Strategic HR Business Partner

The Role

Strategic HR Business Partner, Manufacturing - African Markets

At Imperial Brands, our people sit at the centre of our strategy, and we’re looking for a commercially astute Strategic HR Business Partner to help shape the future of our African Markets, with a strong focus on our manufacturing operations. This is a prominent role within our People & Culture (P&C) community, where you’ll work in close partnership with senior leaders to define and deliver a forward‑looking people agenda that drives performance, builds organisational capability and supports a complex, operational environment.

Operating as a trusted advisor and internal consultant, you’ll use deep business insight—ideally gained within manufacturing or industrial settings—to influence, challenge and align people priorities with business outcomes. Working closely with our Global P&C teams and the People & Culture Director – Global Supply Chain, you’ll play a key role in embedding our P&C operating model while remaining responsive to local market and plant needs.

With around 25,000 colleagues worldwide, Imperial Brands is a place where people lead change and make a real impact—this is a unique opportunity to provide strategic HR leadership in a dynamic region and help drive sustainable growth across our African footprint.

Principle Accountabilities

• Partner with business and People & Culture leaders to deliver people strategies that support strategic priorities and drive business performance.
• Provide strong workforce and culture insight to shape business strategy, translating priorities into integrated people plans with CoEs and People Services.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, enabling change, unlocking value and contributing as an active member of leadership teams.
• Lead the rollout and embedding of global people frameworks, including Talent, Performance, Organisation Effectiveness and Organisational Health.
• Support senior leaders to implement and sustain people‑led strategic initiatives across markets and operations.
• Working with the People & Culture Director, manage and monitor global people processes while coaching senior leaders to build accountability and capability.

Skills and Experience Required

• Proven strategic HR business partnering experience, ideally within manufacturing or operational environments, delivering people strategies that support business performance.
• Demonstrated experience working across African Markets, with an understanding of regional complexity, cultural nuance and multi‑site operations.
• Commercial and strategic capability, able to translate business strategy into impactful people plans and influence senior leaders within a global, matrix organisation.
• Strong leadership and change expertise, with experience coaching senior leaders, enabling transformation and driving organisational effectiveness.
• Data‑led and insight‑driven, using workforce analytics and compelling storytelling to inform decision‑making and shape outcomes.
• Fluent in English and French, with the flexibility and willingness to travel up to 50% of the time across the African Markets.

All CVs to be sent in English

What We Offer

In return for playing your part in building our future, you will receive a comprehensive compensation package with salary, bonus scheme and further benefits as well inspiring places to work and collaborate with purpose. Here at Imperial we will give you the opportunity to grow and learn, innovate at pace and be a part of our purpose to forge a path to a healthier future for moments of relaxation and pleasure for our consumers.

Everyone Belongs

Everyone belongs in Imperial. We are proud of being a truly inclusive organisation. We encourage and welcome applications from people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, nationalities, disabilities, sexual orientation, religions or beliefs and of neuro divergence. We give fair and equal consideration to all our applicants. Please contact us at recruitment@impbrands.com to let us know if we can provide support in helping you complete an application and/or attend an interview.

About Us

We're a truly international company, fourth largest in our industry and operating across 120 markets. An inclusive, innovative global FMCG business supported by 25,000 employees. As we embrace a new era of growth, we are transforming. Our ways of working and culture are driven by a challenger mindset, constantly questioning the status quo where people can bring their best selves to work. Our agility and collaboration are driving our ambitions, innovation and success all supported by our award-winning development programmes that creates exciting and rewarding career opportunities for all.  Encouraging inclusion at local levels and supporting a developing and robust diversity agenda globally, we’re fully committed to creating and maintaining an environment that celebrates and respects difference.

As a matter of policy, Imperial Tobacco or its subsidiaries never requests or requires payment as part of any recruitment process.