • Partner with People Operations, Workplace, and Talent teams to ensure a smooth and integrated people experience throughout the employee journey.

  • Lead and/or support cross-functional initiatives to boost employee engagement, well-being, and development, fostering a positive and inclusive work environment.

• Talent Strategy & Development:

  • Drive talent strategy development, including succession planning, leadership development, and talent pipeline management.

  • Identify and develop high-potential talent, ensuring a strong pipeline of future leaders.

  • Design and drive development programmes to enhance leadership capabilities and drive organisational effectiveness.

• Organisational Design & Change Leadership:

  • Lead complex organisational design initiatives, ensuring alignment with Motorway’s strategy and optimising team structures for efficiency and effectiveness.

  • Drive large-scale change management initiatives, providing strategic guidance and ensuring smooth transitions.

  • Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, influencing and driving alignment across the organisation.

• Data-Driven Insights & Reporting:

  • Use advanced analytics and data-driven insights to inform people strategies and drive decision-making.

  • Develop and present comprehensive reports on key HR metrics, providing strategic recommendations to senior leadership.

  • Monitor and analyse industry trends and best practices, ensuring our people strategies remain competitive and innovative.

About you

• Extensive experience as a strategic, senior-level People Partner or HR leader, with a proven track record of supporting commercial and technical teams.

• Demonstrated commercial acumen and a deep understanding of business drivers and financial metrics.

• Proven ability to translate business strategies into impactful people initiatives.

• Strong expertise in talent management, organisational design, and change leadership.

• Exceptional communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.

• Strategic thinker with the ability to provide expert guidance to senior executives.

• Proven ability to work collaboratively across multiple functions and teams.

You could be a great fit if

• You're passionate about creating a positive and high-performing work environment.

• You're a proactive problem-solver with a knack for getting things done.

• You thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.

• You're a strong communicator with the ability to build relationships at all levels.

• You're comfortable using data to drive decisions and measure impact.

Our interview process

• Qualifying Screen - 30 minutes

• Hiring Manager Interview - 60 minutes

• Final Interview (on-site depending on team) - 1-2 hours

You can expect to hear back from us within a week of each interview stage. You'll have the opportunity to speak with a talent partner throughout the interview process should you have any questions or need any type of accommodations.