People and Culture Manager - Maternity Cover

Description

ROLE OVERVIEW

Our People and our Culture are central to everything that we do at Leading Edge Aviation, and we recognise the importance of creating a company where everybody is supported to be their best and to thrive in their role in a positive and collaborative workplace. Reporting to the Chief Finance Officer and leading the People Team of three, the People and Culture Manager is responsible for overseeing strategic and operational HR and People services across our UK and Spanish sites.

This role is pivotal in our work to continuously promote and embed our company values in a diverse and growing organisation.

This is a full-time role working 37.5 hours per week, based at our Oxford Campus.

This is a fixed-term maternity cover position starting from mid‑May 2026 until around the end of April 2027. We welcome applications from candidates who can commit to these timescales. Applications will be reviewed after the Final date to receive applications.

People Operations

• Oversee and manage the full employee lifecycle for the UK and Spain, ensuring delivery of an excellent People and Culture service at each stage of the employee experience.
• Develop, update and implement policies and procedures that adhere to legislative requirements, reflect best practices, enhance workplace culture and meet the strategic objectives of the organisation
• Oversee recruitment and selection processes to ensure the right talent is being brought into the business.
• Manage, or be the point of escalation for all employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, performance and absence.
• Contribute to the monthly UK and Spanish payroll process in collaboration with Finance and external payroll providers.
• Oversee and maintain HRIS (HiBob), ensuring data accuracy and optimising to support business needs

Company Culture

• Foster a culture of high-performance through effective people and performance management processes, tools and initiatives.
• Nurture a positive workplace culture and promote business values, employee wellbeing and employee engagement.
• Champion the Leading Edge Aviation Staff Forum, ensuring our staff have a meaningful voice in things the effect them

Strategic Work

• Continue the implementation of the People and Culture strategy and other initiatives aligned with the overall business goals.
• Monitor People metrics and produce regular reports to the Senior Leadership Team, highlighting trends and making recommendations to inform decision making.
• Manage the department budget to ensure cost effective solutions.
• Lead on ad hoc projects as required.

Team Management

• Lead the People and Culture Team, based in the UK and in Spain.
• Mentor and support the growth and development of the People and Culture Advisor.
• Travel to the Leading Edge Campus in Spain as required.
• Be the point of escalation for all complex and high‑risk matters.

Leadership

• Advise, coach and support managers throughout the business enabling them to succeed in their role and empowering them to confidently lead their teams.
• Coordinate, attend and contribute to the monthly Leadership Team Meeting.
• Work closely with Company Directors to ensure the current and future needs of the business are met through strategic People work, making recommendations and working with them to manage risk as required.
• Demonstrate and uphold the company’s core values in all actions, decisions, and interactions.

OUR CULTURE

At Leading Edge Aviation, our Vision, Mission and Values guide everything that we do. The People and Culture Manager is expected to maintain the highest levels of professionalism, compliance and integrity. This role requires flexibility and a collaborative mindset to contribute to our vision of excellence in everything that we do.

• Proven experience working in a HR Management position, or similar.
• CIPD qualified (level 5 or above) or equivalent experience.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law.
• Experience leading a team and/or People function is preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence, engage and build relationships at all levels of the business.
• Proven people management skills with the ability to lead…