Senior HR Advisor

From seabed to surface, Acteon develops solutions to the energy industry’s most complex problems. We harness data, engineering knowledge, and operational expertise to efficiently design, install, maintain, extend the life of, and decommission offshore energy assets to ensure they deliver maximum economic value. Using the latest technology, we gather and analyse hard‑to‑reach data in the most challenging environments. We partner with customers to apply it to their specific needs and challenges and devise tailored plans to help them safely and responsibly accelerate projects and reduce the total cost of operations. This allows our customers to focus on enhancing their core operations, growing sustainably and profitably and, ultimately, delivering the energy the world needs.

We are looking to hire a Senior HR Advisor on a full‑time, permanent basis. Based at our facility in Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, the Senior HR Advisor plays a key role in delivering a high‑quality, proactive HR service across the UK and UAE regions. Acting as a trusted advisor to employees and managers, the role provides expert guidance on complex employee relations, performance, policy, and compliance, ensuring HR activity aligns with local legislation, company policies, and organisational culture. The postholder will lead on key HR processes, ensure seamless employee lifecycle management, coach managers to build capability, and partner closely with the HR Centres of Excellence and regional leaders to support strategy, talent, and organisational development.

Duties & Main Responsibilities

• Employee Relations & Case Management: Provide expert advice and guidance to managers and employees on complex ER issues, ensuring compliance with UK and UAE labour regulations. Lead investigations, disciplinaries, grievances, capability and performance issues, probation reviews, and exit processes. Manage TUPE related activity and organisational change in collaboration with Senior HRBP and Legal. Monitor and manage sickness absence trends, escalating risks to managers and Senior HRBP.
• HR Advisory & Manager Coaching: Act as a senior first point of contact to managers, empowering them to lead effectively and reducing repeat queries through coaching and capability building. Support leaders to implement consistent, fair, and proactive people management practices across both regions.
• HR Operations, Data Integrity & Payroll: Lead the monthly pay flow file process, ensuring accurate inclusion of new starters, contractual changes, and benefit adjustments before submission to Finance. Maintain accurate and compliant HR records in the HR system (APP), performing monthly data cleanses. Produce high quality documentation such as letters, contracts, reports, briefing notes, and presentations. Act as a mentor for junior members of the HR team.
• Talent, Resourcing & Workforce Planning: Partner with the Recruitment team to guide and support hiring managers throughout the end-to-end recruitment process. Ensure job descriptions are accurate, updated, and aligned with organisational needs. Support the attraction, development, and retention of employees across both regions.
• Employee Lifecycle & Compliance: Manage onboarding and preemployment processes, including offer letters, contracts, right-to-work checks, screening, and induction activities. Oversee lifecycle activities including probation, changes to terms, family friendly processes (maternity, paternity), absence management, and leaver administration including exit interviews. Maintain and administer employee benefits schemes, ensuring accurate data entry.
• UAE Specific HR Responsibilities: Monitor all visa and residency processes, ensuring timely renewals and compliance with UAE labour laws. Track visa expiry dates and proactively advise managers and employees. Ensure all policy implementation and HR practice meets regional requirements in both the UK and UAE.
• Annual HR Cycles & People Programmes: Support and deliver annual HR processes including salary review, bonus schemes, retention initiatives, and workforce planning exercises. Collaborate with the HR Centre of Excellence to land reward, talent, and engagement programmes effectively.

Required: Experience / Knowledge

• Wealth of experience gained in progressive HR functions, where transformational change has been undertaken.
• Experience working with Management teams.
• Experienced in managing immigration / visa processes.
• A high-level intellectual horsepower is needed. This may be demonstrated by either a degree level education or equivalent.
• Adaptable and proactive, can deliver an excellent standard of work within timeframes given.
• Technology is driving this area of HR, and the incumbent must be fully proficient with IT combined with a track record of seeking out (and using) new and innovative uses to bring value to the field.
• To be able to be credible coaching other managers, management experience is preferred.
• CIPD or occupational psychology qualification is strongly preferred, though not essential.
• Experience of working effectively without close supervision.
• Knowledge and experience of HR management, ideally within the energy sector.
• Occasional travel to other sites may be required. Role requires flexibility to work across different time zones when necessary.

Qualifications / Skills

• Essential: At least 3 – 5 years’ experience in a similar HR role within a fast‑paced environment. Excellent understanding and application of UK employment law regulations and aware of up‑coming changes. Proven ability to lead complex employee relations cases end to end. Full, clean driving licence. Up to date passport.
• Preferred / Desirable: Knowledge of UAE employment legislation. Previous experience in a matrix organisation. Exposure to the Oil and Gas or engineering sectors. Experience with HR systems and process optimisation.