At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead strategic people initiatives and shape workforce strategies for Driver operations.
- Company: Join CrossCountry, a leader in transport services with a focus on safety and reliability.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Other info: Be part of a transformative journey that values diverse perspectives and employee wellbeing.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on operational performance and workforce capability in a critical role.
- Qualifications: Extensive HR experience in safety-critical environments and strong leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 65000 £ per year.
CrossCountry is seeking a highly experienced Senior HR Business Partner to provide strategic people leadership for our Driver operations. This is a critical role supporting one of the most safety-critical and operationally complex areas of the business. You will act as a trusted partner to Driver functional leadership teams across all depots and operational environments, shaping and delivering people strategies that enable safe, reliable, and high-performing Driver services.
Operating in a unionised, regulated environment, you will influence workforce planning, industrial relations, leadership capability, and organisational design to ensure long-term operational resilience and excellence.
What You’ll Be Responsible For
- Lead the development and delivery of a comprehensive people strategy for Driver operations, ensuring alignment between workforce capability, operational demand, and business priorities.
- Strategic Business Partnering: Build strong, trusted relationships with Driver leaders to understand operational needs, safety requirements, workforce challenges, and long-term strategic priorities.
- Workforce Planning & Operational Readiness: Lead strategic workforce planning across Driver operations, including headcount modelling, training throughput, competency frameworks, route learning, and resource resilience.
- Operational Change & Transformation: Support and lead HR input into major Driver-related change programmes, including timetable changes, fleet introduction, productivity initiatives, and operational restructuring.
- Industrial Relations & Employee Relations: Develop and maintain effective relationships with trade unions, supporting consultation, negotiation, and dispute resolution in a complex operational environment.
- Leadership Capability & Talent Development: Strengthen leadership capability across Driver management teams through coaching, succession planning, talent identification, and targeted development programmes.
- Organisational Design & Structure: Support the design and evolution of depot and Driver management structures to ensure operational efficiency and clarity of accountability.
- Engagement, Culture & Safety: Drive engagement strategies tailored to Driver populations, embedding a strong safety-first culture and promoting inclusion, fairness, and wellbeing.
- Data, Insight & Governance: Ensure high-quality workforce data, reporting, and insight are used to support operational decision-making and regulatory compliance.
- Team Leadership: Provide line management and direction to the HR Partner and Talent Acquisition Partner supporting Driver operations.
This role requires a strong presence in operational environments and close collaboration with depot-based teams, rostering, resourcing, and operational control functions.
What We’re Looking For
- Significant experience as a Senior HR Business Partner (or equivalent) in a safety-critical, unionised, or operational environment.
- Strong track record in complex industrial relations and UK employment law.
- Proven ability to partner effectively with operational or frontline leadership teams (ideally in rail, transport, logistics, or regulated industries).
- Experience leading large-scale people strategies, workforce planning, and organisational change.
- Strong influencing, communication, and stakeholder management skills across all levels of an organisation.
- Experience managing and developing HR professionals.
- CIPD Level 5 or above (Level 7 desirable) or equivalent professional experience.
- Familiarity with HR systems (e.g. Workday) and operational planning/rostering tools.
Why Join CrossCountry?
Join CrossCountry at a time of significant transformation, where our people strategies are central to delivering safe, reliable services for millions of passengers every year. This is a high-impact role where you will directly influence the capability, performance, and future of our Driver workforce — shaping how we plan, support, and develop one of the most critical functions in the business.
Diversity & Inclusion
At CrossCountry, we are committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. Inclusion is fundamental to how we operate, how we make decisions, and how we succeed. We are dedicated to creating an environment where every colleague feels valued, respected, and able to thrive. Diverse perspectives strengthen our organisation and improve outcomes for our customers and colleagues.
Ready to Apply?
If you are looking for a senior HR leadership role where you can shape strategy, influence operational performance, and make a lasting impact in a safety-critical environment, we would love to hear from you. Click “Apply Now” to take the next step in your journey with CrossCountry.
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