Aureos Infrastructure is a market leader in delivering innovative solutions in the infrastructure sector. As part of our commitment to fostering a high-performing and engaged workforce, we are seeking an experienced and proactive HR Business Partner to lead the delivery of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and changes processes within our organisation.
This role requires a strategic thinker and hands-on HR professional who excels in partnering with senior leadership to drive change and cultural alignment. The successful candidate will support a team of HR professionals through organisational change and contribute to the company’s ambitious growth agenda.
Significant experience in TUPE and trade union engagement is required. This role will lead detailed assessments of incumbent organisations, navigate complex employee relations matters, manage organisational transitions, and build positive, collaborative relationships with trade union and employee representatives and internal / external stakeholders.
The successful candidate can be based in one of the following office locations: Ashford, Farringdon, Preston Brook or Crewe.
Primary tasks and duties:
Strategic HR Involvement
- Partner with senior leaders to align HR strategies with business goals, delivering value-added services that drive operational success.
- Act as a trusted people professional, providing strategic input on organisational design, restructuring, and leadership development.
- Ensure people strategies are informed by a strong understanding of TUPE regulations and trade union dynamics, particularly in contexts of organisational change.
- Partner with key stakeholders to complete due diligence on incoming organisations, understanding employee demographics, management structures and cultural challenges.
Organisational Change & Transformation
- Lead HR components of mergers, acquisitions, and integrations, including due diligence, TUPE transfers, and post-merger cultural alignment.
- Manage organisational restructuring, ensuring a fair and transparent process that minimises disruption and complies with legal obligations.
- Support leaders in implementing change management initiatives, providing frameworks and communication strategies to ensure success.
- Maintain strong working relationships with trade unions throughout periods of change, ensuring effective consultation and negotiation processes.
- Ensure effective communication with those employees transferring so they are informed of the changes and concerns are addressed.
- Identifying key talent and developing retention strategies to ensure stability post-merger.
- Building effective relationships and successful collaboration between organisations.
Trade Union Relations
- Serve as the primary HR contact for trade union engagement, fostering constructive and collaborative relationships.
- Lead formal consultation and negotiation processes on matters such as organisational change, policy updates, and collective agreements.
- Ensure compliance with statutory consultation requirements and internal governance protocols.
- Provide guidance to senior leaders and managers on managing union interactions, including dispute resolution and collective bargaining.
- Monitor and respond to emerging industrial relations trends, proactively managing risks and opportunities.
Policy Development & Compliance
- Develop, review, and maintain HR policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with evolving business needs and legal requirements.
- Monitor employment law changes, advising on potential impacts and implementing necessary adjustments to ensure compliance.
- Provide guidance and training on policies to managers and employees to ensure consistency and understanding.
Employee Engagement
- Support employee engagement initiatives, ensuring an inclusive and collaborative workplace culture.
- Utilise survey data and other feedback mechanisms to identify areas for improvement and implement action plans.
- Engage with trade union representatives to support a positive employee voice and collaborative working environment.
Leadership & Team Management
- Support the HR Team by providing guidance, mentoring, and expertise to strengthen team knowledge and capability.
- Foster a collaborative and high performing team culture that enables the delivery of timely and effective HR services to internal stakeholders.
Employee Relations (ER)
- Support the handling of complex ER cases—including grievance, disciplinary, and performance matters, ensuring they are managed in line with employment law and best practice.
- Provide expert guidance to managers and employees to foster positive working relationships and support effective conflict resolution.
- Collaborate with the HR Business Partnering Team to act as a point of escalation for high‑risk or sensitive ER issues, including those involving trade union representatives or collective disputes
Secondary tasks and duties:
Talent Acquisition & Management
- Collaborate with recruitment teams to attract and retain top talent, ensuring alignment with workforce planning objectives.
- Support talent reviews and succession planning, identifying high-potential employees and supporting the L&D team with development pathways.
- Oversee onboarding processes during M&A to ensure a seamless employee experience.
Learning & Development
- Partner with the L&D team to design and deliver training programmes that address business and individual needs.
- Promote leadership development initiatives to build management capabilities and future leaders.
- Evaluate training effectiveness and make recommendations for continuous improvement.
HR Analytics & Insights
- Utilise HR metrics and analytics to provide actionable insights to the business, driving data-informed decision-making.
- Monitor and report on key HR KPIs, such as turnover rates, absence levels, and employee satisfaction.
- Identify trends and areas for improvement, developing initiatives to address underlying issues.
Workforce Planning
- Collaborate with departmental leaders and the Recruitment Business Partner to forecast workforce needs and ensure resource planning aligns with project timelines and business growth.
- Support the creation and implementation of workforce optimisation strategies to address skills shortages and succession planning.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
- Promote EDI initiatives within the organisation, ensuring policies and practices are inclusive and equitable.
- Support the development of programmes to increase diversity in recruitment and leadership pipelines.
- Partner with employee resource groups and trade union representatives to drive engagement and foster a sense of belonging.
Experience & Qualifications
Essential: -
- CIPD Level 7 with significant HR management experience.
- Demonstrable experience in M&A, TUPE transfers, Trade Unions and organisational restructuring.
- Strong knowledge of employment law and redundancy processes.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
- Strong analytical abilities with experience using HR data to inform decisions.
- Strong understanding and experience of trade union relations
Desirable:
- Experience within infrastructure, construction, or related industries.
- Knowledge of HRIS systems (Workday) and proficiency in data analytics tools.
- Familiarity with diversity, equity, and inclusion (EDI) frameworks and initiatives.
In return you will receive
- Generous Salary
- 25 days Holiday with the option to buy more
- Pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Employee benefits portal.
- On-site parking
- Private medical insurance
- Referral Scheme
Equal Opportunities
Aureos are an equal opportunities employer and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status or race, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.