Senior Consultant, Queries

Carnival UK (P&O Cruises & Cunard); Southampton; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Carnival UK is seeking an experienced Senior Consultant to join our People team, delivering expert advice and end-to-end case management for complex HR queries across the business.

You'll own a varied caseload, lead investigations, provide pragmatic policy guidance to managers and senior stakeholders, and collaborate with Legal, Payroll and Operations to drive continuous improvement in colleague experience.

Qualifications

• Experience managing complex HR cases end-to-end.
• Strong policy judgement and interpretation of contracts.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder influence.
• Ability to work under pressure and balance priorities.

Responsibilities

• Owning a varied caseload of complex HR matters from initial enquiry through to resolution.
• Providing clear, pragmatic advice to managers and senior stakeholders on policies, contractual and colleague lifecycle matters.
• Leading investigations and bringing together information from different sources to understand complex or sensitive situations.
• Using sound judgement to assess options, make recommendations and provide appropriate challenge where required.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues across HR, Operations, Payroll, Legal and other specialist areas.
• Building trusted relationships with stakeholders and confidently influencing decisions at all levels of the organisation.
• Identifying recurring themes and trends from casework and using these insights to improve policies, processes and manager guidance.
• Managing competing priorities and maintaining a high standard of case management in a busy environment.

Skills

Complex HR case management

Policy interpretation

Investigations

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

About the role

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Consultant to join our People team and provide expert advice and end-to-end case management for complex people queries across Carnival UK.

Job Description

About the role

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Consultant to join our People team and provide expert advice and end-to-end case management for complex people queries across Carnival UK. This is a role for someone who enjoys getting to the heart of a difficult issue, balancing different perspectives and using their expertise to provide practical, compliant and commercially sound advice. Acting as a trusted escalation point beyond self-service, you’ll manage complex cases from initial enquiry through to resolution, working closely with managers and senior stakeholders to understand the circumstances, co‑ordinating cross‑functional investigations, and determine the most appropriate way forward. You’ll also play an important role in driving continuous improvement, using your experience and insight to identify recurring themes, improve processes and strengthen our colleague experience.

What You'll Be Doing

• Owning a varied caseload of complex HR matters from initial enquiry through to resolution.
• Providing clear, pragmatic advice to managers and senior stakeholders on policies, contractual and colleague lifecycle matters Leading investigations and bringing together information from different sources to understand complex or sensitive situations.
• Using sound judgement to assess options, make recommendations and provide appropriate challenge where required.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues across HR, Operations, Payroll, Legal and other specialist areas where additional expertise is required.
• Building trusted relationships with stakeholders and confidently influencing decisions at all levels of the organisation.
• Identifying recurring themes and trends from casework and using these insights to improve policies, processes and manager guidance.
• Managing competing priorities and maintaining a high standard of case management in a busy environment.

What We're Looking For

We’re looking for someone with strong experience in managing complex and non-standard HR cases, who can operate confidently and independently.

You'll Bring

• Proven experience managing complex HR cases from start to finish.
• Strong policy judgement and the ability to interpret policy, legislative and contractual requirementsThe confidence to advise, guide and constructively challenge managers and senior stakeholders, including where the situation is complex or sensitive.
• Strong investigation, analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to assess information and reach well‑reasoned conclusions.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to explain complex matters clearly to different audiences.
• Sound judgement and the ability to balance colleague experience, business requirements and consistency.
• Experience working collaboratively across HR and with specialist teams such as Legal or Payroll.
• The ability to manage a varied workload, prioritise effectively and work calmly under pressure.
• About you

You’ll be someone who is comfortable operating in complex and sometimes ambiguous situations. You’ll also be curious about the bigger picture looking beyond individual cases to identify patterns, improve processes and help create a better experience for colleagues and managers.

Why join us?

At Carnival UK, you'll be part of a People team supporting a diverse workforce across some of the UK's best‑known cruise brands. You'll have the opportunity to work on a broad range of complex people matters, develop your expertise and make a genuine impact through the advice and support you provide. We offer a collaborative and inclusive working environment, with opportunities to learn, develop and build your career. We'd love to hear from you if you're an experienced HR professional looking for a role where your judgement, expertise and ability to influence can make a real difference.

#CUK

#Job Functions: Human resources;

Jess Truman -