HR Business Partner - 7 Month FTC

Steel City Interactive is seeking an HR Business Partner for a 7-month fixed-term contract. This hybrid role in Sheffield involves strategic and operational HR support, partnering with leaders and employees to enhance the people experience. Key areas include recruitment review, ensuring compliance with the Employment Rights Bill, policy management, benefits updates, and employee relations. The role is crucial for maintaining a high-quality HR function within a passionate video game development studio.

Must Have

• Proven experience in an operational HR Business Partner, HR Advisor or People Partner role.
• Hands-on responsibility for Employee Relations, recruitment support, policy application and HR operations.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law, including practical understanding of ER casework.
• Demonstrated ability to manage ER cases end-to-end (conduct, grievance, performance, absence, capability).
• Experience reviewing and updating HR policies, interpreting legal requirements.
• Familiarity with recruitment processes, including supporting hiring managers and improving candidate experience.
• Understanding of employee benefits frameworks.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate HR concepts into clear, accessible guidance.
• Evidence of relationship-building and influencing skills, with the ability to coach managers.
• Highly organised, detail-oriented and proactive, able to manage multiple priorities and work to deadlines.
• Analytical mindset, comfortable interpreting data to support decision-making.
• Sound judgement and confidentiality, with the ability to handle sensitive issues professionally.
• Continuous-improvement mindset, demonstrating initiative and willingness to challenge existing processes.
• Resilient and adaptable, able to work with ambiguity and respond to changing business needs.
• Working understanding of and experience of using HRIS systems, e.g. HiBob.

Perks & Benefits

• 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• Holiday exchange programme
• Flexible working hours
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay (subject to eligibility)
• Dog friendly studio based in Sheffield
• Free snacks, fruit and drinks
• Free parking
• Company sick pay
• 2 days paid Wellbeing Days leave per year
• Healthcare Cash Plan (includes optical and dental)
• Access to 24/7 doctors
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Life Cover
• 5 Learning days per year
• Unlimited access to online courses
• Technology scheme (up to £750)
• Discount Club at over 350 high street stores
• Relocation benefits
• Electric Car Vehicle Scheme
• Wrap parties & company paid outings
• Individual entertainment budget to cover team events

About Steel City Interactive

SCI was born out of passion for video games and boxing, with the ambition to create an authentic and exciting boxing game that does justice to the sport we love. What started as a fun prototype has grown into ‘Undisputed’, the first major boxing video game in over a decade.

SCI is a welcoming place for expression and open communication, where everyone has a voice. We’re a diverse bunch, consisting of people with decades of games industry experience, graduates and talented individuals who come from other industries. We all bring knowledge and learn from each other.

Together we are driven by ambition to bring the world of boxing into a video game like never before.

The Role

A 7-month FTC role, HR Business Partner (HRBP) plays a key strategic and operational role in partnering with leaders, managers and employees to deliver a high-quality people experience across the organisation. Working within a small HR team, this role provides expert guidance on all aspects of the employee lifecycle, drives continuous improvement in HR processes, and ensures the organisation remains compliant, competitive and aligned with evolving employment legislation.

Responsibilities

1 - Recruitment Review & Talent Practices

• Lead a comprehensive review of current recruitment processes to ensure efficiency, fairness and alignment with organisational needs.

• Partner with hiring managers to improve role scoping, selection methods, and candidate experience.

• Analyse hiring pipeline data to identify trends, bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.

• Support the implementation of new sourcing strategies, recruitment tools or assessment methods.

• Ensure recruitment practices reflect best practice, diversity and inclusion commitments, and emerging skills needs.

2 - Employment Rights Bill (ERB) Preparedness & Legislative Updates

• Act as the internal subject-matter expert for the Employment Rights Bill and other key legislative developments.

• Assess organisational impact, highlighting required changes to policies, processes, and manager/employee guidance.

• Lead the development and implementation of ERB-related updates, ensuring timely compliance.

• Provide clear communication, training and briefing materials to managers and employees on legislative changes.

3 - Policy Management & Governance

• Oversee company policies, ensuring policies remain up-to-date, compliant and fit for purpose.

• Conduct relevant regular review cycles including stakeholder consultation, benchmarking and legal validation.

• Ensure policies are accessible, clearly communicated, and accompanied by user-friendly guides or training where necessary, liaising with the HRBP (L&D).

• Develop and enforce governance standards to support consistency, fairness and transparency across people practices.

4 - Benefits Review & Updates

• Support the rollout of any benefit changes through effective communication, training, and embedding activities.

• Provide insights on employee feedback and usage data to inform future improvements.

5 - People Communications & Engagement

• Develop and deliver clear, timely and engaging HR communications that support organisational initiatives, policy updates, benefits changes and legislative changes.

