People & Culture Officer

People & Culture Officer

Location: Seaham (Prima North)
Full Time – Onsite 

• Company contribution pension scheme
• Life Insurance
• Holiday Club – discounted breaks
• Employee benefits platform
• Employee Assistance Programme & 24/7 GP access

About Prima

Prima is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of cheese to the foodservice and food manufacturing sectors.

With nearly 30 years of heritage, we export to over 55 countries and employ colleagues representing more than 20 nationalities across two sites. Prima North in Seaham is our core production facility and operational heartbeat. Prima South in Islington, London drives our commercial growth and brand presence.

As we continue to grow, strong and consistent people standards are essential to protecting performance, culture, and compliance across the business.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a confident, commercially aware People & Culture Officer who can operate with credibility in a demanding operational environment, take ownership of complex employee relations matters and uphold high people standards across the business.

This is a visible, hands on role within a collaborative and supportive People & Culture team.

Flexibility is required for occasional early starts to support operational needs and occasional travel to Prima South (London).

Key Responsibilities

• Probation, performance, and capability processes end-to-end
• Manage absence cases proactively, including welfare reviews and structured action plans
• Advise and coach managers on investigations, disciplinary and grievance procedures
• Attend and minute formal hearings, ensuring procedural compliance and robust documentation
• Provide commercially grounded advice aligned to company policy and UK employment law and assist in development policies for Prima.
• Produce accurate people data reports to support informed decision-making
• Deliver end to end support across recruitment, onboarding and early careers initiatives
• Maintain high standards of People & Culture administration, reporting, and record-keeping
• Support wider People & Culture projects and business initiatives as required

What We’re Looking For

• CIPD Level 5 qualified
• Over 3 years’ experience in a People/HR Officer role
• Experience leading disciplinary, grievance, and capability investigations end-to-end
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law
• Experience facilitating workplace mediation and conflict resolution - desirable
• Mental Health First Aider accreditation - desirable
• High standards of documentation and case management
• Comfortable operating within a fast-paced manufacturing environment
• You are calm under pressure, solutions-focused and confident having difficult conversations when required.
• You understand that strong people management protects both culture and performance, and you operate with discretion and professionalism at all times.

Why Join Prima?

We believe that our people are our most valuable ingredient. We foster an environment of mutual respect, offer ongoing support, and encourage career development through training and internal progression. At Prima, your voice matters, your ideas are welcome, and your ambition is celebrated.

Diversity & Inclusion

We are proud of our inclusive and diverse workforce, people are the key to our success, we are committed to providing employees with the necessary support to excel during their career with Prima.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact peopleandculture@primacheese.com 

👉 Apply via: https://www.primacheese.com/careers

Closing date: 20th March 2026