Associate Director HR Consultant

Are you ready to lead HR beyond the traditional business partner role? Drive strategic change, champion innovation and help build a high-performing, inclusive organisation. This person can be based in our Bath office on a hybrid working model.

At Buro Happold, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As a global consultancy renowned for delivering innovative engineering, design and advisory solutions, we’re committed to creating an inclusive, collaborative environment where our people can thrive.

We’re looking for an experienced HR Consultant – Associate Director to join our UK+ HR Leadership Team. This is an exceptional opportunity to partner with senior leaders across a business of approximately 1,500 people and play a pivotal role in delivering our ambitious five-year strategy, Intention 31.

If you’re a commercially minded HR leader who enjoys influencing at the highest levels, using data to drive decisions, and leading organisational change, we’d love to hear from you.

As a trusted strategic partner to our leaders, you’ll help shape the future of our people strategy across the UK+ business. Working closely with senior stakeholders, Partners and HR Centres of Excellence, you’ll ensure our people practices enable business success while maintaining the collaborative culture that defines Buro Happold.

You’ll lead initiatives across organisational development, talent and succession, employee engagement, performance, employee relations and change management. You’ll also champion a data‑led approach to HR, leveraging people insights, AI and automation to improve decision-making and create greater value across the function.

Alongside partnering with business leaders, you’ll support and develop members of the HR team, helping build capability and continuously improve the way we deliver HR services.

• Significant experience partnering with senior leaders to deliver strategic people solutions.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to align people initiatives with business priorities.
• Excellent employee relations expertise and confidence managing complex and sensitive people matters.
• A passion for using people data, analytics and AI to generate insight and improve business outcomes.
• Experience leading organisational change and embedding new ways of working.
• A collaborative, pragmatic and coaching approach that builds trusted relationships across all levels.
• A genuine commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing.

• Proven experience as a senior HR Business Partner or HR Consultant within a complex, matrixed organisation.
• The ability to influence, coach and challenge senior leaders, helping them make informed people decisions that support business performance.
• Strong expertise across the full employee lifecycle, including organisational design, talent management, succession planning, employee relations and performance management.
• Confidence managing complex employee relations matters, balancing commercial outcomes with legal compliance and employee experience.
• A data‑driven mindset, using people insights, metrics and emerging technologies such as AI to inform decisions and improve HR services.
• Experience leading organisational change, supporting business growth and embedding new ways of working.
• A collaborative approach, with the ability to work effectively across HR Centres of Excellence and wider business teams to deliver shared goals.
• A genuine passion for creating inclusive, high‑performing teams where people feel supported to grow and succeed.

At Buro Happold, we believe in creating a better, more sustainable world. You’ll be part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and excellence. We offer a supportive environment where your contributions make a real difference.

Bring your knowledge and expertise to one of the world’s most respected consultancies.

• Hybrid working arrangements.
• Attractive salary and benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance and income protection.
• 10% Car allowance.
• Holiday entitlement of 25 days per annum (exclusive of bank holidays) and…