Senior HR Advisor

Executive Network Group; Wolverhampton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Executive Network Group's client site in Wolverhampton is seeking a Senior HR Advisor to take ownership of HR activity across a large manufacturing operation employing around 450 people. The role is 5 days per week, site-based, with close collaboration to operational leaders and trade union representatives.

You will lead employee relations, recruitment, change, engagement and compliance with autonomy, escalating where needed and driving continuous improvement across HR processes.

Qualifications

• Strong generalist HR advisory experience.
• Proven experience managing sensitive and complex employee relations matters.
• Experience with Trade Unions and union relations.
• Experience supporting organisational change programmes.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment legislation.
• Commercial, pragmatic HR approach.
• Ability to challenge managers when needed.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• High emotional intelligence and sound judgement.
• Independent worker with end-to-end ownership.
• Interest in continuous improvement and better ways of working.

Responsibilities

• Act as primary HR contact for operational leaders and employees.
• Manage broad employee relations issues with consistent policy application.
• Maintain relations with Trade Union representatives and support engagement forums.
• Provide pragmatic HR advice on people issues and manage recruitment.
• Support health, safety and occupational health referrals.
• Oversee recruitment processes and headcount/data management.
• Contribute to change programmes and learning initiatives.
• Monitor HR KPIs and provide insights to leadership.
• Drive process improvements and enhance ways of working.
• Collaborate with HR team and provide cover as needed.

Skills

HR generalist

Employee relations

Union relations

Organisational change

Employment law UK

Commercial HR

Influencing skills

Communication

Emotional intelligence

Ownership

Continuous improvement

Education

CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent

Job description

Location

Wolverhampton

Salary

£40,000 - £45,000 pa

Benefits

Full-Time Site-Based

Are you an experienced HR Advisor / Senior HR Advisor looking for a role where you can make a genuine impact within a large-scale operational environment?

We are supporting a leading international manufacturing organisation with the appointment of a Senior HR Advisor to take ownership of HR activity across a substantial operational site employing approximately 450 people.

This is a highly visible, hands-on HR role where you will work closely with operational leaders, supervisors, employees, Health & Safety and Trade Union representatives. You will need to be comfortable being out on the shop floor, building relationships and providing pragmatic HR advice across all levels of the organisation.

The Role

Reporting to the Head of HR, you will act as the primary HR advisory lead for the operation, providing trusted advice and support across employee relations, recruitment, change, engagement, talent and compliance.

You will be expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, while working collaboratively with the wider HR team and knowing when to elevate, challenge or seek support.

Key Responsibilities

• Acting as the primary HR contact for operational leaders, supervisors and employees.
• Managing a broad range of employee relations matters, ensuring policies and procedures are applied consistently and fairly.
• Building and maintaining positive relationships with Trade Union representatives and supporting regular consultation and engagement forums.
• Providing pragmatic HR advice on operational people issues and supporting managers to resolve matters effectively.
• Supporting occupational health referrals and managing recommendations alongside operational and Health & Safety colleagues.
• Managing end-to-end recruitment activity and ensuring appropriate recruitment processes and systems are followed.
• Overseeing temporary and agency labour processes, ensuring compliance and accurate headcount/data management.
• Supporting early talent, succession planning and future skills requirements across the operation.
• Driving employee engagement initiatives and encouraging greater participation across the workforce.
• Supporting learning, development, induction and ad hoc training activity.
• Contributing to organisational change, restructuring and wider HR projects.
• Monitoring HR KPIs and providing meaningful insight to operational leadership.
• Identifying opportunities to improve HR processes, documentation and ways of working.
• Working collaboratively with the wider HR team and providing cover where required.

About You

We are looking for an experienced HR professional who has operated ideally within a manufacturing, engineering, logistics or similarly operational environment.

You will need to be confident working with people at every level, from shop-floor employees and supervisors through to senior operational leadership.

The successful candidate will bring

• Strong generalist HR advisory experience.
• Proven experience managing sensitive and complex employee relations matters.
• Experience working with a recognised Trade Union and an understanding of effective employee/union relations.
• Experience supporting or contributing to organisational change programmes.
• Strong knowledge and practical application of UK employment legislation.
• A pragmatic, commercially aware approach to HR.
• The confidence and credibility to challenge managers where necessary.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to adapt your style to different audiences.
• Strong emotional intelligence and sound judgement.
• The ability to work independent and take ownership of issues from start to finish.
• A genuine interest in continuous improvement and developing better ways of working.
• CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent.

Please keep in mind the role is site based 5 days per week and therefore no hybrid or remote opportunityfor this position.