HR Manager

HR Manager | South Lakes, Cumbria | Circa £55,000 plus annual bonus| Full time, 35 hours, site based

Are you the HR person who'd rather run the whole people function than own a slice of it? And would a seat at the leadership table on day one make you sit up?

This is a standalone HR role with a well-established retail business in the South Lakes area. It's a stable, long-standing employer with a strong local reputation and a workforce spread across South Cumbria. You'll be the only HR person on site, reporting directly to one of the company Directors, with a seat at senior leadership meetings. It's strategic and operational in equal measure, you'll be shaping the people agenda one day and working through a live absence case the next.

The Role

You'll own HR end to end and the role will involve the following;

Employee relations

You'll be the first and last point of call on casework.

• Lead all ER cases, typically running one or two at a time each month


• Manage absence as the primary ER focus, using the Bradford Factor as the trigger point


• Handle disciplinary, grievance and performance matters through to conclusion


• Act as a confidential sounding board for the leadership team

Supporting and developing managers

Some of the most valuable work in this role is coaching, not casework.

• Work alongside team leaders and line managers to build their confidence in handling people issues


• Coach managers to lead ER conversations well and early, rather than escalating them


• Support organisational change and workforce planning as the business evolves

Recruitment and onboarding

You'll run recruitment, with managers heavily involved in the process.

• Write and post all adverts, and create and maintain job descriptions


• Manage the ATS, with hiring managers monitoring and booking interviews directly


• Handle starters and leavers, running at roughly two a month

Policy, compliance and reporting

• Keep policies, contracts and processes current and compliant with UK employment law


• Track legislative change and translate it into plain English for the business


• Report people KPIs into the senior leadership team every fortnight


• Manage the HR system and oversee accurate people data


• Oversee payroll (more about checking and sign off than processing) 


• Support site health and safety activity

You'll Flourish if You Have

• Solid generalist HR experience, ideally gained somewhere you've had to work independently


• Strong, current knowledge of UK employment law


• Real confidence handling ER cases from start to finish


• The credibility to influence managers and directors, and the patience to develop them


• Comfort with HR systems, data and reporting


• CIPD Level 5 or 7 is preferred but not essential — experience matters more here


• Discretion, organisation and a commercial head


• A full UK driving licence, as travel between sites is part of the role

Why You'll Love Working Here

• Salary Circa £55,000


• Company profit bonus


• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays


• 35-hour working week


• Pension


• Health cash plan


• Employee assistance programme


• Wellbeing support

Please note this role is fully site based in the South Lakes, with travel between sites as required.

Foxgroves Recruitment acts as an employment agency for vacancies on behalf of clients, following fair and inclusive recruitment practices in line with the Equality Act 2010. All appointments are subject to pre-employment screening, including right to work checks, reference checks, and qualification verification. Reasonable adjustments are available for individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment process.