Human Resources Business Partner

Network Rail; Manchester; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounts on rail and underground rail

Contributory pension schemes

28 days pro-rata annual leave

Job summary

Network Rail is seeking an HR Business Partner to provide holistic HR support to the North West/Midlands region, reporting to the Head of HR. You will coach senior leaders, manage complex employee relations matters, and contribute to the People Plan and change initiatives to support business objectives.

The role covers Greater Manchester area with travel between client areas. It is a 12-month fixed-term maternity cover secondment, with a structured pay framework and competitive benefits.

Qualifications

• Strong business/commercial awareness.
• Proven ability to partner with senior managers to improve people management.
• Customer service mindset with ability to translate into business outcomes.
• Employee relations experience including disciplinary, grievance and sickness support.
• Experience implementing HR solutions to drive high performance.

Responsibilities

• Deliver a holistic, proactive HR support service in partnership with business leaders.
• Provide front line coaching and advice to management teams across Greater Manchester.
• Manage complex employee relations cases in line with HR policies and procedures.
• Support talent management, succession planning, and workforce initiatives to drive a high-performance culture.
• Collaborate with HR Centres of Excellence and Shared Services to deliver a seamless people experience.

Skills

Employee relations

Stakeholder management

Coaching

Communication

Change management

Education

CIPD qualification

Job description

Network Rail operates and maintains the railway infrastructure 24/7 365 days a year. Our purpose is to connect people and goods with where they need to be and our vision is for a simpler, better, greener railway.

Our North West route covers Cheshire to Cumbria, including key cities like Liverpool and Manchester, and destinations such as Blackpool and the Lake District. Major stations include Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Preston, and Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria

This busy region sees 1.3 million daily passengers and moves 700,000 tonnes of freight weekly, with 571 stations making up a quarter of Britain's rail network.

In the North West & Central Region, we're proud to be building a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We know that inclusive teams make better decisions, drive innovation, and help us create a safer, more accessible railway for everyone. Even if you don't meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply.

If you're passionate about making a difference and believe you have the skills or potential to thrive in this role, we'd love to hear from you. We're committed to creating an open, supportive environment where everyone feels they belong. Your unique perspective and experience could be exactly what we need to keep Britain moving safely and sustainably. Discover more about our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Network Rail Equity, diversity and inclusion - Network Rail.

About the role

The HR Business Partner delivers a holistic, influential, and proactive value add HR support service. The role works alongside the business leadership team, under the direction of the Head of HR and Senior HR Business Partner to deliver the business aligned People Plan/HR strategy and provide front line support, coaching and advice to members of our management teams

This position manages client groups within the AD Manchester area of North West route. You will provide geographical, face to face support to line managers in relation to highly complex employee relations cases, in line with formal Human Resources policies and procedures in addition to targeted line manager development. As such, travel will be expected around the Greater Manchester area between your client areas.

This role is for a 12 month secondment / fixed-term maternity cover.

We are a Disability Confident Leader and want to make the most of the skills and talents disabled people bring to the workplace - skills and talents we need in our business Click here for more information.

Salary and benefits:

• Band 4C, starting at £43,588 and increasing to £50,018
• Pro-rata annual leave entitlement (28 days)
• My benefits - our discounted online shopping site
• A range of discounted offers including, childcare vouchers, healthcare offers - cycle to work, healthcare club discounted membership and other benefits
• Subsidies of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets
• A choice of contributory pension schemes

2 weeks paid reserve leave for our Armed Forces community

Want to find out about what fantastic benefits we offer? Find out here

Network Rail adheres to a structured pay framework, any salary offered will be within the pay range advertised.

Closing date: 16 th November 2026. Late applications may not be accepted.

Safe behaviour is a requirement of working for Network Rail.Applicants should be able to demonstrate their awareness of our safety vision

We will endeavour to offer a diverse interview panel wherever possible.

This is a fixed-term opportunity for up to 12 months.

Your experience and skills

Every day will be different, but you can expect to be involved in the following activities:

As an HR Business Partner, you will work closely with senior leaders to deliver the People Strategy, driving talent management, succession planning, organisational change and workforce initiatives that support business objectives and foster a high-performance culture.

Acting as a trusted advisor, you will build strong relationships across the business, providing coaching, challenge and expert guidance on a wide range of people matters, including employee relations, absence management, workforce planning, senior appointments, reward and early careers programmes. You will develop and implement practical, cost-effective people solutions that address business priorities, collaborating with HR Centres of Excellence, HR Shared Services and HR Direct to deliver a seamless people experience.

Working in partnership with Trade Union representatives and HR colleagues across the organisation, you will influence and support business-wide initiatives, ensuring a collaborative and commercially focused approach to achieving successful outcomes

In order to be successful in this role, we would like you to have/to be:

• Demonstrates strong business/commercial approach and understanding of business needs.
• Proven experience of working in partnership and building strong working relationships with senior managers in order to improve people management.
• Passionate about customer service with ability to articulate previous achievements through business deliverables.
• Employee relations experience, including supporting and advising line managers on disciplinary, grievance and sickness cases.
• Knowledge and experience of implementing best practice HR solutions to drive a high performance culture.
• Experience of coaching and influencing senior managers.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to negotiate and influence effectively with all levels of an organisation.
• Understands how to work with the business to identify, develop and retain talent.
• Excellent technical HR Knowledge - CIPD qualified or relevant experience to demonstrate level of competence.
• Proven track record of operating in a complex working environment.
• Graduate calibre

We would also like but it isn't crucial to have/to be:

• Understanding of project management principles and experience of managing complex projects to successful conclusion.
• Experience of managing projects to successful conclusion.
• Experience of working within a unionised environment.

Key Information

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Fixed-Term

Hours:

Full Time

Location:

Geographical Area:

North West England

Closing Date:

16-NOV-2026

Job Category:

HR and Legal

Function:

North West & Central Region

Organisation:

OU HR Business Partner - North West (109016) G3