COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Wren Laboratories Ltd is the company behind Optibac Probiotics, the UK’s most recommended range of friendly bacteria supplements. We believe in cultivating an environment where talent thrives, ideas flourish, and every team member plays a crucial role in our collective success.

As scientists discover more about the important role of the gut in overall health and wellbeing, the global demand for probiotic supplements is increasing dramatically and as the experts in friendly bacteria, specialising entirely in live cultures, we are committed to producing a high quality supplement range containing some of the most researched strains in the world, developed in the world’s leading laboratories.

Our award-winning range is sold in the UK, Ireland and many international markets via multiple different sales channels including pharmacies, health food stores, grocery, online retailers, marketplaces and Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners.

Pioneers of the probiotics supplement category, Optibac has long been championing the gut health revolution, tirelessly educating professionals and consumers alike on the benefits of friendly bacteria in maintaining overall health and wellbeing.  Our continual mission is to ‘empower millions of people to change their lives with the power of probiotics’.

A highly ambitious company who believe in really making a difference to people's lives through their product range, maintaining a vibrant & inspiring workplace and to giving back to wider society through charitable giving. To date Wren Laboratories has donated over £2m to charitable causes.   

As a family-run business we have a strong focus on work-life balance and ensuring contributions are recognised and valued.

MAIN PURPOSE & SCOPE OF THE JOB 

This newly created role exists to ensure that as Optibac continues to grow, our people, organisational capability and culture grow with it.

As People & Culture Manager, you will play a central role in shaping the employee experience and supporting the organisation to perform at its best. Working closely with the Board and senior leaders, you will help ensure we have the structure, skills and people capability needed for our next phase of growth.

This is a senior and influential role, combining strategic thinking with practical guidance. You will support leaders to make confident, fair and commercially sound people decisions, strengthen performance and development, and help the business navigate change in a positive and sustainable way.

While the HR team will continue to deliver day-to-day people support and administration, this role focuses on setting direction, building the depth and confidence of our management team and ensuring our people practices remain consistent, effective and aligned with Optibac’s values.

At its heart, this role is about protecting what makes Optibac a great place to work, while helping us grow into a larger, more ambitious organisation.

The ideal candidate will have considerable hands on experience managing people in a dynamic business.

Flexibility is essential at Wren Laboratories, with teams working closely together to champion and develop the Optibac brand. Occasional support may be required across other areas to meet business needs.

KEY RESPONSIBILTIES

This document outlines the duties required of the post to indicate the level of responsibility. It is not a comprehensive or exhaustive list and duties may vary from time to time but these would not change the general character of the job or the level of responsibility.

The post covers the following key areas:

1.       Strategic HR Business Partnering 

• Partner closely with the Board and senior leaders to understand business priorities and ensure our people strategy supports organisational goals.
• Act as a trusted adviser, helping leaders make well-judged decisions on workforce planning, team structure, succession and change.
• Spot emerging people risks and opportunities early, guiding the business with insight and experience.
• Bring a pragmatic, balanced perspective to leadership discussions, ensuring decisions are fair, sustainable and commercially sound. 

2.       Performance Management

• Lead the effective delivery of the Company’s performance review cycles, ensuring clear, fair and consistent application across teams.
• Embed high-quality SMART objective-setting and ongoing performance conversations, supporting managers to move beyond “tick-box” reviews.
• Partner with managers on performance improvement plans, providing coaching, challenge and guidance to achieve sustainable outcomes.
• Ensure performance management practices align with Company values and UK & Irish employment frameworks.

3.       Learning & Development 

• Translate performance insights and organisational priorities into targeted learning and development initiatives.
• Shape HR-led training to build confident, capable people managers.
• Support leadership development and career progression, ensuring future capability across the business.
• Champion a culture of ownership and accountability at all levels.

4.       Talent Acquisition, Onboarding & Retention 

• Develop and execute recruitment strategies to attract and hire top talent. Ensure a seamless onboarding experience, embedding culture and expectations from day one.
• Support succession planning and longer-term talent development strategies.

5.       Employee Experience, Values & Wellbeing 

• Ensure Optibac’s values are reflected consistently across the employee lifecycle and people practices.
• Provide oversight and strategic direction on engagement activity, supporting the HR team to translate survey insights into meaningful action.
• Promote an inclusive and supportive working environment where people feel valued, respected and able to contribute.
• Partner with the HR team to strengthen wellbeing initiatives and ensure a sustainable approach to health and work–life balance.

6.       People Governance, Risk & Infrastructure 

• Provide oversight and judgement across employee relations, HR policies and people processes, ensuring fairness, consistency and legal compliance.
• Act as an escalation point for complex or sensitive people matters, supporting managers to reach timely, well-judged outcomes.
• Ensure HR systems, data and reporting provide meaningful insight to support decision-making and organisational planning.
• Continuously improve people processes to ensure they remain proportionate, efficient and scalable as the business grows.

DESIRABLE SKILLS & ABILITIES

• A people-centred, solution-focused approach with strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build credibility quickly with employees at all levels.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to prioritise in a fast-paced environment.

No Agencies please