Human Resources Business Partner

Cowi; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

COWI is seeking an HR Business Partner to work from Derby or Glasgow, hybrid with occasional travel to other UK offices. You will partner with senior leaders to implement people strategy across the UK & Ireland and drive leadership effectiveness, employee engagement and performance improvements.

You will shape organisational capability, support talent development, ensure policy consistency, and contribute to change, acquisitions and post-acquisition activities as required.

Qualifications

• Significant HR/P&O Business Partner experience within a complex organisation.
• Experience working with leaders to provide guidance, support, and shape key decisions.
• Extensive knowledge of employee relations and experience handling complex cases.
• Comprehensive knowledge of UK employment law.
• Ability to interpret people data and provide meaningful business insight.
• Highly developed skills in communication, building relationships, and managing stakeholders.
• Experience supporting acquisition and integration activities.
• Fully CIPD qualified/chartered member or equivalent
• Solid communication, persuasion and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as trusted advisor to business leaders on all people-related matters.
• Partner with leaders to align people priorities with business objectives and support the implementation of the COWI People Strategy across the business.
• Translate business needs into practical people solutions that enhance organisational performance.
• Coach and support leaders to build leadership capability and effectiveness, including onboarding and development of new leaders.
• Facilitate leadership development initiatives in line with the COWI Leadership Pipeline.
• Challenge and shape leadership behaviours to promote a high-performance culture.
• Support talent reviews, initiatives and succession planning activities to support growth and retention.
• Provide guidance on performance management processes and capability development.
• Support leaders with employee engagement initiatives and action planning activities.
• Manage complex employee relations matters with risk-based advice in line with legislation.
• Support organisational change and consultation processes where required.
• Ensure a fair, consistent and pragmatic approach to employee relations
• Support organisational design and change programmes, ensuring effective communication and change management practices.
• Provide people support during acquisitions and post-acquisition integration activities.
• Analyse people data and provide insight to support business decision-making.
• Monitor attrition, engagement, absence and performance trends.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation and governance requirements.
• Support implementation of global people processes and initiatives.

Skills

HR Business Partner

Leadership coaching

Employee relations

UK employment law

Data interpretation

Stakeholder management

Acquisition integration

Change management

People analytics

Education

CIPD qualification

Job description

Human Resources Business Partner

Derby or Glasgow

Permanent

Office/Home Hybrid Working

Do you want to partner our leaders to achieve business objectives? Can you provide guidance on performance management? Are you an experienced HR professional? Then, read on. This could be the perfect opportunity for you.

Create Solutions that will enable a better tomorrow

To work alongside our business leaders and offer trusted guidance on people matters, we are seeking an HR Business Partner to join us. Working on the implementation of COWI's people strategy across the UK & Ireland business, you’ll support the Head of Engineering and partner closely with our senior leaders to enhance business performance, leadership effectiveness and employee engagement.

Based in either Derby or Glasgow, with occasional travel to our other UK offices the selected candidate will help shape organisational capability, improve leadership performance, support talent development, ensuring consistent application of people policies and practices. The role will also support business change, acquisitions and post-acquisition integration activities as required.

Your key responsibilities will be:

Strategic Business Partnering

• Act as a trusted advisor to business leaders on all people-related matters.
• Partner with leaders to align people priorities with business objectives and support the implementation of the COWI People Strategy across the business.
• Translate business needs into practical people solutions that enhance organisational performance.

Leadership Development & Coaching

• Coach and support leaders to build leadership capability and effectiveness, including supporting the onboarding and development of new leaders.
• Facilitate leadership development initiatives in line with the COWI Leadership Pipeline.
• Challenge and shape leadership behaviours to promote a high-performance culture.

Talent Management & Succession Planning

• Support talent reviews, initiatives and succession planning activities, that support employee growth and retention.
• Identify workforce capability needs and development opportunities.
• Partner with leaders to build diverse talent pipelines aligned with future business needs.

Performance & Employee Experience

• Provide guidance on performance management processes and capability development.
• Support leaders with employee engagement initiatives and action planning activities.

Employee Relations

• Manage complex employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability and absence management cases.
• Provide risk-based advice to managers in line with employment legislation and company policy.
• Support organisational change and consultation processes where required.
• Ensure a fair, consistent and pragmatic approach to employee relations

Organisational Change & Integration

• Support organisational design and change programmes, ensuring effective communication and change management practices are embedded throughout projects.
• Provide people support during acquisitions and post-acquisition integration activities.

Data, Governance & Compliance

• Analyse people data and provide insight to support business decision-making.
• Monitor trends relating to attrition, engagement, absence and performance.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, company policies and governance requirements.
• Support implementation of global people processes and initiatives.

Your skills. Our team. Together we design the future.

The first step to success in this role is that you are eager to collaborate with the people around you, whether they are colleagues, partners, or customers. Developing ties with others is something you do by acting respectfully and delivering on your promises. And you never get set in your ways but keep exploring new insights and ways to improve.

On top of that, you’ll have:

• Significant HR/P&O Business Partner experience within a complex organisation.
• Experience working with leaders to provide guidance, support, and shape key decisions.
• Extensive knowledge of employee relations and experience handling complex cases.
• Comprehensive knowledge of UK employment law.
• Ability to interpret people data and provide meaningful business insight.
• Highly developed skills in communication, building relationships, and managing stakeholders.
• Experience supporting acquisition and integration activities.
• Fully CIPD qualified/chartered member or equivalent
• Solid communication, persuasion and relationship-building skills.

Desirable

• Experience within engineering, consultancy, construction or professional services environments.
• Experience working within a matrix or international organisation.