2027 Human Resources Placement
Hilton · Watford
Exceptional Hospitality Starts with You
As a participant in our 12-month Corporate Placements Programme in the Human Resources Department, you’re not just gaining hands-on experience at our Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Headquarters in Watford – you’re spreading the light and warmth of hospitality by contributing to the memorable experiences that make the stay for every guest.
Here’s what you can look forward to as a programme participant:
- Prepare for a career in hospitality: Embark on a 12-month transformative journey, encompassing a structured framework of learning and development opportunities, business support activities, and ownership of your own project-based initiatives.
- Gain hands-on operational experience: From day one, you’ll be fully integrated into Team Hilton. Connect with professionals across the business and gain insight into Human Resources. Take the opportunity to gain insight into at least one other business area, paving the way for valuable future relationships.
- Work on real-world projects: Apply your skills on the job through business-driven projects to reinforce your learning and gain hands-on experience.
- Develop your skills through world-class training and support: Access Hilton University’s e-learning modules and business library while building knowledge through business-driven projects.
- Grow with personalised guidance: Benefit from regular feedback and coaching to ensure your progress is supported at every stage of the programme.
- Hilton Perks: Including our Go Hilton Team Member Travel Program, which provides you with access to heavily reduced hotel room rates for you, your family & friends.
- Salary & Benefits: £27,500 gross per annum & private healthcare.
Location: At our EMEA Headquarters in Watford, with some flexibility depending on team and business need. You will benefit from a subsidised restaurant, a games area and a free in-house gym.
Our Placement Opportunities
We have a range of placement opportunities within our highly talented Human Resources team:
- Talent Acquisition.
- EMEA Compensation & Benefits.
- Corporate HR Consulting.
Talent Acquisition
Gain hands-on experience in a fast-paced, people-focused Talent Acquisition team, supporting the attraction and hiring of talent across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Where you could be placed:
You will join one of the following Talent Acquisition sub-teams:
- General Manager & Operations: Supporting recruitment for hotel leadership and operational positions. Contributing to both operational appointments and strategic projects, including succession planning, talent mapping, new hotel openings, organisational growth initiatives, and executive talent pipelining across the portfolio.
Early Careers: Supporting the recruitment of our graduate programmes and internships across EMEA. Contributing to campaigns, assessment centres, university outreach and engagement activities, data analysis and reporting and projects focused on enhancing the candidate experience.
Whichever team you join, you will gain a broad exposure across all sub-teams of our Talent Acquisition function.
What you’ll be involved in:
- Supporting recruitment processes, including screening and interview coordination.
- Engaging with candidates to deliver a positive candidate experience.
- Assisting with events such as careers fairs and assessment centres.
- Analysing data and producing reports to support hiring decisions.
- Building experience with recruitment systems and processes.
By the end of the placement, you’ll have a strong foundation in recruitment and valuable experience to support a future career in HR.
EMEA Compensation & Benefits
You will gain hands-on experience in helping us reward, recognise, and support Team Members across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This is your chance to see how global HR works while developing analytical, communication, and project management skills.
What you’ll be involved in:
- Benefits & Wellbeing: Assisting with the design and promotion of initiatives, working with external consultants, and contributing ideas to evolve our offering.
- Reward Projects: Supporting our annual compensation review, salary surveys, and bonus programmes to ensure fairness and competitiveness whilst adhering to local legislation.
- Data & Insights: Researching market trends, analysing data, and creating reports to support decision-making.
- Collaboration: Partnering with colleagues across HR and the business and preparing materials for senior leaders.
- Recognition & Engagement: Helping to manage our Hilton Marketplace discount and recognition platform, sourcing new offers for team members.
- Communication & Creativity: Producing content to bring our benefits and wellbeing programmes to life.
Corporate HR Consulting
You will gain experience in a fast-paced HR generalist team which offers diverse exposure across all the different areas of HR and partners closely with business stakeholders at all levels. This team works with the business and our Team Members to create an inclusive, engaging and positive, and award-winning working environment and culture for our corporate teams across EMEA.
Where you could be placed:
- HR Consulting: This role would be supporting our HR Consulting leads, who partner with our corporate functions across EMEA to advise on all people matters, including employee relations, regional people initiatives, office events and activations, engagement, recognition and inclusion initiatives and leading HR projects. This role also supports our HR Shared Service team across all aspects of the employee lifecycle.
HR Operations: This role works with the HR team supporting our HR operations across EMEA hotels, including contributing towards talent and succession planning, executive level HR storytelling and events, supporting hotel opening HR activities and projects and initiatives to support our regional EMEA HR operations teams. In addition, the role provides support to the HR Consulting and HR Shared Services team as above.
What you'll be involved in:
- Supporting HR Consulting leads with employee relations matters. Conducting and providing people and business data analytics and insights to support projects, initiatives, business proposals and HR storytelling.
- Working on culture and wellbeing initiatives, including office, engagement and recognition events and activations which contribute towards Hilton being voted #1 Great Place to Work in the UK.
- Working with the HR Shared Services team to support all employee lifecycle processes including liaising with Team Members and people leaders, shared mailbox management and process administration.
- Support on any HR projects and communications within the offices and the region.
- Gain exposure to the huge variety of HR generalist work, such as talent management, succession planning, compensation and benefits, recruitment, inclusion, culture and engagement and learning and development.
- Collaborate across the business and different HR centres of excellence to support with all of the above, gaining great exposure across HR and the wider business.
By the end of the internship, you will have gained fully rounded generalist knowledge and experience into the different areas of HR, with valuable skills and insights that will support a future career in any area of HR.
What We’re Looking For
We are seeking individuals who embody the Hilton Values in addition to the following criteria:
- A strong sense of alignment to our culture and values.
- A current bachelor’s or master’s student completing a degree that includes a required 12-month year in industry placement.
- Availability to begin full-time employment on 5th July 2027, for a full-time 12-month placement.
- You must have the independent right to work in the UK for the full duration of the 12-month placement. Please note that this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, so we are unable to consider applications from candidates who would require sponsorship. If you hold a visa or status that allows you to work in the UK full-time without sponsorship (e.g. Settled Status, Pre-Settled Status, where a 12-month work placement is a permitted, required & assessed part of your UK University degree, or other independent work permissions), you are welcome to apply.
- Fluency in English (spoken and written).
- You should be able to demonstrate a genuine interest in Human Resources.
Click here to learn more about Hilton's Corporate Placements
Selection Process
Applications are now open—don’t miss your chance to apply! Submissions close on Sunday 1st November 2026
Our selection process is designed to bring out your best and help us get to know you. It includes:
- Online assessments.
- Assessment centre at our EMEA Headquarters in Watford (10th December 2026).
While the process is rigorous, it’s also the first step in your personal growth journey with Hilton. If selected, you’ll begin developing the skills, connections, and confidence to thrive in your career.
To ensure every application receives fair consideration, invitations to final-stage assessment centres will be issued after applications have closed. Please complete each stage promptly and keep an eye on your inbox for updates.
We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for applicants and employees with disabilities. If you require any support or adjustments during the recruitment process or to carry out the essential requirements of the role, please contact us.
Our 12-month corporate placements offer students the opportunity to gain meaningful, hands-on experience within Hilton’s Europe, Middle East and Africa Headquarters in Watford. From day one, interns are fully integrated into Team Hilton, contributing to business support activities and project-based initiatives while developing their skills through learning opportunities, networking, feedback sessions and exposure to teams across the business. As part of a wider cohort, of around 50 interns, students benefit from a supportive office environment, access to Hilton resources and the chance to build valuable experience within one of the world’s leading hospitality companies.