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QBE Europe
QBE Europe

Senior People Business Partner

London Hybrid 10+ yrs exp Insurance 1,524 employees
Analytical ThinkingChange ManagementCoachingCritical ThinkingInfluencing

Requirements

Significant experience as a senior HR leader partnering with executive stakeholders in a complex, matrixed organisation, with a record of delivering people strategies and leading change, workforce planning, talent, succession, and organisational effectiveness. Requires strong influencing and relationship skills, commercial and data-driven judgement, and the ability to collaborate across teams and geographies; insurance or other corporate-function experience is desirable.

Job Description

Primary DetailsTime Type: Full timeWorker Type: Employee

Senior People Business Partner

Role Highlights

  • London based role with hybrid working
  • A strategic partnering opportunity to shape the people agenda across QBE's Insurance function, working with senior leaders to drive organisational performance, capability and future-focused workforce outcomes.
  • Happy to talk flexible working

The opportunity

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Senior People Business Partner for the Insurance function. You will operate as a business leader with deep People expertise, partnering with executive and senior leaders to shape business, workforce and organisational choices.

In this role, you will bring forward-looking insight on workforce strategy, organisation effectiveness, executive talent, leadership capability, transformation and people risk, ensuring these considerations are embedded while decisions are being formed.

You will lead and develop the Insurance PBP team and connect specialist expertise and sequencing interventions around the outcomes that matter most to the business. A key part of the role will be helping leaders respond to AI, technology and business-model change by redesigning work, capability, roles and workforce plans for the future.

Please note: The right to work in the UK is required for this role. QBE may consider visa sponsorship at its discretion.

About QBE 

At QBE, we get to the heart of what matters for our customers. And we do it all with a human touch.   

We’re an international insurer with more than 13,000 people working across 26 countries – which means we’re big enough for your ambitions, yet small enough for you to make a real impact. It’s an exciting time. We’re building momentum towards our vision to become the most consistent and innovative risk partner.  

What if you could have a positive impact – at work and in the world? As part of the QBE team, you’ll get to spend every day working with people who are passionate, talented and kind. 

Your new role

  • Partner with Executive leaders at the point business choices are being shaped, bringing workforce, organisation, talent and people-risk insight to influence strategy, investment priorities and operating-model decisions.
  • Develop a forward-looking, multi-year view of the workforce, anticipating changes in business strategy, technology, skills, capacity, location, sourcing and operating models.
  • Lead strategic workforce and job-design conversations arising from AI, automation and technology investment, helping leaders assess how work, roles, capability, capacity and ways of working need to change.
  • Ensure workforce implications are considered alongside business transformation and technology decisions, preserving appropriate human judgement, accountability and employee impact considerations.
  • Act as the strategic orchestrator across the People function, ensuring business priorities are translated into a coordinated People agenda by aligning and mobilising the right expertise at the right time.
  • Champion initiatives that enhance employee engagement, capability and experience, supporting QBE's ambition to be an employer of choice.
  • Use people data, insights and workforce analytics to inform decision-making and drive measurable business outcomes.
  • Lead and support organisational change, ensuring effective change management across business transformation and strategic initiatives.
  • Facilitate talent and succession discussions, identifying critical capability needs, developing diverse talent pipelines and supporting future workforce requirements.
  • Provide trusted advice and challenge on a broad range of people matters including organisational design, employee relations, performance, leadership capability, senior recruitment and onboarding.
  • Lead, coach and develop the Insurance PBP team, setting clear expectations for strategic, insight-led partnering and creating consistent standards of practice across the portfolio.
  • Contribute to the collective leadership of the wider PBP community, sharing accountability for capability, succession, engagement and the overall effectiveness of Business Partnering.
  • Build strong, credible relationships with senior stakeholders and People colleagues, using commercial acumen, critical thinking and influence to ensure people considerations are embedded in business decisions.
  • Contribute to the wider People agenda by identifying opportunities for continuous improvement, innovation and best practice across the organisation.

