Are you an accomplished HR Generalist with a proven track record in Business Partnering, looking for a role where you can also apply your passion and expertise in Learning and Development? 

We are seeking a proactive individual to act as a key advisor to our leadership teams. In this dual-focus role, you will lead on divisional people plans, taking ownership of the full employee lifecycle and complex casework, while also designing and delivering the company’s training and development programmes.

The Role

As our HR & L&D Business Partner, your responsibilities will include:

• Business Partnering: Partner with the divisional leadership team to identify people priorities and lead the delivery of annual people plans that drive performance.

• Employee Relations: Act as the subject matter expert for managers, providing robust guidance on complex casework, performance management, and attendance issues.

• Change Management: Lead on team restructures and organisational changes, ensuring they are legally compliant, effective, and well-managed.

• Recruitment and Onboarding: Oversee inclusive end-to-end hiring processes and ensure every new starter receives a high-quality, comprehensive induction.

• Talent and Succession: Help leaders identify high-potential staff and build development plans to ensure a strong internal talent pipeline.

• Learning & Development: Manage the design and delivery of annual training programmes, ensuring they complement the wider HR strategy.

About You

We are looking for a candidate who brings a blend of technical expertise and strong interpersonal skills:

• Core HR Generalist Expertise: You bring a comprehensive background in generalist Human Resources. You are adept at navigating UK employment law and have the practical experience required to manage complex people issues and casework independently.

• Effective Business Partner: You have significant experience working alongside senior leaders to ensure people practices directly support and improve departmental performance.

• L&D Capability: Alongside your generalist foundations, you have a successful track record of creating, delivering, and measuring the impact of meaningful training and talent programmes.

• Influential Communicator: You are a clear, confident communicator who can influence and challenge stakeholders at all levels, both in person and in writing.

• Highly Organised: You possess excellent project and time management skills, with the ability to balance the demands of active casework with long-term L&D initiatives.

• Professional Standards: You will ideally be CIPD qualified (Level 5 or above), or possess equivalent demonstrable experience in a dedicated HR Generalist role.

Your Qualities

To be successful in this role, you should be:

• Emotionally Intelligent: Self-aware and able to navigate sensitive person-centred issues with empathy and professionalism.

• Composed & Resilient: Able to remain calm and objective when managing challenging employee relations or periods of organisational change.

• Collaborative & Influential: A natural team player who builds strong relationships across departments and is comfortable challenging the status quo.

• Solutions-Focused: A proactive problem-solver who enjoys improving processes and uses a pragmatic approach to resolve HR challenges.

• Inclusive: Deeply committed to fairness, equity, and supporting a diverse and representative workforce.

Salary:  Up to £55,000 depending on how your skills and experience align with the role, plus bonus and benefits.

Closing Date: 15th April 2026

We have a range of benefits to reflect our commitment to our people, some of which are:

• 25 days paid holiday entitlement in year one, plus bank holidays

• Generous pension scheme

• Volunteering policy and charity matching

• Employee assistance programme

• 70% discount on company books

• Cycle to work scheme and discounted gym membership

• Shopping discounts 

• Flex Fridays (1pm Finish*)

• Up to 30 days remote working from abroad*

*Subject to certain criteria being met.

And we plant a tree for every new employee to our business

DK is committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the varied communities that read our books across the world. We encourage applications from all individuals, regardless of age, religion, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or social background. DK is proud to announce that we have adopted The Halo Code.

DK is a member of the disability confident scheme. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies.

DK supports flexible working and has introduced a new ‘smart-working’ policy with a hybrid approach of working weekly from home and in DK’s office. This is a hybrid role requiring a minimum of 3 days per week in our Pimlico office. As this is non-negotiable, please ensure you are within a reasonable commuting distance of London before applying.

The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade, but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews or undertaking internships. For more information, visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org

About our Company: 

We believe in the power of discovery. That's why we create books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in. From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books. 

We are the world's leading illustrated publisher and a member of the Penguin Random House division of Bertelsmann, creating cutting-edge design and stunning visual books for the whole family. We are passionate about inspiring curiosity and bring people to books through their thirst for knowledge. With a global book loving community of over 800 colleagues in the UK, US, Germany, India, China, Spain and Australia, we produce books in over 100 countries and over 60 languages. Find out more on dk.com.

 Company: Dorling Kindersley Limited | Job ID: 287938