HR Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION 

Position: HR Manager 

Role: Full-time, Permanent 

Location: Silverstone, UK – Hybrid working (at least 3 days in the office)

Salary: Dependent on experience 

About Us

Ignition Collective is a forward-thinking sports and entertainment marketing agency that does brilliant things, together. We specialise in delivering exceptional marketing and client service solutions, building partnerships that inspire creativity and drive real results across sport, entertainment, and special projects. We’re passionate about igniting ideas and fuelling possibilities, bringing energy, innovation, and impact to everything we do.

The Role

We’re looking for a hands-on HR Manager to lead our people agenda and own the employee experience across Ignition Collective, from recruitment, onboarding and probation through to development, progression, retention and offboarding. 

Working closely with business leadership, you’ll turn business priorities into practical people plans and take responsibility for delivering them. You’ll anticipate challenges, improve how we work, and see initiatives through from idea to outcome. 

You’ll be a warm, approachable and trusted presence across the agency, as well as a confident coach and mentor to our line managers. You’ll help them navigate difficult conversations, make sound decisions and become better people leaders. 

Key Responsibilities 

People Leadership and Ownership

• Own and deliver the agency’s people plan, translating business priorities into clear actions, deadlines and measurable outcomes 
• Identify people challenges early, recommend practical solutions and take responsibility for implementation and follow-through 
• Advise agency leadership on people priorities, constructively challenge decisions and exercise sound judgement on when to seek specialist support 
• Question established approaches and introduce creative, practical improvements that make a measurable difference 

Recruitment & Talent

• Manage the full recruitment lifecycle: from role briefing to onboarding 
• Partner with hiring managers to understand workforce needs, particularly for technical and specialist roles 
• Build talent pipelines and source candidates through various channels, including industry networks, job boards, and direct sourcing 
• Conduct interviews and coordinate assessment processes 
• Ensure a smooth and professional candidate experience 
• Support early careers initiatives, including work experience, placements and graduates 

 Employee Lifecycle 

• Own and continuously improve onboarding, probation, development, progression, retention and offboarding, with clear responsibilities and a consistent employee experience 
• Ensure new starters and their managers have clear onboarding plans, expectations and probation milestones 
• Use employee feedback, people data and exit insights to identify improvements and take responsibility for delivering them 

 Line Manager Coaching and Mentoring 

• Act as a trusted mentor and constructive challenger to line managers, building their confidence and capability in day-to-day people management 
• Coach managers on setting expectations, giving feedback, handling difficult conversations, managing absence and supporting employee wellbeing 
• Equip managers to make fair, consistent decisions and take ownership of their management responsibilities 
• Design and deliver practical manager training, tools and ongoing coaching, reviewing how these improve management practice 

Performance and Development 

• Own and improve the performance and development cycle, ensuring meaningful objectives, regular feedback and follow-through on development commitments 
• Help managers recognise strong performance, identify development needs and support progression 
• Guide managers to address underperformance promptly and fairly, with clear expectations, appropriate support and accurate documentation 

 Culture and Employee Experience 

• Translate the agency’s values into everyday behaviours and people practices, demonstrating integrity and challenging behaviour that falls short 
• Build trusting relationships across the agency and provide an approachable, confidential point of contact for employees 
• Lead practical initiatives that improve engagement, wellbeing and retention, using employee feedback to assess their impact 
• Review and manage employee perks and benefits to support a positive employee experience 

HR Operations and Employee Relations 

• Lead employee relations cases from start to resolution, including disciplinary matters, grievances, investigations and absence management, with sound judgement, discretion and appropriate specialist support 
• Maintain and improve HR policies and processes, ensuring they reflect applicable UK employment legislation, company policies and professional standards 
• Own the HRIS and maintain accurate, confidential employee records, with close attention to documentation, deadlines and data integrity 
• Oversee HR data protection responsibilities, including employee Subject Access Requests, and ensure appropriate handling of personal data 
• Monitor absence, wellbeing and return-to-work plans, working with managers to ensure timely action and consistent follow-through 

Skills Knowledge and Experience 

• Proven experience owning a broad HR remit, either as an HR Manager or in a senior generalist role with demonstrable leadership responsibility 
• Evidence of independently delivering improvements across onboarding, probation, performance, development and retention 
• A strong track record of coaching line managers and building their people management capability 
• Confidence influencing senior stakeholders and constructively challenging decisions 
• Excellent working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice, with strong employee relations judgement and operational HR capability 
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-performance and reactive environment, balancing planned improvements with urgent day-to-day demands 
• Clear, concise communication and a calm, composed approach under pressure, with the judgement to prioritise competing demands without compromising accuracy or care 
• At least CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent professional experience 

Personal Attributes 

• Takes full ownership from identifying a need through to delivery and review; follows through on commitments, flags obstacles early and brings solutions 
• Warm, approachable and able to build trust while handling sensitive conversations with confidence and discretion 
• Dynamic, adaptable and composed; responds quickly to changing priorities, communicates decisions and next steps concisely, and brings calm and focus to a busy agency environment 
• Entrepreneurial and resourceful; spots opportunities and turns ideas into practical improvements without waiting for a detailed brief 
• Creative and curious; challenges established approaches and tests better ways of working using feedback and evidence 
• Highly attentive to detail, maintaining accuracy across records, documentation, communications and deadlines 
• Guided by integrity, fairness and confidentiality, with the confidence to uphold the agency’s values. 
• A practical doer who combines sound judgement with hands-on execution 

What You Will Get from us 

• Flexible hybrid work policy – 3 days in, 2-days’ work from home model that supports work-life balance 
• 25 days holiday allowance, plus bank holidays and a winter break to recharge 
• Wellness days – two wellness days per annum 
• Your birthday off 
• Pirkx – access to wellbeing discounts and perks 
• Weekly health and wellbeing coaching sessions 
• Professional Development – committed to your growth with training programs 
• Pension Plan 
• Quarterly staff recognition programme 
• Regular team socials to connect and celebrate 
• Charity Partnership – we support a new charity each year 
• Onsite parking and public transport options 

Why Join Us? 

At Ignition, you’ll be part of a small, dynamic team where collaboration, creativity, and initiative are celebrated. This is a hands-on role with the opportunity to shape how the agency operates, improve recruitment processes, and make a real impact across HR operations, and business processes. If you enjoy variety, solving problems, and helping a growing agency thrive, you’ll find this a rewarding and empowering environment where your ideas and contributions truly matter.