Head of HR - Maternity Cover (12 months+)

HR - Customer Experience & Commercial

We are proud to be One Team at East Midlands Railway (EMR). We are passionate about keeping people safe, delighting our customers, doing the right thing and delivering easier journeys every day. With over 2,500 employees, our people are the reason we are so successful and the HR team make a crucial contribution to this. Five times accredited as a Top Employer, we value our people and are dedicated to making sure that everybody feels empowered to bring their authentic self to work. We have an outstanding opportunity to join #TeamEMR as a Head of HR on a 12 month fixed term contract, covering maternity. 

At EMR we want to proactively embrace diversity across our workforce and recognise that we are under-represented in terms of ethnic minority groups. We’re therefore taking positive steps to promote a positive and inclusive culture; we welcome applications from those that identify with these groups to better represent our communities.

Reporting to the HR Director, as part of the HR Leadership Team, this role is responsible for leading the HR strategy for the Customer Services and Commercial functions. The Head of HR also leads a small team of two HR Business Partners.

This roles responsibilities include:   

• Deliver an effective employee relations strategy which maximises effectiveness and productivity within EMR that supports the EMR business plan, vision and values.
• Monitor developments in employment legislation and the employee relations climate in the Rail industry.  Share these developments with leaders as appropriate in EMR so they have context and knowledge in order to make better quality decisions.
• Take the lead role for EMR in the professional management of employee relations ensuring it contributes to and encourages harmonious working relationships and practices.  To act as Lead Negotiator with Trade Union’s on items contained within all the collective bargaining agreements and provide expert advice on employee relations matters.
• Promote a demanding and equitable, performance management culture in EMR through effective coaching of line managers on appropriate policies and procedures.
• Through influencing and coaching of members of the Senior Leadership team ensure that options for organisational change are fully scoped, developed and costed and that preferred options will result in discernible business benefit aligned with overall business strategy.  Ensure that Line Managers are supported appropriately through the change cycle.
• Lead and develop the HR Operations team to provide support to Line Managers in the design, development and delivery required relating to effective management of organisational change.
• Lead and develop the HR Operations team to provide proactive support and guidance to line managers on the effective management of day to day operational HR issues including working closely with Occupational Health on attendance management.
• Ensure all HR policies and procedures are legally compliant and fit for purpose so that they support a commercially focussed business We are looking for a HR professional that has experience working in HR transactional services. 

We have high expectations of this role and believe it is a great opportunity.  To be successful in this role you should have:

• CIPD qualification level 7 or equivalent experience
• Previous experience in a similar HR leadership role with Significant experience in employee relations
• Extensive stakeholder management experience at a senior level
• Experience working in a unionised environment
• Proven ability to develop and execute strategy 
• Proven experience of developing and leading a high performing team and the ability to take a commercial approach to HR.

If you are interested, here’s what happens next;

Stage 1 – Submit a great application online and upload your C.V.  If your application is shortlisted, you will progress through to the next stage.

Stage 2 - If your application is shortlisted, we will invite you to participate in a phone interview and online testing

Stage 3 - Candidates that pass the application and phone interview stages will be invited to attend a competency based interview and an exercise on Microsoft Teams.

As well as a competitive salary, we’ll also offer you:

• Defined Contribution Pension
• Free First Class Travel on the EMR network
• Free First Class leisure travel on Train Operating Companies under Abellio & LNER
• Friends and Family discounted tickets on the EMR network
• 75% discount on national travel (inc partner and dependants)
• Flexible working hours 
• Dental or Health assessment
• Options for Private medical insurance and travel insurance
• 32 days holiday per year
• …and many more!

We are open minded to applications from people who wish to have flexible working. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.

To apply please complete the online application form and upload your CV, as we operate blind screening please remove personal details from your CV.

We promise to treat you fairly, consistently and with respect throughout the application, assessment and selection process.