Strategic HR Business Partner

A career without limits

As the nation’s flag carrier, we take great pride in connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain.

It’s something we’ve been doing for over 100 years, ever since we launched the world’s first international scheduled air service between London and Paris.

This originality has been in our blood since day one. It’s the spirit we share with the people that fly with us, our partners, and our colleagues.

So, whether you are a reassuring voice on the end of a phone, a smile at the door, under a wing keeping the turbines spinning or landing us gently in far-flung places, a job at British Airways is yours to make.

We know great things can happen when you’re inspired to think big and bring your ambition to work every day, which is why, at British Airways the sky is never the limit.

The role: Strategic HR Business Partner 

HR at British Airways is unlike anywhere else. The scale, pace and complexity of our operation, combined with long standing trade union partnerships and layered contractual policies, create an environment that can stretch even the most experienced HR professionals. 

This Strategic HR Business Partner role sits at the heart of that ambition. You’ll work as a trusted partner to senior leaders, shaping people plans that directly support business performance, operational resilience and colleague experience. You won’t simply respond to people issues as they arise; you’ll anticipate them, use data and insight to identify opportunities, and help leaders make confident, balanced decisions in a highly unionised operating environment. 

Like many long-established organisations, some of our systems and processes reflect our history. We’re on a journey to modernise how HR operates, and this role will play an important part in that shift. You’ll need to be comfortable working through ambiguity while helping leaders simplify, prioritise and deliver sustainable people solutions for the future. 

This is a role for someone who is ready to operate beyond the day-to-day and influence at a strategic level. It would suit a highly experienced HR professional who has partnered with senior leaders in an operational or highly regulated environment and is motivated by making a tangible impact through people strategy, organisational effectiveness and leadership capability. 

You’ll be part of our HR team supporting a dynamic and operationally critical area of the airline, helping leaders navigate change, build capability and deliver consistent, fair and commercially sound outcomes for colleagues and the business. 

What you’ll do: 

• Partner with senior leaders to shape and deliver people plans aligned to business priorities, operational performance and colleague experience 

• Use people data, insight and business understanding to identify trends, risks and opportunities, translating these into practical actions 

• Lead and support organisational change, workforce planning and transformation activity in a unionised and operationally critical environment 

• Coach and challenge leaders to build capability, improve performance and make balanced, fair and commercially sound people decisions 

• Work closely with Centres of Excellence, Employee Relations and trade union partners to deliver joined-up, consistent and sustainable outcomes 

• Influence senior stakeholders on sensitive people matters, balancing colleague impact, operational needs, policy, risk and long-term business objectives 

• Contribute to the ongoing development of HR ways of working, identifying opportunities to simplify processes and improve the colleague and leader experience 

What you’ll bring to British Airways: 

• The confidence to operate as a trusted partner to senior leaders in a fast-moving and frequently ambiguous environment 

• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to balance business priorities, colleague experience, policy, fairness and risk 

• A strategic mindset, with the curiosity to look beyond immediate issues and understand the wider organisational context 

• Excellent relationship-building, influencing and coaching skills, including the confidence to challenge constructively 

• The ability to use data, insight and evidence to shape recommendations and support effective decision-making 

• Resilience, deep discretion and sound judgement when handling sensitive or high-profile people matters 

• A continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to simplify ways of working and help HR and the business operate more effectively together 

Your experience: 

• Proven experience operating as an HR Business Partner or senior HR professional, partnering with leaders to deliver people plans and business outcomes 

• Experience supporting organisational change and large scale transformation activity, workforce planning and performance improvement. 

• Strong employee relations knowledge, including the ability to advise on sensitive matters and work effectively with specialist ER support where needed 

• Experience working in a unionised, regulated, operational or large-scale organisation where judgement, consistency and stakeholder management are critical 

• Confidence using people data and insight to identify trends, build recommendations and influence leadership decisions 

• A track record of building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and influencing outcomes across different functions or teams 

What we offer:

We believe that all the people who work with us should feel valued for the part they play. It’s one of the reasons our rewards go far beyond a competitive salary.

From the day you join us, you’ll get access to brilliant staff travel benefits including unlimited basic and premium standby tickets on British Airways flights. You’ll also receive up to 30 discounted ‘Hotline’ airfares per year for yourself, friends, and family.

At British Airways you’ll have the chance to take on new challenges and move forward in a way that feels right for you. We encourage all those who work for us to consider opportunities right across our business to help you develop and progress.

We never stand still, and we don’t expect our people to either.

Inclusion & Diversity

At British Airways we all have a part to play in creating an inclusive place to work. Diverse representation among our people is really important to us and we recognise that all our colleagues are uniquely different and bring their own originality, creativity and identity to work.

Inclusion and diversity is a key driver of innovation and we’re committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they can be themselves. We’re looking for people from all backgrounds and cultures to join us and be a part of our journey to become a Better BA as we continue to connect Britain with the world and the world with Britain.