Meet Jennifer, People Partner!
What does your job at Arsenal involve?
As a People Business Partner, I support several teams across the Club on any people related matters, making sure managers have the right tools and capabilities to manage their teams and assisting with things like recruitment, performance management and succession planning. I also work on HR projects designed to advance the HR contribution to the Club and help to achieve the Club’s ambition and objectives.
How did you get into working in HR?
I fell into HR whilst at University, when I took a summer internship at my Students’ Union between my 2nd and 3rd years of study – I instantly enjoyed it and felt like it was something I could see myself following a career in, so I carried on working there whilst I completed my final year of University and then began to apply for HR graduate programmes – and the rest as they say, is history!
Is Arsenal your first job in sport, if not, what industry did you work in previously?
Before I joined Arsenal, I spent 5 years working as an HR Manager in the music publishing industry, and before that I worked in oil & gas where I spent a lot of time in the Shetland Islands, so it’s safe to say my HR career has been pretty varied! Arsenal is my first job in sport, so it’s been a great new experience, and I’m enjoying learning about the industry and all the quirks of working at a football club!
Tell us about any secret perks of working at Arsenal?!
Aside from the free lunch (which seems to impress all my friends!) … personally, one of the biggest perks for me is just being able to experience our incredible stadium as part of my day-to-day job – the first time I walked through the players tunnel and stood at the side of the pitch was a really great moment and something I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of, so whenever I go over to meet with teams at the stadium I always take a look and think about how lucky I am to be able to do that!
And finally…. Why Arsenal?!
What a question! I was attracted to Arsenal because I’ve always known them as one of the most successful and dynamic sports clubs in the world; and working for a Club with such a great reputation sounded like an amazing opportunity. But since working here, I’ve also learnt about Arsenal’s rich history and the work we do off the pitch, in the community – this is a really great time to be part of the Arsenal family and I’m looking forward to what the future brings for the Club!