Senior HR Advisor – Portobello Operations

Overview

As Senior HR Advisor at Portobello Operations, you partner with operational leaders to deliver proactive, commercially grounded HR support. You’ll handle employee relations and coach managers to build high-performing teams within a diverse, unionised site. You will lead recruitment, talent initiatives, and wellbeing programs while shaping people strategies that drive engagement, capability, and performance. This role offers influence across the operation and a clear impact on culture and business results.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary HR advisor for Portobello Operations managers, supervisors and employees
• Partner with leaders to provide pragmatic, commercially focused HR solutions
• Manage employee relations matters including investigations, disciplinary and grievance handling, absence and performance issues
• Develop management capability through coaching, guidance and training on HR policies and best practice
• Build relationships with Trade Union representatives to support constructive employee relations and consultation
• Support organisational change initiatives, restructures and workforce planning projects
• Lead and coordinate site recruitment to ensure positive candidate and hiring manager experience
• Champion Early Talent, succession planning and development initiatives
• Collaborate with managers to identify skills gaps and development needs
• Drive employee engagement initiatives to enhance communication, wellbeing and inclusion
• Analyse HR metrics and trends to inform business decisions and recommendations
• Partner with Health & Safety and Occupational Health providers to support wellbeing and successful return-to-work
• Contribute to continuous improvement of HR processes, policies and ways of working

Key requirements

• CIPD Level 5 qualification
• Minimum three years’ experience at HR Advisor level or above
• Strong employee relations experience with complex people matters
• Experience in a unionised environment and working with Trade Unions
• Experience supporting organisational change and business transformation
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills
• Proactive, resilient and solutions-focused approach
• Ability to balance operational priorities with people and performance focus

• communication
• influencing
• stakeholder management
• employee relations
• investigations
• performance management

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