Senior HR Business Partner

Requirements

• Essential experience and skills:
• Significant experience as a Senior HR Business Partner (or equivalent) in a safety-critical, unionised, or operational environment
• Strong track record in complex industrial relations and UK employment law
• Proven ability to partner effectively with operational or frontline leadership teams (ideally in rail, transport, logistics, or regulated industries)
• Experience leading large-scale people strategies, workforce planning, and organisational change
• Strong influencing, communication, and stakeholder management skills across all levels of an organisation
• Experience managing and developing HR professionals
• CIPD Level 5 or above (Level 7 desirable) or equivalent professional experience
• Familiarity with HR systems (e.g. Workday) and operational planning/rostering tools
• Why Join CrossCountry?
• Join CrossCountry at a time of significant transformation, where our people strategies are central to delivering safe, reliable services for millions of passengers every year.
• This is a high-impact role where you will directly influence the capability, performance, and future of our Driver workforce - shaping how we plan, support, and develop one of the most critical functions in the business.
• Diversity & Inclusion
• At CrossCountry, we are committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. Inclusion is fundamental to how we operate, how we make decisions, and how we succeed.
• We are dedicated to creating an environment where every colleague feels valued, respected, and able to thrive. Diverse perspectives strengthen our organisation and improve outcomes for our customers and colleagues.
• Ready to Apply?
• If you are looking for a senior HR leadership role where you can shape strategy, influence operational performance, and make a lasting impact in a safety-critical environment, we would love to hear from you.
• Click "Apply Now" to take the next step in your journey with CrossCountry
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Additional Information

Senior HR Business Partner Closing date for applications: Friday 3rd July 2026 Purpose of the Role CrossCountry is seeking a highly experienced Senior HR Business Partner to provide strategic people leadership for our Driver operations. This is a critical role supporting one of the most safety-critical and operationally complex areas of the business. You will act as a trusted partner to Driver functional leadership teams across all depots and operational environments, shaping and delivering people strategies that enable safe, reliable, and high-performing Driver services. Operating in a unionised, regulated environment, you will influence workforce planning, industrial relations, leadership capability, and organisational design to ensure long-term operational resilience and excellence. What You'll Be Responsible For You will lead the development and delivery of a comprehensive people strategy for Driver operations, ensuring alignment between workforce capability, operational demand, and business priorities. Key areas of responsibility include: Strategic Business Partnering Build strong, trusted relationships with Driver leaders to understand operational needs, safety requirements, workforce challenges, and long-term strategic priorities. Workforce Planning & Operational Readiness Lead strategic workforce planning across Driver operations, including headcount modelling, training throughput, competency frameworks, route learning, and resource resilience. Operational Change & Transformation Support and lead HR input into major Driver-related change programmes, including tim etable changes, fleet introduction, productivity initiatives, and operational restructuring. Industrial Relations & Employee Relations Develop and maintain effective relationships with trade unions, supporting consultation, negotiation, and dispute resolution in a complex operational environment. Leadership Capability & Talent Development Strengthen leadership capability across Driver management teams through coaching, succession planning, talent identification, and targeted development programmes. Organisational Design & Structure Support the design and evolution of depot and Driver management structures to ensure operational efficiency and clarity of accountability. Engagement, Culture & Safety Drive engagement strategies tailored to Driver populations, embedding a strong safety-first culture and promoting inclusion, fairness, and wellbeing. Data, Insight & Governance Ensure high-quality workforce data, reporting, and insight are used to support operational decision-making and regulatory compliance. Team Leadership Provide line management and direction to the HR Partner and Talent Acquisition Partner supporting Driver operations. This role requires a strong presence in operational environments and close collaboration with depot-based teams, rostering, resourcing, and operational control functions.

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