• Partner with internal comms to ensure consistency in tone, accessibility and timing across channels.

• Provide leaders and managers with communication packs and guidance to support effective local messaging.

• Use multiple formats (written guides, FAQs, presentations, toolkits) to maximise understanding and adoption.

6 - Employee Relations Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day advice and support to managers on a wide range of Employee Relations (ER) issues including conduct, grievance, performance, sickness absence and capability.

• Guide managers through formal and informal processes, ensuring fair, timely and compliant handling of cases.

• Support investigations by preparing documentation, advising on procedure, and attending meetings where required.

• Maintain accurate ER case records, tracking progress, outcomes and any follow-up actions.

• Escalate complex, high-risk or sensitive cases to the Head of People & Culture legal advisors as appropriate.

• Ensure ER practice aligns with current employment legislation, internal policies and best-practice standards.

• Proactively identify ER trends or recurring issues and contribute to actions that improve manager capability or reduce risk.

• Promote early resolution by encouraging constructive dialogue and use of informal approaches where suitable.

7 – Additional

• The HR Business Partner may also be required to assist the wider team to ensure smooth and effective operations. This could include:

o helping to coordinate end-to-end recruitment processes (such as drafting job adverts, scheduling interviews, and supporting hiring managers)

o cyclical HR processes, including performance reviews, or compensation planning

o ad-hoc projects such as culture initiatives, employee engagement activities, and data/reporting tasks.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Proven experience in an operational HR Business Partner, HR Advisor or People Partner role, with hands-on responsibility for Employee Relations, recruitment support, policy application and HR operations.

• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law, including practical understanding of ER casework, fair process, and upcoming legislative changes such as the Employment Rights Bill.

• Demonstrated ability to manage ER cases end-to-end, including conduct, grievance, performance, absence and capability matters, ensuring timely, consistent and compliant outcomes.

• Experience reviewing and updating HR policies, interpreting legal requirements, and ensuring policies are communicated clearly and effectively across an organisation.

• Familiarity with recruitment processes, including supporting hiring managers, reviewing selection practices, and identifying improvements to candidate experience and hiring efficiency.

• Understanding of employee benefits frameworks, with the ability to support benefit review cycles, assess provider information and help implement changes effectively.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate HR concepts into clear, accessible guidance for managers and employees, including written communications, FAQs, toolkits and briefing notes.

• Evidence of relationship-building and influencing skills, with the ability to coach managers, build trust and collaborate effectively across teams.

• Highly organised, detail-oriented and proactive, able to manage multiple priorities, maintain accurate records and work to deadlines in a fast-paced environment, always maintaining excellent attention to detail.

• Analytical mindset, comfortable interpreting data (e.g., ER trends, recruitment metrics, policy compliance risks) to support decision-making and identify areas for improvement.

• Sound judgement and confidentiality, with the ability to handle sensitive issues professionally and escalate risks appropriately.

• Continuous-improvement mindset, demonstrating initiative, curiosity and a willingness to challenge existing processes to enhance the employee experience.

• Resilient and adaptable, able to work with ambiguity, respond to changing business needs and maintain a calm, supportive approach when dealing with difficult situations.

• A working understanding of and experience of using HRIS systems, e.g. HiBob.

What we offer

Healthy work-life balance:

• 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)

• Holiday exchange programme

• Flexible working hours

Support for family life:

• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay (subject to eligibility)

Great office environment:

• A dog friendly studio based in Sheffield, with free snacks, fruit and drinks!

• Free parking

Health & wellbeing support:

• Company sick pay

• 2 days paid Wellbeing Days leave per year

• Healthcare Cash Plan which includes optical and dental

• Access to 24/7 doctors

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Life Cover

Learning support:

• 5 Learning days per year

• Unlimited access to online courses

Additional financial support:

• Technology scheme (up to £750)

• Discount Club at over 350 high street stores

• Relocation benefits

• Electric Car Vehicle Scheme

Connection and perks:

• Wrap parties & company paid outings

• Individual entertainment budget to cover team events

Steel City Interactive is an equal opportunity employer. We’re committed to building a diverse team and welcome all applications, considering them without regard to race, religion, belief, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, sex or sexual orientation.

If you’re excited about this role and believe you would add value to our team, but don’t meet every single requirement, we would still like to hear from you – please let us know about the value you would bring in your application.

NOTICE TO APPLICANTS

Please be aware that all applications for roles submitted through our website will be managed by our external recruitment partner, Amiqus. While they will handle the processing and management of your application, your data will remain securely stored within our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the confidentiality of your personal information. By submitting your CV through our website, you give your permission for your application to be managed by Amiqus and to be contacted by them on SCI’s behalf.

Department

Human Resources

Locations

Sheffield

Remote status

Hybrid