Policy Manager (People)

Why this role matters

The Policy Manager leads people policy across the business, ensuring legal compliance and alignment with our business and people strategy. You will manage day-to-day policy activity and develop policy and broader reward strategy with the Head of Reward, Policy and Performance. You will ensure policies are clearly communicated, effectively implemented and inclusive, accessible and aligned with our valued behaviours.

Hybrid between any Argos Support Office and Home.

What I am accountable for

• Develop future-fit, legally compliant people policies that reflect our business direction and values, ensuring consistency across Argos while accommodating population differences where appropriate.
• Partner with subject matter experts, including Reward, Retail Operations/Labour, Safety, Government Relations and Asia People teams, to develop and maintain an organisation-wide policy strategy, measuring its effectiveness against business objectives.
• Identify, assess and track policy risks and issues, judging business impacts, recommending pragmatic solutions and supporting resolution or escalation.
• Provide ER and policy expertise, working with Union Relationship teams to resolve complex policy-related ER issues and Trade Union queries.
• Identify and embed simpler people policies and procedures. Work with subject matter experts to keep policies, procedures and processes coherent and seamless.
• Review and update policies and guidance, creating documentation where needed to support our People and business strategy, Valued Behaviours and Argos Performance Expectations.
• Own and maintain the policy framework and internal governance, ensuring consistent development, approval, application and communication across Argos, with timely, controlled updates, including legislative changes.
• Produce reports and Board papers on internal and external policy developments, sharing insights and recommendations with stakeholders up to Board Director level.
• Build strong relationships with People Partners, the wider People team and business stakeholders, involving them in scoping new policies and updates.
• Monitor external policy trends, best practice, employment law and economic factors to anticipate business impacts and recommend responses.
• Partner with Performance and Development teams to align manager and colleague tools and learning with people policies, build manager advocacy, and deliver workshops and training on HR policies and best practice.
• Work with Ask HR, People Operations, ER, Payroll and Sainsbury’s Tech to identify third-party and internal system impacts of policy changes and develop solutions.

What I need to know

• Strong knowledge and experience of people policies and HR, particularly ER, IR, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and employment law.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, making complex topics clear to all audiences.
• Sound judgement and problem-solving, balancing operational, commercial and colleague needs, including where no policy or precedent exists.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, identifying opportunities and translating strategy into action.
• Strong personal impact, resilience and ability to influence diverse stakeholders up to Director level.
• Experience managing multiple policies, people topics and projects across different populations in a fast-changing environment.
• Trade Union experience is advantageous.
• Emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal skills, building effective relationships across divisions and with external partners.
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt to challenges, prioritising changing deadlines and requirements with confidence, drive and enthusiasm.

At Argos, we’re a digital-led UK retailer that keeps pushing boundaries to meet every generation with what they want, how and when they want it. As a market leader in general merchandise, serving millions of customers through our website, app, same-day delivery and Click & Collect services, we offer real opportunities to learn, grow and shape your career. With roles spanning Commercial, Buying, Merchandising, Design and Supply Chain, through to Digital, Operations, Customer Experience, Marketing, and People and Transformation, you will work with brilliant colleagues and directly shape how we serve our customers every day. From enabling inspiring choice across our owned brands, including Habitat, Chad Valley and Bush, alongside the world’s biggest brands like Apple, Lego, Xbox and Samsung, to making shopping effortlessly convenient, championing trusted value and accelerating our strategy - Argos is an exciting place to build your future.

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on how we perform.

Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday, and we provide private healthcare. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, interest free car loan of up to £10k, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an Employee Assistance Programme.

Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.

Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).