Associate People Business Partner (f/m/d)

Role Overview

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.

Key Responsibilities

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.
  
  

About You

You’ll thrive here if you:

• 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.

The Impact You’ll Make

• You’ll enable managers to lead with confidence and clarity, reinforcing consistent standards of high performance.
  
• You’ll support talent visibility and readiness, ensuring our top talent is known, developed, and rewarded.
  

You’ll strengthen our cultural fabric, ensuring every program and process reinforces what it means to be part of a winning culture.

What's in it for you?

• Join an ambitious tech company reshaping the way people build digital experiences
• Full-time employees receive Stock Options for the opportunity to share in the success of our company
• Fertility and family building benefits, including a lifetime reimbursable wallet to support your growing family.
• We value Work-Life balance and You Time! A generous amount of paid time off, including vacation days, sick days, education days, compassion days for loss, and volunteer days
• Time off to care for and focus on your growing family
• Use your personal annual education budget to improve your skills and grow in your career
• Enjoy a full range of virtual and in-person events, including workshops, guest speakers, and fun team activities, supporting learning and networking exchange beyond the usual work duties
• An annual wellbeing stipend to care for your physical, financial, or emotional health
• A monthly communication phone/internet stipend and phone hardware upgrade reimbursement.
• New hire office equipment stipend for hybrid or distributed employees. Get the gear you need to work at your best.