Senior Human Resources Business Partner

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View more categories View less categories Sector Human Resources Role Senior Executive Contract Type Permanent Hours Full Time

About Network Rail
Join Our Team at Network Rail!

Are you ready to make a difference in people's lives? At Network Rail, we connect passengers and freight customers, ensuring safe and efficient transportation across the country. We're an organisation where people truly matter, and when you join us, you matter to us and millions of others.

We're dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the passengers we serve. To achieve this, we're committed to becoming an open, diverse, and inclusive workplace, leveraging the skills and expertise of our talented workforce.

Network Rail has been recognised as one of the Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equity for the fourth consecutive year! Together, we strive to create a safe and accessible railway for everyone. Investing in our people is key to enhancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our railway system. If you're passionate about making a meaningful impact, then this opportunity is for you!

About our people and the recruitment process
We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work-life balance.
We're also a Disability Confident Leader employer and we'll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply and interview for roles.

You will be part of the North West & Central Region (NW&C) which consist of three routes North West, Central and West Coast South and a regional team supporting Regional Major Programmes & Professional services.

Brief Description
If you are passionate about empowering people to perform their best and support them through numerous challenges, this could be the role for you.

The role will support the Capital Delivery function, and other regional functions where required.

You will work as an integral member of the supported business senior leadership team, to proactively identify, plan and meet the people needs of the business through a coaching and facilitative approach, in order to improve business performance. You will build effective relationships and scan for emerging trends, innovations, and current best practice to develop people's capacity, capability, and commitment. You will also provide support and deputise for the Head of HR as and when required.

You will need to use your business partner expertise to gain credibility from day one, enabling you to operate as a member of the senior management team. You will be solutions-focused, able to deliver at pace and confident to challenge at senior levels.

The successful candidate will be Chartered MCIPD qualified or have extensive general HR experience. Your experience will need to include consulting and delivering on organisational development, design or change projects; and supporting and advising managers on complex employee relations matters. If you also have strong stakeholder management, change management and communication skills combined with a deep understanding of relevant current employment law, we would like to hear from you.

This role can be based in any of the key NW&C locations: Birmingham, Manchester or Milton Keynes.
About the role (External)
Key Leadership Capabilities:

• Influencing others
• Creating solutions
• Understanding others
• Making things happen
• Thinking flexibly
• Customer focus

What will you be doing?

• Working closely with the supported business area/s to develop, drive and implement the HR Strategy/People Plan to include; talent, succession planning and change management, in order to support the delivery of business objectives and drive a high-performance culture.
• Act as an integral member of the business leadership team, building strong relationships with senior business leaders and other relevant stakeholders. Coach, advise and challenge thinking in addition to co-development, design and execution of integrated medium to long term people initiatives to meet current and future business needs.
• Act as a change agent; lead, support and contribute to change programmes, driving and championing the implementation of HR solutions within the supported business area, gaining acceptance from key stakeholders.
• Proactively manage trade union relationships, working with the Employee Relations team, appropriate HR Business Partners and managers across the business.
• Reinforce and support the ownership of people management by the business and line managers and the HR Business Partner model.
• Influence the centres of expertise development of strategy and policy through sharing business/functional requirements and inputting into development and execution planning.
• Work in collaboration with; Centres of Expertise, HR Shared Services, HR Direct and HR Business Partner teams to proactively identify and influence changes that improve HR service.
• Liaise with HR Business Partners in other areas of the business in order to work collaboratively on cross business/geographical issues.

In order to be successful in this role, we would like you to have/to be:

• Demonstrates strong business/commercial approach and understanding of business needs.
• Proven experience of working in partnership with senior business leaders in order to improve people management.
• Passionate about customer service with ability to articulate previous achievements through business deliverables.
• Knowledge and experience of implementing best practice HR solutions to drive a high performance culture.
• Ability to establish professional credibility quickly.
• Experience of coaching, influencing and building strong working relationships with senior business leaders.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to negotiate and influence effectively with all levels of an organisation.
• Experience of working with senior leaders to identify, develop and retain talent.
• Excellent technical HR Knowledge - CIPD qualified or relevant experience to demonstrate level of competence.
• Proven track record of operating in a complex working environment.
• Broad experience of managing organisation change programmes e.g. TUPE, Organisation re-design, redundancy programmes, etc.
• Graduate calibre.
• Experience of working within a highly unionised environment (Essential for roles supporting Maintenance & Operations Functions).

We would also like but it isn't crucial to have/to be:

• MCIPD/post-graduate human resources qualification.
• Understanding of project management principles and experience of managing complex projects to successful conclusion.
• Experience of working within a unionised environment.

Company

Every day, 4.8 million people use our network. Keeping Britain moving and building a better railway for the future is full of challenges – but also tremendous opportunities. We believe that investing in our people is one of the most effective ways of improving the safety, reliability and efficiency of the railway.

Your health, wellbeing and benefits

We believe that safety and performance go hand in hand and this doesn’t just mean safety on the railway! We are committed to the wellbeing of our employees and believe, that should come first. We provide access to support services such as our employee assistance program to help you with finances, family, health and wellbeing. In addition to this, we offer excellent benefits, are sensitive to work-life balance and encourage our employees to use their 5 volunteer days for their favourite causes.

We have a range of benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave entitlement.
• My benefits – Our discounted online shopping site.
• A range of discounted offers including, childcare vouchers, Healthcare offers – cycle to work, healthcare club discounted membership and other benefits.
• Subsidies of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets.
• A range of pension schemes.
• 2 weeks paid reserve leave for our Armed Forces community.

What Diversity and Inclusion means to us

‘Diversity’ means recognising differences between people while valuing the contribution they make. ‘Inclusion’ means creating safe and welcoming workplaces with fair cultures that encourages innovative and fresh ways of thinking.

Disability Confident Leader

Network Rail is an accredited Disability Confident Leader. This means, where a disabled applicant meets the essential criteria for any of our vacancies, they will receive an interview.