Arriva UK Bus is seeking an experienced and commercially focused Senior HR Business Partner to play a key role in delivering our people strategy across our Southern Counties region.
Reporting to the HR People Operations Director, you will be a trusted advisor to senior operational leaders, providing strategic HR guidance and driving initiatives that support business performance, employee engagement, organisational development, and operational excellence.
This is an exciting opportunity for a highly capable HR professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about building high-performing teams and creating positive workplace cultures.
About the Role
As Senior HR Business Partner, you will act as a key strategic partner to the operational business, ensuring HR initiatives are aligned with business objectives. You will support significant people projects, lead organisational change programmes, and provide expert advice on all aspects of employment relations and people management.
You will play a pivotal role in developing management capability, supporting talent development, and ensuring the delivery of a professional, customer-focused HR service.
Key Responsibilities
- Partner with senior leaders to develop and implement HR strategies aligned to regional and business objectives.
- Provide expert advice and guidance on organisational design, workforce planning, talent management, employee relations, and change management.
- Lead complex employee relations matters, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes.
- Support organisational change programmes, restructures, and transformation initiatives.
- Drive talent acquisition, succession planning, retention, and leadership development activities.
- Champion employee engagement initiatives and foster an inclusive, high-performing culture.
- Analyse people data and HR metrics to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
- Collaborate with central HR functions including Reward, Learning & Development, and Recruitment to deliver integrated people solutions.
- Ensure compliance with employment legislation, company policies, and best practice HR standards.
- Promote Arriva's values and support the continuous improvement of people processes across the business.
About You
We're looking for a strategic HR professional with the credibility and expertise to influence at a senior level and deliver impactful people solutions.
You will have:
- Significant HR experience within a large and complex operational environment.
- Proven experience in a Senior HR Business Partner or equivalent leadership role.
- Strong knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice.
- Experience leading organisational change, restructuring, and transformation programmes.
- Demonstrable success in talent management, organisational development, and employee engagement initiatives.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to challenge and influence constructively.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and make evidence-based recommendations.
- CIPD Level 7 qualification (or equivalent experience) is highly desirable.
- A degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline is desirable.
Skills Required
- Significant HR experience in a large and complex operational environment
- Proven experience in a Senior HR Business Partner or equivalent leadership role
- Strong knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice
- Experience leading organisational change, restructuring, and transformation programmes
- Demonstrable success in talent management, organisational development, and employee engagement initiatives
- Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to challenge and influence constructively
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and make evidence-based recommendations
- CIPD Level 7 qualification or equivalent experience
- Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline
Arriva Group Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Arriva Group and has not been reviewed or approved by Arriva Group.
-
Retirement Support — Pension schemes and life assurance are presented as reliable components of the package, with access to workplace pensions such as Standard Life in the UK.
-
Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Employee assistance programs, cycle-to-work schemes, and retail discount platforms are commonly cited as part of the offering that helps reduce everyday costs.
-
Flexible Benefits — Travel concessions for employees and eligible family members are highlighted, with regional variations that can include discounted or free bus travel.
Arriva Group Insights
What We Do
Arriva is a leading passenger transport operator in Europe, delivering approximately 1.5 billion passenger journeys annually. The company operates across 11 European countries, providing a diverse range of services including local buses, inter-urban commuter coaches, and regional and national train services. Arriva is dedicated to connecting people safely, reliably, and sustainably through its extensive public transport network.
