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HR Business Partner

Fanatics

Fanatics

People & HR
Manchester, UK
Posted on Apr 7, 2026

At Fanatics Commerce, we’re more than just a leader in licensed sports merchandise – we’re a team united by a relentless passion for our fans and a commitment to innovation. We live by our BOLD Leadership principles: We Build Championship Teams, we’re Obsessed with Fans, we embrace a Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit, and we approach every challenge with a Determined and Relentless Mindset. If you’re ready to contribute to a dynamic, fast-paced environment that thrives on collaboration and growth, we want you to be part of our team.


Role Overview
This is a key role at the heart of the Fanatics International (Commerce) HR Team. As a HR Business Partner, you will partner closely with senior leaders to support organisational effectiveness, people strategy, and overall business performance.


Predominantly supporting our corporate functions in the UK, with exposure to international markets, you will act as a trusted advisor to key stakeholders, delivering commercially focused HR support across a diverse workforce. You will also collaborate closely with HR Business Partners across Retail, Commercial, and Operations, ensuring a joined-up and consistent approach across the business. Reporting to the Director, Human Resources for FI Commerce, we are looking for a people first partner who is passionate about driving strategic initiatives, ensuring we have the right talent in place, and influencing key business decisions. You will play a critical role in shaping the people agenda, partnering with leaders to build high-performing, engaged teams. As we transition towards a Centre of Excellence (COE) model, you will work in close partnership with Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition (TA), Talent Development (TD), Reward & Benefits (TR), and Payroll to deliver a consistent and high-impact people
approach. This role balances business partnering with operational delivery, ensuring alignment between business priorities, employee experience, and risk management.

This role requires strong stakeholder engagement, a proactive mindset, and the ability to support and deliver impactful HR solutions in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, while embedding our BOLD Behaviours and ways of working. If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, we would love to hear from you.


How will you make an impact:

  • Partner with leaders across multiple functions to design and execute scalable people strategies aligned with business goals.
  • Act as a true business partner, providing proactive, commercially focused HR guidance to support performance, growth, and organisational effectiveness.
  • Support organisational design, restructures, consultations, ensuring alignment with business strategy and legal requirements
  • Serve as a trusted advisor on Employee Relations matters, working closely with the ER Manager and Global Employment Counsel to ensure fair, consistent, and compliant outcomes
  • Coach and develop leaders to enhance people management capability, driving high performance and accountability
  • Take ownership of key HR programmes and initiatives, including engagement, retention, performance, and development, embodying our BOLD Behaviours and driving actions across the business to enhance the people experience across all areas of the employee lifecycle.
  • Collaborate closely in partnership with TA, TD, Reward & Benefits, and Payroll to deliver aligned, end-to-end people solutions.
  • Analyse workforce data through Oracle and trends to provide insight-led recommendations and support strategic decision-making
  • Anticipate organisational needs and proactively support leaders through periods of change and growth.
  • Drive consistency in people practices across the UK and international markets, navigating local legislation and cultural nuances.
  • Support and embed people policies, frameworks, and best practice, ensuring governance and alignment across the business.
  • Contribute to building a strong, inclusive culture that values performance, innovation, and employee experience.

What you bring to the team

  • Proven experience operating as an HR Business Partner within a fast-paced, multi-site or retail/eCommerce environment.
  • Comprehensive working knowledge of UK Employment Law, with exposure to international markets (e.g. Australia) desirable.
  • Experience managing Employee Relations matters, with the ability to partner effectively with ER specialists.
  • Demonstrated ability to influence and build credibility with stakeholders.
    Experience working within or a COE Model, collaborating across specialist functions (TA, TD, Reward, Payroll)
  • Experience of TUPE would be advantageous.
    Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to balance business outcomes, risk, and employee experience. Experience leading or supporting organisational change and transformation programmes.
  • Data-driven mindset, with the ability to translate insights into actionable people strategies.
  • Excellent communication and coaching skills, with the ability to navigate complex and sensitive situations.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities across different functions, geographies, and employee populations.


Where you’ll work and what’s required

Full-Time position based at our Manchester HQ (New Islington).

Hybrid Working Model.

International scope supporting Fanatics Commerce across multiple regions, with opportunities for business travel


What’s in it for you:

Culture:

Join a team where you're surrounded by top-tier talent, driven by a shared passion to relentlessly enhance the fan experience. With a focus on collaboration, support, and continuous development, you’ll be empowered to help shape our culture that celebrates both individual and team successes.

Benefits:

At Fanatics, we’re dedicated to supporting you in all aspects of work and life; as such we offer a range of competitive benefits tailored to each country in which we operate. Specific details regarding the benefits package applicable to your location will be shared and discussed during the interview process


This is a key role at the heart of the Fanatics International (Commerce) HR Team. As a HR Business Partner, you will partner closely with senior leaders to support organisational effectiveness, people strategy, and overall business performance.