People Relations Senior Advisor

bp; Sunbury-on-Thames; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Modern office environment

Job summary

bp is seeking an experienced People Relations Senior Advisor in the UK to join our UK People Relations team, delivering specialist employee relations support across a diverse business. The role focuses on complex cases, advisory support and ensuring legally compliant people decisions that balance business needs with employee experience.

The role requires hands‑on ER experience, strong knowledge of UK employment law, and the ability to partner with leaders and legal teams.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in Employee Relations, Human Resources or HRBP‑style roles.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice.
• Proven experience managing complex employee relations cases from initial assessment to resolution.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex employee relations cases including disciplinary, grievance, performance, absence and redundancy matters.
• Provide expert advice to leaders on employee relations, organisational change and UK employment law.
• Advise on collective consultation and organisational change activity.
• Identify and manage employee relations, legal and organisational risks and propose practical solutions.
• Support capability development through coaching and knowledge sharing.
• Contribute to policy development, training, Process improvement and strategic People Relations initiatives.
• Build partnerships with People & Culture, Legal and business leadership to deliver sustainable solutions.

Skills

Employee relations

UK employment law

Disciplinary & grievances

Organisational change

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

CIPD qualification (or equivalent)

Job description

Job Description

At bp, we're committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive, perform at their best and contribute to delivering the energy the world needs today and tomorrow. We're looking for an experienced People Relations Senior Advisor to join our UK People Relations team, providing specialist employee relations expertise across a diverse and complex business.

Please note that roles based out of SJS or Sunbury will move to Timber Square, Southwark, from Q4 2027

Entity

People, Culture & Communications

Job Family Group

HR Group

Job Description

At bp, we're committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive, perform at their best and contribute to delivering the energy the world needs today and tomorrow. We're looking for an experienced People Relations Senior Advisor to join our UK People Relations team, providing specialist employee relations expertise across a diverse and complex business.

Please note that roles based out of SJS or Sunbury will move to Timber Square, Southwark, from Q4 2027

This role is best suited to experienced employee relations professionals who have developed their expertise through Human Resources, Employee Relations, HR Business Partnering or similar people-focused roles. You'll bring hands-on experience managing complex employee relations cases and supporting managers through disciplinary, grievance, performance management, absence and organisational change matters.

In this role, you'll partner with business leaders, People & Culture colleagues, Legal and Employee Relations Advisory teams to deliver pragmatic, commercially focused advice on complex employee relations matters, organisational change activity and people policy application. You'll play a key role in helping bp make fair, consistent and legally compliant people decisions while balancing business needs, employee experience and organisational priorities.

What you'll be doing

• Managing complex employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, performance management, absence and redundancy matters.


• Providing expert advice to leaders and People & Culture colleagues on employee relations, organisational change and UK employment law.


• Acting as a trusted advisor on collective consultation and organisational change activity.


• Identifying and managing employee relations, legal and organisational risks while recommending practical solutions.


• Supporting the development of employee relations capability through coaching, guidance and knowledge sharing.


• Contributing to policy development, training, process improvement and strategic People Relations initiatives.


• Building strong partnerships across People & Culture, Legal and business leadership teams to deliver sustainable people solutions.

What you bring

• Significant experience in Employee Relations, Human Resources, HR Business Partnering or a similar people-focused role.


• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice.


• Proven experience managing complex employee relations cases from initial assessment through to resolution.


• Experience supporting organisational change and collective consultation activity.


• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including the ability to challenge constructively when required.


• Excellent judgement, problem-solving and risk assessment capabilities.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate confidently with a range of audiences.


• CIPD qualification (or equivalent) is desirable.

Why join our team?

We support our people to learn and grow in a diverse and exciting environment. We believe that our team is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to crafting an inclusive environment in which everyone is respected and treated fairly.

There are many aspects of our employees’ lives that are meaningful, so we offer benefits to enable your work to fit with your life. These benefits can include flexible working options, collaboration spaces in a modern office environment, and many others benefits!

bp is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments or accommodations during the application or interview process, please let us know, and we will work with you to support your needs.

Travel Requirement

Negligible travel should be expected with this role

Relocation Assistance

This role is not eligible for relocation

Remote Type

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Skills

Agility core practices, Agility core practices, Analytical Thinking, Coaching, Communication, Creativity and Innovation, Culture and behaviour change, Curiosity, Customer centric thinking, Data Analysis, Data cleansing and transformation, Decision Making, Digital Fluency, Employee and labour relations (Inactive), Employee Engagement, Employee Experience, Facilitation, Global Perspective, Influencing, Job Design, Leadership Assessment, Leading transformation, Managing change, Managing workforce concerns, Microsoft Excel {+ 12 more}

Future Location Notice

This role will start in Sunbury, London. bp has announced a planned office move to Timber Square, London, with all positions currently advertised in Sunbury, including this one, expected to relocate around Q4 2027-Q1 2028. This presents an exciting opportunity for all employees and leaders to come together in one London location. The specific date of the move will be confirmed closer to the time.

Legal Disclaimer

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics like race, religion, color, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.