Associate People Business Partner (f/m/d)

About the opportunity

We’re looking for an Associate People Business Partner (f/m/l) who’s ready to step up, someone who thrives in partnership with business leaders, balances empathy with pragmatism, and wants to grow into a full strategic People Business Partner (f/m/l) role. You’ll support Sales and Product Development teams across EMEA, working closely with the Senior Manager, People Business Partner, to drive engagement, build capability, and deliver people initiatives that enable a winning culture,  high performance and a strong sense of belonging.

You’ll own projects, manage day-to-day HR activities with increasing autonomy, and use your professional expertise to solve problems, influence stakeholders, and turn strategy into action.

What to expect? 

Business Partnership & Advisory

• Partner with leaders and managers to understand business priorities and translate them into people solutions that strengthen engagement and performance.
• Provide guidance on core people processes (performance, development, engagement, reward, and ER cases) with sound judgement and contextual insight.
• Use data and feedback to spot trends, identify root causes, and propose practical, people-first solutions.
• Coach managers on building inclusive, high-performing teams and partner with Learning & Development to drive manager enablement and reinforce leadership principles through day-to-day practices

Project Ownership & Delivery

• Own smaller people projects or components of larger programs (e.g. engagement action plans, onboarding improvements, manager capability initiatives).
• Support talent reviews (9-box), performance calibrations, and succession planning by gathering insights and preparing data summaries in partnership with the Senior Manager, People Business Partner..
• Deliver outcomes independently with minimal guidance, ensuring consistency and quality in execution.
• Collaborate across People functions (TA, Reward, L&D, Ops) to implement people programs smoothly and effectively.

Employee Experience & Engagement

• Act as a trusted contact for employees, ensuring they’re informed, supported, and empowered.
• Act as the first point of contact for employees and managers in the region in People programs, policies, and processes.
• Help shape and deliver EMEA-wide engagement initiatives and listening strategies.
• Support the roll-out of DEI, well-being, and recognition programs that reinforce company culture.

Operational Excellence

• Apply company policies and processes to resolve a range of employee matters, using judgment to adapt where needed.
• Maintain accuracy in People data, reporting, and compliance while continuously improving local practices.
• Support cyclical People processes (performance reviews, compensation, succession planning, etc.) with attention to both process and impact.

Collaboration & Influence

• Build strong, trust-based relationships across the People Team and business.
• Contribute to shared team goals, offering insight, challenge, and partnership.
• Communicate clearly and proactively, tailoring messages for different audiences and levels of seniority.

What you need to be successful?

• Have a solid grounding in People principles (UK/EMEA), ideally 3–5 years’ experience in generalist or business partner roles.
• Are comfortable balancing detail with big-picture thinking, you can zoom in to solve issues and zoom out to spot patterns.
• Demonstrate curiosity, accountability, and resilience in fast-paced environments.
• Influence with empathy and evidence, not hierarchy.
• Are motivated to grow — taking initiative, seeking feedback, and developing toward a People Business Partner career path.
• Are comfortable with data and analytics; able to extract insights and support decisions with evidence.
• Curious about AI and technology, with a desire to modernise People practices and drive innovation at Contentful.