HR Business Partner

Location: On site
- Loanhead, Edinburgh

Flexible Working Options: 4- or 5-day week

Contract Type: Permanent

Are you looking for the next step up in your HR career? This opportunity could be ideal for a Senior HR Advisor or Assistant HR Business Partner who is ready to take the next step into a broader, more strategic HR Business Partner role.

We are seeking a commercially focused HR Business Partner to join our HR team at Mac Taggart Scott. This is a key strategic and operational role, partnering closely with leaders and managers across the business to align people strategies with organisational objectives and support the continued growth and success of the company.

This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive HR professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and would enjoy balancing strategic business partnering with hands-on operational HR leadership. You will play a central role in driving organisational effectiveness, strengthening leadership capability, improving employee engagement, and supporting the development of high-performing teams across the business.

Based on site at our Loanhead facility, this role would suit someone who is confident building strong relationships, influencing decision-making, and managing a broad range of complex HR activity with professionalism, commercial awareness, and initiative.

Mac Taggart Scott primarily supports the Naval Defence industry, providing complete solutions to customer needs from analysis of initial customer requirements, to design and manufacture, and right through to commissioning and through life support.

Established in 1898, we are proud of our history and tradition but believe that sustainable competitive advantage can only be achieved through continuous improvement, investment, and a commitment to business excellence at every level within the company.

As our HR Business Partner, you will play a key role in shaping and delivering people strategies that support business performance, employee engagement, and organisational growth across Mac Taggart Scott. Partnering closely with leaders and managers, you will provide commercially focused HR support across areas including employee relations, organisational development, workforce planning, talent management, and leadership development.

This is a varied and influential role where you will combine strategic business partnering with hands-on HR leadership, while supporting and developing HR Co-ordinators to ensure the effective delivery of operational HR services. Success in the role will come from your ability to build strong relationships, influence stakeholders, and deliver practical people solutions that drive organisational effectiveness and support a positive working culture.

• Partner with leaders and managers to deliver people strategies aligned to business objectives and organisational performance
• Provide expert HR advice and coaching across employee relations, performance management, organisational change, and workforce planning
• Lead and manage complex employee relations cases, ensuring consistency, fairness, and legal compliance
• Support organisational development initiatives including succession planning, talent management, leadership capability, and employee development
• Drive employee engagement, wellbeing, and culture initiatives to support a positive and inclusive working environment
• Line manage and develop HR Advisors and/or HR Co-ordinators, ensuring effective delivery of operational HR services
• Oversee recruitment and onboarding activities to support workforce capability and business growth
• Use HR data, workforce insights, and people metrics to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement
• Support the continuous improvement of HR policies, processes, and practices in line with employment legislation and business needs

• Proven experience in an HR Business Partner or Senior HR Advisory role ideally in an engineering or manufacturing environment
• Strong employee relations experience, with confidence managing complex HR casework
• Experience supporting organisational development, workforce planning, and people development initiatives
• Commercially focused with the ability to influence and build strong relationships across all levels of the organisation
• Strong coaching, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently with minimal supervision
• Proactive and solutions-focused approach with strong professional judgement and confidentiality
• Strong analytical skills with experience using HR data and workforce metrics to support decision-making
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

• CIPD Level 5 qualified or equivalent experience
• Change management experience
• Experience with in defence, naval, engineering, or manufacturing sectors
• Experience leading organisational…