Senior HR Advisor in Manchester

Ultimate Performance (U.P.) is the world's largest globally scaled private personal training business, operating across multiple regions with a reputation for exceptional results, elite coaching, and a premium client experience. Backed by leading private equity firm Inflexion, we are a high-performance, growth-focused organisation with a strong commercial foundation and international reach. We are entering an exciting next phase of growth with an ambition to significantly expand our global studio footprint.

We have a rare opportunity within our People team for a Senior HR Advisor (Employee Relations) to support our global people agenda with a strong focus on employee relations, compliance, and manager capability. This is not a passive or purely administrative HR role. Our HR team operates as trusted people and business partners, working closely with leaders to ensure fair, robust, and commercially sound decisions. You will support, coach, and at times challenge managers, bringing credibility, empathy, and strong judgement to complex situations.

This role offers genuine autonomy and trust, with the freedom to build strong relationships with managers across the global business. It requires confidence, sound judgement, and the ability to operate independently while knowing when to escalate or collaborate. Reporting directly to the Head of HR, with exposure to the Chief People Officer on wider initiatives, this role provides meaningful visibility and the opportunity to develop breadth alongside depth.

You will manage employee relations matters globally, supporting disciplinary processes, performance improvement plans, and terminations, ensuring consistency and best practice across the business. You will work with the Learning & Development team to support manager capability initiatives, including identifying common themes from employee relations casework and contributing to the design of manager development programmes and training.

Within a close-knit People team, you will have ownership of employee relations matters and ensure offboarding processes, including exits and terminations, are handled consistently, compliantly, and in line with best practice across all jurisdictions. You will also support onboarding, benefits administration, learning and development, recruitment, and health and safety, coordinating with Payroll for accuracy and a seamless employee experience across the full employment lifecycle.

This role offers a genuine development pathway toward an HR Business Partner or HR Manager role as the business scales globally. You will thrive in a fast-paced, complex environment within a premium, performance-led organisation that values pragmatic, commercially grounded HR support.

Responsibilities

The role will centre on employee relations, operational compliance, performance management, and learning & development, while ensuring alignment with global labour laws, local regulations, and internal frameworks, balancing risk, performance, and culture.

• Act as the first point of contact for all employee relations matters across the gym estate.
• Manage employee relations cases end-to-end, including grievances, disciplinary actions, performance concerns, and absence management.
• Ensure fair, consistent, and timely case management in line with company policy and best practice.
• Maintain accurate case documentation and records.
• Escalate complex or high-risk cases appropriately.
• Promote positive employee relations and a respectful workplace culture.
• Adapt style and approach to local labor requirements and culture.

Performance Management

• Support the delivery of performance management under the company’s structured framework (PT Check-In).
• Coach Gym Managers on setting objectives, conducting monthly reviews, and addressing underperformance.
• Provide guidance on improvement plans, capability processes, and outcomes.
• Ensure performance processes are applied consistently and fairly across locations.
• Support managers in developing high-performing teams.

Operational HR Compliance

• Ensure Personal Trainers (PTs) and Gym Managers follow corporate HR processes and policies.
• Monitor compliance with contracts, working time requirements, and people processes.
• Support audits and internal checks related to HR operations.
• Identify risks and recommend corrective actions.
• Support consistent application of process and policies across all gyms.

Local Labour Relations & Legal Compliance

• Ensure gyms operate in compliance with local labour laws and employment regulations in each country.
• Apply global HR standards while respecting local legal and cultural requirements.
• Stay informed of changes in employment legislation and best practice.
• Support managers with local labour relation issues and compliance queries.
• Partner with external advisors where required.

Business Partnering with Gym Managers

• Build strong, trusted relationships with Gym Managers and regional leaders.
• Provide proactive HR support, guidance, and coaching.
• Advise managers on people processes, policies, and decision-making.
• Translate business needs into practical HR solutions.
• Support change initiatives and people-related projects.

Learning & Development

• Lead and support the internal Gym Manager (GM) Pathway programme.
• Contribute to the design and development of learning materials and content.
• Support delivery of training sessions, workshops, and development initiatives.
• Work with stakeholders to identify development needs.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and growth.

Qualifications

The Ideal You will bring strong, practical experience across core HR disciplines, including:

• Proven employee relations expertise, with confidence managing cases end-to-end.
• Strong performance management experience, both proactive and reactive.
• Solid HR operational and compliance knowledge.
• Experience supporting and coaching managers.
• Sound judgement, with the ability to balance risk, fairness, and commercial outcomes.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, multi-site or operational environment.
• Confidence to build relationships and appropriately challenge upwards.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity, with a pragmatic and commercially minded approach.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and debate constructively.
• Exposure to international or cross-border HR matters (desirable, not essential — support provided for more complex jurisdictions).
• A genuine interest in health, fitness, and wellbeing.
• A degree or qualification in Human Resources or a related field (or working towards).

Benefits

What You’ll Get:

• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays.
• Pension scheme: salary sacrifice with employer contributions.
• Electric vehicle scheme.
• Simply Health policy: claim back costs for dental, optical, physio, massage & more.
• Exclusive UP discounts, including 40% off our supplements, books, and partner offers.
• Personal Training discounts: up to 50% off our world-class transformation programme (up to 36 sessions a year) for you and a loved one.
• Salary sacrifice benefits: Cycle to Work, Tech, and Home schemes.
• Employee Assistance Programme: free 24/7 mental health, counselling, and financial advice.
• Free group fitness classes at our Manchester gym in Spinningfields.
• Hybrid working: two days per week working from home.

If you are interested in the Senior HR Advisor Role we’d love to hear from you. Apply now! All job applicants are required to have a valid right to work. Your data will be stored by Ultimate Performance and will be used by our HR and recruitment teams for the purpose of managing your application.