Overview
Home. There’s no place like it. And there’s no feeling like helping people create the joy of feeling truly at home. At Dunelm, that’s what we do. We’re the UK's number one choice for homewares because we make home life lovelier for our customers. And the caring and supportive culture we've created makes this a place you'll feel right at home too.
We are the UK’s Number One homewares retailer offering c85,000 products building a consumer-focused total retail business that delights customers through our multichannel operation.
We are ambitious in our plans to drive further expansion of the business to more customers, shopping more frequently, with more choice, enhanced digital and physical services, and new capabilities to innovate and operate at pace in a fast-changing landscape. In developing the business for the long-term benefit of our customers, we are investing in our supply chain, stores and technology to improve the customer proposition as we move forward.
Department Overview
Our People Partners are a bold bunch. They work across our central operations and distribution network to uncover what really makes people tick—and what might be getting in the way. They help our logistics teams spot opportunities, solve snags, and celebrate what’s working. All with a laser focus on supporting our Supply Chain People Plan.
As a People Partner supporting our distribution centres, you’ll be part of our Supply Chain People Operations team and report to the Senior People Business Partner for our logistics network.
You’ll collaborate closely with Operational Coaches and the wider People team to bring our People Strategy to life across our Home Delivery network. That means empowering our teams to grow, spotting potential, and helping our people build the skills they need to thrive.
This role may involve occasional travel to our national Home Delivery sites, supporting teams across the UK to ensure consistency, connection, and care wherever they are.
Everything you do will have purpose. You’ll act with intention, move at pace, and always look for ways to add a little extra Value, and Joy, wherever you can.
What you'll be doing
- Develop long-term succession plans across our distribution network, ensuring all leadership roles have successors identified to mitigate operational and talent risks.
- This role includes responsibility for our Home Delivery network sites across the UK, with occasional travel required to support teams nationally, including Northern Ireland.
- Use available data to drive informed, collaborative decisions that enhance performance, engagement, and development across our logistics operations.
- Champion Quality and Productivity by ensuring all colleague conversations—such as performance reviews and development planning—are executed meaningfully and consistently throughout the year.
- Ensure key people processes are followed diligently, including absence management, parental leave, disciplinary procedures, and grievance handling.
- Support the improvement of end-to-end recruitment and onboarding processes across our distribution centres, ensuring a seamless and inclusive experience for all new starters.
- Advocate for apprenticeship and training programmes, identifying high-potential colleagues and supporting them through their learning journey.
- Be a trusted listener and voice of reason for our frontline logistics colleagues, helping to influence decisions and foster a culture of trust, inclusion, and respect.
- Identify and nurture talent across our distribution and central teams, always leading with a Diversity & Inclusion lens to ensure equitable development opportunities.
- Create a positive and psychologically safe working environment, ensuring the wellbeing needs of all colleagues are met and supported.
- Build strong connections with our logistics teams to reinforce our Employment Value Proposition and promote a sense of belonging.
- Drive colleague engagement and communication across all channels, championing the use of reward and recognition tools to celebrate success.
- Be a catalyst for appreciation and recognition, ensuring that great work is acknowledged and valued.
- Own and activate our total listening system across the logistics network, ensuring feedback ladders up to our National Voice and informs continuous improvement.
What we'll look for in you
- Full UK driving licence required – this is a field-based role with national travel across our Home Delivery network and distribution centres.
- A visible and energetic leader with strong strategic capability, able to enthuse, motivate, and mentor teams while inspiring others to join the journey of continuous improvement.
- Brings a brave and performance-driven mindset, focused on delivering measurable impact across operational efficiency and bottom-line profitability.
- Proven success in multi-site environments, where relationship-building and influencing are key to aligning people, teams, and ideas across a complex logistics network.
- A natural networker who thrives on collaboration, with the ability to connect across functions and drive collective progress.
- Demonstrates low ego and high self-awareness, with strong sensing and perceiving skills, and a deep appreciation for the power of teamwork.
- Resilient and pragmatic, with a can-do attitude and the agility to balance both strategic thinking and hands-on operational support.
- Shows a genuine hunger for personal development, continuously learning and inspiring others through their growth mindset.
- A strong communicator who actively listens, embraces feedback, and translates insights into meaningful action.
- Confident in both written and verbal communication, with the ability to engage and influence at all levels.
- A motivator of people, leading with purpose and helping teams move forward with clarity, energy, and drive.
- A natural problem solver, who thrives on turning operational challenges into smart, scalable solutions that benefit the wider business.
