People Partner - Poland

Salary Range: PLN 161,000 - 218,000 

Graphcore is a UK-headquartered semiconductor and AI compute company, now part of SoftBank’s global AI ecosystem. Our headquarters are in Bristol, with offices in London, Cambridge, Poland, Germany, and Taiwan. In 2025, we are expanding into India with a new entity and office based in Bengaluru — a key hub for engineering, operations, and growth.

Our mission is to build the future of AI compute – and that depends not only on exceptional engineering but also on an outstanding People function. As we scale globally, the People team is focused on building strong operational foundations and a great employee experience everywhere we operate.

The role will predominately be partner to the Poland Office in Gdansk. With currently 50 employees. 

You will be part of the Global People Team, reporting into the Director of People business partners in the UK, and collaborating with the wider People Operations, Business Partner, and Talent teams.

Job Summary

You will own the delivery of all People Enablement activities for our Poland entity, from onboarding to offboarding, while ensuring we meet all statutory, policy, and compliance requirements.

This role will act as the point of contact for Polish employees and managers, collaborating closely with global colleagues in People, Finance, Workplace, and Engineering to ensure smooth operations and a consistent global experience.

As a trusted advisor to managers and engineers, you will help them build and grow great teams — providing practical guidance, ensuring strong people practices, and fostering an inclusive and high-performance culture.

You will work closely with the senior management team within Gdansk currently supporting day to day people activities, providing advice within company policy guidelines and ensuring compliance is maintained. You will also partner with key vendors including Vistra (payroll and HR administration), Howdens (benefits broker), and local compliance partners.

Responsibilities and Duties

Operational Delivery

• Lead delivery of all People Operations activities for the Poland entity – onboarding, employment changes, HRIS updates, benefits enrolments, and leavers.
• Partner with managers and engineers to enable smooth onboarding, transitions, and people processes that support team growth and engagement.
• Oversee payroll inputs and monthly cycles in partnership with Finance and Vistra.
• Maintain and update Poland employee files, HR registers, and statutory records in line with local requirements.
• Support senior management team with advice in all people related activities, such as sickness absence, wellness initiatives and company training

Compliance and Governance

• Ensure compliance with Polish labour law, statutory benefits, and record-keeping obligations.
• Support the implementation of a works council and work to establish required regulations and remuneration 
• Liaise with auditors, and regulators on People-related compliance and filings.
• Maintain awareness of evolving employment legislation and update policies and processes accordingly.

Vendor and Partner Management

• Act as the day-to-day relationship lead for Vistra (payroll and HR services), Howdens (benefits broker), and other local providers.
• Partner with Finance, Workplace, and Legal teams to ensure alignment on operational and compliance matters.
• Manage renewals, service improvements, and issue resolution with all vendors.

Employee and Manager Experience

• Provide high-quality employee support across the lifecycle – contracts, letters, benefits queries, and general HR advice.
• Support and coach managers and engineers on People policies, employee relations, and day-to-day management practices to help build healthy, high-performing teams.
• Support employee engagement activities, wellbeing initiatives, and policy awareness.
• Promote consistency with Graphcore’s global People processes while adapting for local needs.
• Champion our values of collaboration, respect, and continuous improvement.

Process Improvement and Projects

• Build, document, and refine local HR processes, workflows, and templates.
• Identify opportunities to automate or simplify manual steps through HRIS tools and data.
• Support global People initiatives such as policy alignment, HRIS upgrades, and process mapping.
• Contribute to global People Enablement discussions, sharing Poland insights and improvements.

Candidate Profile

 Essential

• [10 years plus] strong Experience in HR Generalist Lead/Business Partner roles
• Strong working knowledge of Poland statutory requirements and employment law.
• Experience managing HR vendors and external partners (e.g. payroll, benefits, HR services).
• Skilled in HR systems and data management.
• Proven ability to manage workflows, prioritise effectively, and deliver high-quality outcomes under time pressure.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills across cultures and time zones.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and change – able to build structure while scaling rapidly.

Desirable

• Experience working in a global or technology/engineering environment.
• Exposure to setting up or supporting new entities or international offices.
• Familiarity with global HRIS, benefits, and compliance frameworks.

Mindset and Approach

• Values collaboration over hierarchy and builds trust through openness and involvement.
• Is confident and knowledgeable, yet curious and humble enough to learn from others.
• Enjoys working in a fast iterative environment – building while flying.
• Balances structure with pragmatism, and compliance with a people-first approach.
• Motivated by helping managers and engineers build great teams.