Senior ER Business Partner

Arriva UK Bus Limited; Thurmaston; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Arriva UK Bus Limited is seeking a Senior Employee Relations Business Partner to shape and lead the ER strategy across UK depots, partnering with senior leaders to balance legal compliance, employee experience and business performance.

You will coach ER and HR colleagues, manage complex cases, collaborate with Trade Unions and employee forums, and support change programmes while ensuring governance and data-driven decision making.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a senior Employee Relations, HR Business Partner or specialist ER role.
• Experience working within a large, complex and unionised environment.
• A strong track record of managing complex and high-profile employee relations cases, including disciplinaries, grievances, absence management, organisational change and tribunal preparation.
• Excellent knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice.
• Experience partnering with senior leadership teams and influencing strategic decision-making.
• Strong experience working collaboratively with Trade Unions and employee representatives.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, coaching and influencing skills.
• The ability to balance legal risk, operational priorities and employee experience.
• Experience developing ER frameworks, policies and governance processes.
• Strong analytical capability, with confidence using data and insights to support business decisions.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• CIPD Level 5 or Level 7 qualification, or equivalent experience, would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Leading on complex, high-risk and sensitive employee relations matters, ensuring fair, consistent and legally compliant outcomes.
• Acting as the senior escalation point for ER Business Partners, HR teams and operational leaders, providing expert advice and coaching.
• Partnering with senior stakeholders to develop proactive employee relations strategies that align with business objectives.
• Using ER data and trends to identify risks, drive improvements and influence strategic decision-making.
• Developing and enhancing employee relations policies, frameworks, governance and manager guidance.
• Driving early intervention and resolution strategies to reduce organisational risk and improve employee experience.
• Overseeing ER systems, reporting and case management processes to ensure robust governance and meaningful management information.
• Building strong working relationships with Trade Union representatives and employee forums to support positive industrial relations.
• Supporting organisational change programmes, restructures, consultations and other significant people initiatives.
• Coaching and mentoring ER and HR colleagues to build organisational capability and promote best practice.
• Ensuring the business remains up to date and compliant with changes in employment legislation and case law.
• Contributing to wider people projects that improve organisational culture, engagement and business performance.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Analytical capability

Communication skills

Influencing skills

Data-driven decisions

Coaching and mentoring

Trade union liaison

Education

CIPD Level 5/7

Job description

Are you an experienced Employee Relations professional looking to make a strategic impact in a large, complex and unionised organisation? At Arriva UK Bus, we're looking for a Senior Employee Relations Business Partner to join our People team and play a critical role in shaping and delivering our employee relations agenda. This is an exciting opportunity to influence senior stakeholders, drive best practice, and help create a positive, high-performing workplace culture across our business. As a trusted advisor to senior leaders, you'll lead on complex and business-critical employee relations matters, providing expert guidance that balances commercial priorities, employee experience and legal compliance.

The Role

This is a highly visible and influential role where you'll partner with senior operational and business leaders across our UK depots to develop proactive employee relations strategies that support organisational performance and employee engagement.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading on complex, high-risk and sensitive employee relations matters, ensuring fair, consistent and legally compliant outcomes.
• Acting as the senior escalation point for ER Business Partners, HR teams and operational leaders, providing expert advice and coaching.
• Partnering with senior stakeholders to develop proactive employee relations strategies that align with business objectives.
• Using ER data and trends to identify risks, drive improvements and influence strategic decision-making.
• Developing and enhancing employee relations policies, frameworks, governance and manager guidance.
• Driving early intervention and resolution strategies to reduce organisational risk and improve employee experience.
• Overseeing ER systems, reporting and case management processes to ensure robust governance and meaningful management information.
• Building strong working relationships with Trade Union representatives and employee forums to support positive industrial relations.
• Supporting organisational change programmes, restructures, consultations and other significant people initiatives.
• Coaching and mentoring ER and HR colleagues to build organisational capability and promote best practice.
• Ensuring the business remains up to date and compliant with changes in employment legislation and case law.
• Contributing to wider people projects that improve organisational culture, engagement and business performance.

About You

• Significant experience in a senior Employee Relations, HR Business Partner or specialist ER role.
• Experience working within a large, complex and unionised environment.
• A strong track record of managing complex and high-profile employee relations cases, including disciplinaries, grievances, absence management, organisational change and tribunal preparation.
• Excellent knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice.
• Experience partnering with senior leadership teams and influencing strategic decision-making.
• Strong experience working collaboratively with Trade Unions and employee representatives.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, coaching and influencing skills.
• The ability to balance legal risk, operational priorities and employee experience.
• Experience developing ER frameworks, policies and governance processes.
• Strong analytical capability, with confidence using data and insights to support business decisions.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• CIPD Level 5 or Level 7 qualification, or equivalent experience, would be advantageous.

Arriva is a leading provider of passenger transport across Europe, employing around 34,400 people and delivering around 1.6 billion passenger journeys. With buses, trains, coaches, trams, waterbuses, bike-sharing systems, on-demand transport solutions and a rolling stock leasing company, Arriva proudly connects people and communities safely, reliably and sustainably across 11 countries, delivering these services in a better way, every day. The activities of Arriva are divided into four business units: UK Bus, UK Trains, The Netherlands and Mainland Europe. Arriva has passenger transport operations in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom, and also operates a rolling stock leasing company in Romania.