People & Culture Business Partner

From the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on earth, to surging shorelines and anywhere in-between, we make the impossible possible through our continuous passion for innovation.

Our people design, engineer and manufacture technologies that are enabling our customers to discover, navigate, measure, detect and communicate in the toughest environment on earth: Our oceans. We’ve been actively developing the technology to make the oceans accessible for over 50 years and we’re only just getting started… At Sonardyne, we value different ways of thinking. Whether you think in code, patterns, systems, or steps, your unique perspective is important to us.

Are you passionate about people, great at building relationships and someone who enjoys making a real difference in the workplace?

At Sonardyne, our people are at the heart of everything we do. From developing pioneering underwater technology to supporting our customers around the world, it’s the talent, creativity and commitment of our teams that make it all possible.

We’re looking for a People & Culture Business Partner to join our team and play an important role in supporting our people, developing our managers and helping to create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced HR professional who enjoys variety, thrives on building trusted relationships and wants to be part of a business where People & Culture is about much more than policies and processes.

You’ll be working closely with managers and employees across the business, providing practical advice, helping navigate challenges and supporting initiatives that make Sonardyne an even better place to work.

And with Sonardyne now part of the wider Kraken Robotics Group, it’s an especially exciting time to join us as we continue to evolve, strengthen our capabilities and look towards future growth.

The Opportunity

No two days are likely to be quite the same!

One day you could be coaching a manager through a challenging employee relations matter, the next supporting a development initiative, analysing people trends or helping a team navigate organisational change.

Working alongside our People & Culture Manager and wider team, you’ll be a trusted point of contact for your areas of the business, providing balanced, commercially aware and people-focused advice.

You’ll have the opportunity to get involved in everything from employee relations and performance management to engagement, talent development, workforce planning and organisational change.

Most importantly, you’ll help ensure that our people feel supported, our managers feel confident and our people practices genuinely contribute to the success of the business.

What You’ll Be Doing

Partnering with Our People and Managers

• Build strong, positive working relationships with managers and employees, becoming a trusted source of practical People & Culture advice.
• Support managers with everyday people matters, helping them make fair, consistent and informed decisions.
• Work with business leaders to understand their priorities and help deliver people initiatives that support their teams.
• Provide guidance on company policies, performance management, employee development and people processes.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the wider People & Culture function to deliver joined-up solutions.

Employee Relations and Wellbeing

• Take an active role in managing employee relations matters, providing advice, guidance and support through to resolution.
• Support managers with performance concerns, workplace issues, investigations and formal processes, ensuring a fair and consistent approach.
• Manage sickness absence cases, including Occupational Health referrals, return-to-work planning and appropriate workplace adjustments.
• Provide thoughtful, practical support to employees and managers, recognising that people matters often require empathy as well as sound judgement.
• Ensure appropriate documentation, confidentiality and compliance with employment legislation and company policies.
• Know when to seek additional guidance or escalate particularly complex or sensitive matters.

Helping Our People Grow

• Support performance reviews, development discussions and succession planning activities.
• Coach managers to have meaningful conversations about performance, development and career progression.
• Contribute to talent management initiatives that help us recognise, develop and retain the skills within our business.
• Support employees throughout their journey with Sonardyne, from onboarding and probation through internal career moves, development and eventual offboarding.
• Assist with training and development activities that build confidence and capability across our management teams.
• Support role evaluation, job levelling and compensation processes where required.

Creating a Great Place to Work

• Help deliver initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, wellbeing, inclusion and belonging.
• Support employee forums and other opportunities for our people to share ideas, feedback and suggestions.
• Work with managers to turn employee feedback into meaningful improvements.
• Champion Sonardyne’s values and contribute to a positive, collaborative and supportive working culture.
• Help employees and managers navigate organisational changes through clear communication and practical support.

Using People Insights to Make a Difference

• Review people data and identify trends relating to areas such as engagement, absence, performance and retention.
• Prepare reports and recommendations that help managers make informed decisions.
• Support workforce planning and organisational development activities.
• Contribute to improvements in People & Culture policies, procedures and processes.
• Help ensure our practices remain consistent, effective and aligned with employment legislation and business needs.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who combines solid HR knowledge with genuine people skills.

You’ll be comfortable handling the day-to-day challenges that come with supporting a busy business, but equally enthusiastic about contributing to the bigger picture.

Ideally, you’ll bring:

• Several years’ experience in a generalist HR, People Advisor or HR Business Partner role.
• Good working knowledge of employment legislation, employee relations and HR best practices.
• Experience supporting managers with employee relations matters, performance management and sickness absence.
• The confidence to provide constructive advice, challenge appropriately and influence positive outcomes.
• Experience supporting employee engagement, development and wider people initiatives.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities and manage sensitive matters professionally.
• An analytical mindset and the ability to use people data to identify trends and recommend improvements.
• Good IT skills, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• A relevant HR qualification, degree or equivalent practical experience.

Professional HR accreditation or membership, such as CIPD, SHRM or equivalent, would be advantageous, but we’re equally interested in the experience and approach you would bring to the role.

Just as Important as Your Experience…

We’re looking for someone who genuinely enjoys working with people.

Someone who can listen, understand different perspectives and build trust across all levels of an organisation.

You’ll be approachable and empathetic, but also confident enough to have difficult conversations when needed.

You’ll understand that good People & Culture support isn’t always about saying yes — sometimes it’s about asking the right questions, providing balanced advice and helping people find the best way forward.

You’ll be comfortable working independently, happy to roll your sleeves up when things get busy and keen to contribute ideas that improve how we do things.

And, above all, you’ll care about getting things right for both our people and our business.

Why Join Sonardyne?

For more than 50 years, Sonardyne has been at the forefront of underwater technology, developing innovative solutions that support ocean science, offshore energy, marine robotics and defence around the world.

Our success is built on the expertise and dedication of our people, and we’re proud of the engineering excellence, innovation and collaborative spirit that runs throughout our business.

Now, as part of the Kraken Robotics Group, we’re entering another exciting chapter, bringing together complementary technologies, expertise and opportunities for future growth.

For our People & Culture team, that means the chance to play a meaningful role in supporting our people and helping the business continue to develop.

You’ll be joining a team that values collaboration, fresh ideas, continuous improvement and, most importantly, treating people like people.

This isn’t simply about administering HR processes. It’s about building relationships, supporting careers, developing managers and helping shape a workplace where people can do their best work.

Sound Like Your Kind of Opportunity?

If you’re an experienced HR professional who enjoys the variety of a true generalist role, loves working with people and wants to make a positive difference within an innovative engineering business, we’d love to hear from you.

You don’t necessarily need to have worked in marine technology or engineering before. What matters most is your ability to build relationships, provide sound advice and bring a practical, positive approach to supporting our people.

Come and help us look after the people behind the technology.

We look forward to hearing from you!