Job Description

Company Description

People Manager

London

£40,000 - £45,000, depending on experience

Great employee experiences start with people who care. If you enjoy building relationships, solving problems and helping managers bring out the best in their teams, this could be your next move.

Join Portico as our People Manager and help create an inclusive, engaging workplace where people can thrive.

Working closely with our People Business Partner, you’ll combine hands-on HR support with manager coaching and people initiatives making a difference across our Support Office and client sites.

From guiding a sensitive employee relations conversation to improving the onboarding journey, you’ll bring warmth, sound judgement and a practical approach to every interaction.

Job Description

What you’ll do

• Be a trusted HR contact. Support employees and managers with day-to-day queries and employee relations matters, working with our external HR consultants and escalating complex cases to the People Business Partner.
• Build managers’ confidence. Coach and advise on investigations, disciplinaries, grievances, attendance and performance, helping managers handle constructive conversations.
• Make key transitions feel seamless. Support onboarding, TUPE transfers, mobilisations and restructure consultations, working closely with payroll to keep documentation and processes on track.
• Help our culture thrive. Support engagement and inclusion initiatives, employee recognition and our annual Loyalty Awards, alongside the administration of Heartbeat and Perkbox.
• Turn insight into action. Analyse people data, spot trends and help identify opportunities to improve the employee experience.
• Keep the essentials running smoothly. Maintain accurate records, support policy reviews and HR audits, manage the People Team inbox and provide wider administrative support.

Qualifications

What you’ll bring

You’re approachable, organised and comfortable balancing empathy with clear, practical advice. You take ownership, handle sensitive information with discretion and stay focused when priorities change.

• At least three years of progressive UK HR experience, including hands-on employee relations work and delivery of HR processes.
• CIPD Level 3 or equivalent practical experience, with strong knowledge of UK employment legislation and the ACAS Code of Practice.
• Experience in a premium service, people-centric environment, with the confidence to build relationships across teams and management.
• The ability to interpret HR data, report on trends and work to service standards and key performance indicators.
• Familiarity with payroll and HR systems, such as Dayforce, and intermediate to advanced skills in Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience supporting TUPE processes would be highly beneficial; confidence presenting data and business updates in corporate settings would also be welcome.

Additional Information

Bring our values to life

At Portico, how we work matters. We’re Proudly Inclusive, Genuinely Warm, Inspirationally Positive & Always Transformative. You’ll put those values into practice through the support you give, the relationships you build and the improvements you help make.

This is an opportunity to combine hands-on HR work with coaching, culture and continuous improvement—working alongside our People Business Partner to make a positive impact on everyday working life.

Ready to make your next move?

If you bring warmth, sound judgement and a passion for helping people thrive, we’d love to hear from you. Apply for our People Manager role and help shape a positive employee experience at Portico.