Senior HR Business Partner

Arriva UK Bus Ltd; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Arriva UK Bus Ltd in the Midlands is seeking an experienced Senior HR Business Partner to work with senior operational leaders. You'll act as a trusted advisor, shaping people strategies, organisational development, and employee engagement across the Midlands region.

You'll lead complex employee relations, support transformation programmes, and help develop leadership capability, succession planning, and a customer-focused HR service.

Qualifications

• Significant HR experience in a large, complex, operational organisation.
• Proven success as a Senior HR Business Partner or equivalent strategic HR leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice.
• Experience leading organisational change, restructuring, and transformation programmes.
• Track record of delivering talent management, organisational development and employee engagement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior operational leaders to develop and implement HR strategies that support regional objectives.
• Provide expert advice on organisational design, workforce planning, and change management.
• Lead complex employee relations cases with fair, compliant outcomes.
• Support organisational change, restructuring and transformation programmes.
• Drive talent acquisition, succession planning, retention and leadership development initiatives.
• Champion employee engagement and foster an inclusive, high-performing culture.

Skills

HR strategy

Stakeholder management

Data analytics

Employee relations

Change management

Talent management

Leadership development

Analytical thinking

Education

CIPD Level 7

Degree in HR/Business

Job description

At Arriva UK Bus, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We're looking for an experienced and commercially minded Senior HR Business Partner to join our People team and play a key role in delivering our people strategy across our Midlands region.

Reporting to the HR People Operations Director, you'll act as a trusted advisor to senior operational leaders, helping to drive business performance through effective people strategies, organisational development, employee engagement, and operational excellence.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic HR professional who thrives in a fast-paced operational environment and is passionate about building high-performing teams and creating positive workplace cultures.

The Role

As Senior HR Business Partner, you'll work closely with senior leaders to ensure our people agenda supports business goals and future growth. You'll lead and support key people initiatives, provide expert guidance on complex employee relations matters, and play a central role in organisational change and transformation programmes.

You'll also be instrumental in developing leadership capability, driving talent and succession planning activities, and ensuring the delivery of a professional, customer-focused HR service across the region.

What You'll Be Doing

• Partnering with senior operational leaders to develop and implement HR strategies that support regional and business objectives.
• Providing expert advice on organisational design, workforce planning, talent management, employee relations, and change management.
• Leading complex employee relations cases, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes.
• Supporting organisational change, restructuring, and transformation programmes.
• Driving talent acquisition, succession planning, retention, and leadership development initiatives.
• Championing employee engagement activities and fostering an inclusive, high-performing culture.
• Using people data and HR metrics to identify trends, manage risk, and recommend improvements.
• Collaborating with specialist HR teams including Reward, Learning & Development, and Recruitment to deliver integrated people solutions.
• Ensuring compliance with employment legislation, company policies, and HR best practice.
• Promoting Arriva's values and supporting the continuous improvement of people processes across the business.

About You

We're looking for a credible and influential HR professional with the experience and confidence to operate at a senior level and deliver meaningful people solutions.

You'll bring:

• Significant HR experience gained within a large, complex, and operationally focused organisation.
• Proven success in a Senior HR Business Partner or equivalent strategic HR leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice.
• Experience leading organisational change, restructuring, and transformation programmes.
• A track record of delivering successful talent management, organisational development, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence, challenge, and coach senior leaders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to support decision-making.
• CIPD Level 7 qualification (or equivalent experience) is highly desirable.
• A degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline is desirable.

Why Join Arriva?

At Arriva, you'll have the opportunity to make a real impact on our people and our business. You'll work alongside experienced leaders, contribute to key transformation initiatives, and help shape the future of a leading public transport organisation.

If you're a strategic HR professional who enjoys partnering with the business to drive performance and deliver positive change, we'd love to hear from you.