People Partner - Defence

Job Description

People Partner – Defence

Bristol on site

Full Time or Flexible Working Options Considered

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a People Partner to join the team in Defence.

Our People Partners hold a unique role here, partnering the business leadership team on development and implementation of business strategy, focusing on the people and organisational agenda - unlocking our full potential.

To drive the business strategy and enable true business partnering you will support your business in a wide range of areas including; employee experience, talent management, leadership, belonging, learning, performance, reward and more! Our Head Office teams of Subject Matter Experts provide the strategies and you will drive this through a number of Defence business areas.

Why join Rolls-Royce?

At Rolls-Royce we are proud to be a business that has truly helped to shape the modern world and are committed to always being a force for progress; powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.

By joining Rolls-Royce, you'll have the opportunity to work on world-class solutions, supported by a culture that believes individuality is our greatest strength, and all perspectives, experiences and backgrounds help us innovate and enable our high-performance culture.

What you will be doing:

Working in the Defence People Team you will be leading the people agenda, developing and implementing plans to ensure the right level of talent, organisation, capabilities and culture. If you are interested in broadening your business knowledge, driving change and being part of a dynamic fast paced leadership team, then this is the role for you.

• Partner with the leadership team/s in setting and driving strategy and business plans, embedding people and organisational development insights.

• Act as a trusted coach to business leaders as they address sensitive/complex people related issues, equipping them with the right skills and behaviours to lead their teams, including meeting Rolls-Royce leadership expectations.

• Support business problems from an organisation development perspective, using data and tools to identify the levers which will maximise organisation effectiveness.

• Responsible for the development of strategic workforce & people capability plans to support the business area strategies. Working with the Defence PLT to manage the implementation of this plan.

• Provide effective employee relations advice to enable business change. Develop positive working relationships with the Trade Unions and other representative bodies. Ensure a leadership focus on the development and maintenance of effective relationships with employee representatives.

• As required manage global/local People related projects, or components of projects to achieve Group/Business/Area objectives.

• Drive the effectiveness of the HR delivery model through working collaboratively across the business, utilising specialist expertise as required from GBS and Group HR.

Position qualifications:

• Minimum of graduate level capability demonstrated either through the achievement of a degree qualification and/or relevant work experience ideally supported by a professional qualification in HR management

• Ability to influence business strategy and assess the related people implications associated with the plan

• Broad knowledge of the HR function and its capability to support business objectives

• Proven experience managing operations and workforce in a unionised environment, with the ability to build constructive relationships and working collaboratively with union representatives to implement policies, resolve disputes, and maintain a positive, compliant workplace culture.

• Well-developed customer and relationship management skills to work with the client group as well as the wider HR team

• Facilitation skills with sufficient credibility and influence to lead team discussions and help shape the appropriate business outcome

• Broad change management skill set, combined with the ability to apply project management principles to deliver and support organisational change

• Ability to coach senior leaders and their teams to deliver business strategy and drive performance and capability improvement within their teams

• The capability to understand business related data sufficiently, using this insight to challenge and shape decision making

• Continual commitment to personal learning, demonstrated ability to build on learning and share within the broader HR function

Our vision is to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that shaped our history continues into our future. Our multi-year transformation programme aims to turn Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing company. Join us, and it can be your future vision too.

Rolls-Royce are committed to being a respectful, inclusive, and non-discriminatory workplace where individuality is valued, diverse perspectives fuel innovation, and everyone can thrive.

As part of our selection process, candidates in certain locations may be asked to complete an online assessment, which can include cognitive and behavioural aptitude testing relevant to the role. If required, full instructions for the next steps will be provided.

Job Category

Human Resources

Posting Date

15 Jul 2026; 00:07

Posting End Date

28 Jul 2026