About You

  • Significant experience operating as a senior HR leader, partnering with Executive and senior stakeholders within a complex, matrixed organisation.
  • Proven ability to develop and deliver people strategies that balance business priorities, organisational performance and employee experience.
  • Strong influencing, relationship-building and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to provide constructive challenge and trusted advice.
  • Experienced in leading organisational change, workforce planning, talent, succession and organisational effectiveness initiatives.
  • Highly collaborative, with a track record of bringing together diverse teams and Centres of Excellence to deliver practical, business-focused solutions across multiple geographies.
  • Commercially minded and data-driven, with the ability to use people insights, analytics and sound judgement to inform decision-making and deliver measurable outcomes.

Desirable:

  • Experience supporting Insurance, Finance or other corporate functions within a global organisation.
  • Experience working within periods of organisational transformation and change.

Benefits

We offer a range of benefits to help provide holistic support for your work life, whatever your circumstances. As well as the benefits below we also offer an extensive choice of other options to suit you!    

  • 30 days holiday a year with the option to buy up to 2 additional days.   
  • Flexible working - balancing work and life is important so our flexible working opportunities are open to all, this can include part-time, job share and compressed hours.   
  • Pension – you are automatically enrolled into the QBE pension plan, which entitles you to receive employer contributions of 10% of your basic salary.   
  • Private medical insurance – we fund fully comprehensive private medical cover for you and all the family.    
  • Family friendly policies – we offer 26 weeks leave at full pay regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation or how you become a parent.   
  • Short term remote work abroad - you can request up to 20 days per year to work remotely from certain locations abroad.   
  • Sustainable investing - we believe sustainable integration is important for long term financial, environmental, and social outcomes. Our pension strategy supports our net-zero goal to achieve year-on-year reductions in carbon footprint, by investing more in green businesses than the broader market, so your savings are looking after the planet's future, as well as your own.   
  • Cycle-to-Work – benefit from regular exercise whilst making your commute greener and cheaper, select and bike and/or accessories up to the value of £5,000.   

To learn more about benefits of working with us, click   Rewarding our people - QBE European Operations

Awards & Recognition 

We value our employee’s experience with us and are proud to have been recognised for the following awards: 

  • Insurance Post British Insurance Awards 2025: Winner: Commercial Lines Insurer of the Year, Winner: Reinsurer of the Year - QBE Re, Winner: ESG, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year
  • Insurance Post British Insurance Awards 2023: QBE rated as a 5-Star Employee 

To learn more about our achievements, click  here

Your career.

At the heart of it.  

Skills:

Analytical Thinking, Change Management, Coaching for success, Critical Thinking, Influencing, Intentional collaboration, Labor and Employment Law, Managing performance, Navigating ambiguity, Negotiation, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Human Resources Leadership, Succession Planning, Talent Management, Team Management

How to Apply:

To submit your application, click "Apply" and follow the step by step process.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

QBE is an equal opportunity employer and is required to comply with equal employment opportunity legislation in each jurisdiction it operates.

Skills

Analytical ThinkingChange ManagementCoachingCritical ThinkingInfluencingCollaborationLabor and Employment LawPerformance ManagementNavigating AmbiguityNegotiationStakeholder ManagementStrategic Human Resources LeadershipSuccession PlanningTalent ManagementTeam ManagementWorkforce Planning

About QBE Europe

At QBE we’re driven by our purpose of enabling a more resilient future. QBE is an international insurer and reinsurer headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with local presence in 26 countries. With hundreds of products and deep underwriting expertise, QBE European Operations cover most business risks. We apply our energy and determination to finding solutions to even the most complex challenges – and we’re not afraid to try something new, even if it means going against market conventions. We don't just see ourselves as an insurer, but a partner to our customers in helping to navigate uncertainty. We provide tailored solutions across commercial, personal, and specialty products, as well as risk management solutions to help individuals and businesses manage risks, build strength and embrace change. Whether it’s through our people, our deep expertise or our commitment to building strong relationships, we get to the heart of it. QBE Insurance Europe is a specialist in business insurance and is active in both the Lloyd’s and company markets. Outside of our London headquarters, we operate from seven regional centres in the UK and are present in the major European markets, Dubai, Canada and Singapore. We have an in-depth understanding of each of our chosen markets and our ability to combine local expertise with the broad knowledge of our product specialists enables us to provide innovative solutions in each territory.

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