Senior ER Advisor

Join Great Western Railway – Proud to Support Our People and Our Passengers. At GWR, we’re more than a train company - we’re the proud custodians of one of the UK’s most iconic rail networks. Every year, we help over 100 million people travel across the South West, South Wales and London, through some of the country’s most scenic routes. With a modern fleet, ambitious plans for the future, and a 92% customer satisfaction score, we’re on a journey of continuous improvement. Our people are at the heart of that journey - and as a Senior Employee Relations Advisor, you’ll play a key role in supporting them every step of the way.

About the team: We are looking for a Senior Employee Relations Advisor to provide comprehensive HR support to Line Managers, ensuring the delivery of a consistent, professional and effective service across all people policies and procedures for GWR managers and employees. You will support Line Managers by providing a professional advisory service in relation to all employee matters.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Responsible for providing a professional HR advisory service to line managers and employees on all employment matters, including employment legislations, terms and conditions of employment and Company policies and procedures.
• Lead end-to-end case management for employee relations cases, supporting all levels of employees across GWR with a focus on performance, grievance, attendance and ER related projects.
• Provide Line Managers with advice and guidance on a range of employment matters including disciplinary, grievance, performance management, absence management issues and other relevant casework.
• Provide coaching and support to develop managers' competence during day-to-day management activities, including holding local briefings.
• Acting as the point of contact for line managers, employees and other HR team members.
• Line manage two ER Advisors.
• Assist the progress of Employment Tribunal claims and liaise with the Casework Manager and Line Managers to collate all relevant case information/documentation, ensuring that appropriate advice and support is provided and that legal services are used as necessary.
• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of employment legislation to provide appropriate advice to line managers.
• Managing staff relationships, responding to any queries or problems that they have and managing their expectations.
• Work closely with other HR colleagues, to ensure consistency and best practice across the division.
• Undertake other duties as directed.

You will:

• Have hands-on experience with IT programmes and HR systems.
• Be driven and determined.
• Be practical and logical; able to solve problems quickly.
• Can train, coach and support line managers in building ER capabilities and developing manager's competence.
• Be emotionally resilient in difficult situations.
• Be personable with strong communication and relationship building capabilities across all levels of the business.
• Be focused on providing the best outcomes for all parties.
• Experience of complex case work up to tribunal level and experience of managing a team.

As a minimum, you will need to have:

• CIPD qualified or part qualified.
• Knowledge of employment legislation.
• Knowledge, and practical experience of, HR procedures, processes and practices.
• Significant proven work experience in an HR advisor capacity.

About the location: This role will be field based, looking after the Central region of our network, including Bristol, Taunton, South Wales, Gloucester and south, Westbury, Fratton and Weymouth.

Additional Information: This is a full time, fixed term role for 12 months.

The Reward: As well as a great team environment and comprehensive training, all GWR colleagues enjoy a range of benefits including:

• on-going development
• defined benefit pension scheme with the Railways Pension Scheme
• free rail travel across the GWR network for you and your family
• company-sponsored health care plan
• discounted shopping and gym membership
• employee assistance programme and much more.

We all belong at GWR. This is our vision for providing an inclusive environment for all our colleagues, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment. We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA, ethnicity, religion and disability. We maintain zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent. We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive. We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details. If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below. We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.