Senior People Advisor

KeolisAmey Metrolink; Manchester; On-site; GBP 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading light rail network in the UK is seeking a Senior People Advisor to provide employee relations support and strengthen people practices. In this maternity cover role, you will partner with management, advise on HR issues, and lead strategic projects. The ideal candidate will have at least CIPD Level 5, strong knowledge of employment law, and experience in creating effective HR policies. A competitive salary of up to £45,000 is offered, along with comprehensive benefits including free tram travel and family-friendly policies.

Benefits

Free Tram Travel

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Discounts at major retailers

Wellbeing support services

Qualifications

• Strong grounding in modern people practice.
• Experience with employee relations and managing ER cases.
• Ability to create and deliver people policies and training.

Responsibilities

• Partner with managers to enhance people capability.
• Provide impartial advice on employee relations.
• Stay updated on employment legislation and policies.

Skills

Employee relations

Communication skills

Time-management

Analytical thinking

HR systems usage

Education

CIPD Level 5 or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Join our team at Keolis Amey Metrolink (KAM), the largest light rail network in the UK! Are you an experienced HR professional ready to make a real impact? We’re looking for a confident and forward-thinking Senior People Advisor to step into a maternity cover role and become the trusted expert at the heart of our People team. As the go-to for employee relations and people performance, you’ll play a key role in shaping a positive, high-performing culture across KAM. In this varied position, you’ll lead improvement projects, navigate complex casework and keep us ahead of the curve on employment law, compliance and best-practice people policies. Your insight will help ensure our workplace remains modern, flexible and inclusive. Working in partnership with our People Business Partners, trade unions and leaders across the organisation, you’ll help bring our People Strategy to life, making a meaningful difference to both our people and our business.

Key accountabilities

• Partner with managers and leaders across the business to upskill their people capability, challenge thinking and embed best practice in all aspects of people management.
• Provide professional, impartial advice and coaching across the full employee relations spectrum, including performance, absence, conflict management, disciplinaries, equality, welfare and probation.
• Build manager confidence in handling ER matters by delivering training, guidance and ongoing development to strengthen their leadership capability.
• Act as the first point of contact for employee relations issues, conducting fair investigations, recommending appropriate actions and escalating complex cases to the People Business Partner as needed.
• Stay ahead of employment legislation and emerging good practice, taking ownership of the review, development and maintenance of People policies, procedures and internal processes.
• Mentor and develop the People Services team, sharing knowledge and supporting their growth so they can resolve first-line queries effectively and confidently.
• Support People Business Partners on key strategic projects, including rewards and benefits, diversity and inclusion, management development, recruitment, wellbeing and organisational change.
• Use people data and insights to influence decisions, identify trends and drive improvements in performance, culture and employee experience.
• Champion an inclusive, customer-centric culture, ensuring behaviours align with our values and escalating concerns when necessary.

What you’ll bring

• CIPD Level 5 (or equivalent experience), demonstrating strong grounding in modern people practice.
• Strong working knowledge of employment law and HR best practice, with hands-on experience managing a variety of ER cases and giving confident, pragmatic advice.
• Experience creating people policies, support toolkits and delivering learning sessions, whether through lunch-and-learns, training or coaching managers on ER matters with balanced, business-focused guidance.
• Proven experience partnering with Trade Unions, building trust and delivering positive outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to read the room, adapt your style, influence effectively and form strong relationships at every level.
• Great time-management and organisational skills, able to juggle your own caseload and keep things moving.
• Confident using HR systems and the Microsoft Office suite to support your work.
• A flexible mindset, adapting quickly to shifting priorities to achieve the best outcomes.
• Comfort with data and analytical thinking, using insights to shape decisions and support the business.
• A commitment to delivering high-quality work, with genuine pride in owning challenges, being results-driven and contributing as part of a supportive, high-performing team.

What we will offer you

• Salary is up to £45,000 per annum, depending on experience.
• Maternity cover for up to 12 months, working full time 37.5 hrs per week
• Free Tram Travel for all our colleagues, plus a sponsored pass for an immediate family member.
• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays
• Access to Amazing Discounts at major retailers including Asda, Currys PC World, John Lewis and many more.
• Family Friendly Policies including enhanced maternity and paternity pay.
• Wellbeing Support including a free counselling, health checks and Employee Assistance Programme.
• Supporting your development focusing on career pathways and professional fees covered if required for role.

Closing and commitments

The closing date for applications : 24 December 2025

Depending on the level of applications for this role we may close the advert earlier, therefore we encourage you to submit your application early.

Our Commitment to you

At KAM, we celebrate the diversity of our customers, communities, and colleagues, and strive for a workforce which is equitable, inclusive and representative of the communities we serve and we strongly encourage applicants of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, and sexual orientation to apply. We look forward to receiving your application.

We live our values of “We Care, We Commit, We Imagine” through our behaviours and we strongly believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation and create an environment where individuals can imagine that anything is possible. We care about our people, and we fully commit to creating an inclusive environment where our people feel valued, respected and empowered to thrive.

We recognise the importance of flexibility in the workplace and where possible, we will do our best to consider alternative working patterns or flexible arrangements to help you balance work and life in a way that works for you and the business. If you’d like to discuss before applying, please feel free to contact our recruitment team.

Pre-employment checks

To ensure you are given the best opportunity to succeed in the recruitment process, please let us know if you will require any support or reasonable adjustments. You can contact our team here.

What we will need to check :

• Proof of address.
• Evidence of right to work in the UK.
• References from previous employment or studies from the last 3 years
• Pre-employment medical (level subject to role).
• Criminal Records self-declaration check, in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974).

Note

We removed a lot of boilerplate from the original description but kept the legally required EEO statements.