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- Tasks: Lead HR initiatives across the UK and Europe, driving people strategy and compliance.
- Company: Join Electro-Motive Diesel, a global leader in locomotive manufacturing.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous holidays, and tailored training opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on employee experience and drive HR best practices.
- Qualifications: CIPD membership preferred; strong HR experience in multi-site environments required.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for travel and professional growth.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 ÂŁ per year.
Are you an experienced HR professional with a passion for driving people strategy across diverse locations? Electro-Motive Diesel Limited (EMDL) is seeking a dynamic Senior HR Business Partner to lead HR initiatives across the UK and continental Europe. In this pivotal role, you’ll provide expert guidance on employment law, talent development, and workforce planning, while partnering with managers to deliver a compliant, high-performing, and engaging employee experience.
The Role
- Provide expert HR advice and guidance to managers and employees on employment law, performance, discipline, grievance, and policy matters.
- Ensure HR policies and practices comply with UK/EU legislation, collective agreements, GDPR, and health & safety requirements.
- Lead end-to-end recruitment, including job adverts, candidate selection, onboarding, and managing the HCM system (SAGE/Rail People).
- Identify workforce needs and implement effective recruitment, retention, and deployment strategies, focusing on direct hiring and reducing agency dependency.
- Support performance and absence management, providing analysis and guidance to managers to address issues effectively.
- Manage training and development activities, including competency matrices, refresher training, and succession planning.
- Maintain and optimise HR systems, ensuring accurate data, producing reports/KPIs, and driving process improvements.
- Oversee payroll input and administration for all locations, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
- Administer the Sentinel scheme, ensuring compliance, inductions, and record-keeping for sponsored personnel.
- Contribute to employee engagement initiatives and promote equal opportunities across all aspects of employment.
- Drive HR best practice, harmonising policies where possible and challenging the status quo to modernise people processes.
- Build strong internal and external relationships to support effective HR service delivery across multiple sites.
- Promote company values and safety strategy, ensuring safe working practices and a positive culture.
- Undertake occasional UK/EU travel and work flexibly out of hours when business needs require.
The Candidate
- CIPD Chartered membership (preferred).
- Proven HR experience in a multi-site environment, ideally within rail or manufacturing.
- Strong knowledge of UK employment law and general legislation, with awareness of EU employment law (preferred).
- Hands-on experience with recruitment in fast-paced environments and proficiency in HRIS platforms and Microsoft Excel.
- A full, clean driving licence and willingness to travel; proficiency in German or Dutch is an advantage.
Personality Traits
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships.
- Leadership qualities and team management capability, combined with a collaborative, hands‑on approach.
- Highly organised, detail‑oriented, and process driven, with strong time management skills.
- Resilient under pressure, deadline focused, and able to work independently with a proactive mindset.
- Strong numeracy and analytical skills, with a commitment to continuous improvement.
Benefits
- Competitive salary + company bonus
- Tailored training and development, including company‑funded external qualifications where relevant
- Generous pension scheme with 7% employer contribution
- Life assurance at 3.5Ă— your salary
- Employee Assistance Programme for confidential wellbeing support
- Discounted gym membership – up to 25% off at 4,000+ UK gyms
- Fuel card savings of 2–3p per litre at 3,500 stations, including BP, Esso and Shell
- Employee recognition schemes celebrating great work
- 33 days’ holiday per year (inclusive of bank/public holidays)
About Progress Rail – Electro‑Motive Diesel
Progress Rail – Electro‑Motive Diesel is a subsidiary of Caterpillar, specialised in manufacturing, maintaining and overhauling diesel‑electric locomotives across the world. For more than half a century, Electro‑Motive Diesel has hauled freight and passengers, powered ships, and generated electricity for over 100 countries around the globe. Becoming a part of Electro‑Motive Diesel means becoming a part of a challenging and bright future in our global marketplace.
Values
- Integrity – the power of honesty
- Excellence – the power of quality
- Teamwork – the power of working together
- Commitment – the power of responsibility
- Safety – care, learn, prevent
Equal Opportunities
Progress Rail – Electro‑Motive Diesel is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. We value and embrace diversity of thought, background and unique experiences and we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workforce and culture.
How to Apply
To be considered for this role, please click on the link provided. If you would like any further information about this vacancy before applying, please feel free to contact Taher Rahman at our Sandiacre site. We would politely request no agencies please.
Senior HR Business Partner in Stoke-on-Trent employer: Progress Rail, A Caterpillar Company
Contact Detail:
Progress Rail, A Caterpillar Company Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior HR Business Partner in Stoke-on-Trent
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the HR field, especially those who work in similar industries. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings that aren't even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company culture and values. When you know what they stand for, you can tailor your responses to show how you fit right in. Plus, it’ll help you ask insightful questions!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Do mock interviews with friends or family to get comfortable with common HR questions. The more you practice, the more confident you'll feel when it’s time to shine.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to connect directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior HR Business Partner in Stoke-on-Trent
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Senior HR Business Partner role. Highlight your experience in HR, especially in multi-site environments, and showcase your knowledge of UK and EU employment law. We want to see how your skills align with what we're looking for!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about this role and how you can contribute to our people strategy. Be sure to mention any relevant experience with recruitment and employee engagement initiatives.
Showcase Your Achievements: When detailing your past roles, focus on your achievements rather than just responsibilities. Use metrics where possible to demonstrate your impact, like improvements in recruitment processes or employee engagement scores. We love numbers that tell a story!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website for the best chance of being noticed. It’s straightforward and ensures your application goes straight to us. Plus, it shows you're keen on joining our team at Electro-Motive Diesel!
How to prepare for a job interview at Progress Rail, A Caterpillar Company
✨Know Your Employment Law
As a Senior HR Business Partner, you'll need to demonstrate a solid understanding of UK and EU employment law. Brush up on key legislation and be ready to discuss how it impacts HR practices. This will show your expertise and readiness to provide guidance.
✨Showcase Your Recruitment Skills
Prepare to talk about your hands-on experience with recruitment in fast-paced environments. Have specific examples ready that highlight your success in direct hiring and reducing agency dependency. This will illustrate your ability to lead end-to-end recruitment effectively.
✨Demonstrate Analytical Prowess
Highlight your strong numeracy and analytical skills during the interview. Be prepared to discuss how you've used data to drive process improvements or manage performance and absence issues. This will showcase your commitment to continuous improvement.
✨Emphasise Relationship Building
Since building strong internal and external relationships is crucial for this role, come equipped with examples of how you've successfully collaborated with managers and employees in the past. This will reflect your excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
