HR Operations Manager

Tyne & Wear (Ref 787 ) Permanent

£45k - £50k or higher salary for the right candidate. Site based role.

We are delighted to partner once again, with our client, a long established business with a UK wide presence. This is a newly created role.

We're looking for a hands-on HR Operations Manager to lead and deliver the full employee lifecycle within a manufacturing business. This is a highly autonomous role where you'll operate at both strategic and operational level, acting as a trusted advisor to leadership while maintaining a strong visible presence across the site.

You'll play a critical role in supporting organisational change, strengthening people management capability, and ensuring compliance, all while driving engagement, performance, and operational efficiency within a unionised environment.

You'll work as part of the wider HR team at other sites across the UK, with support from the Shared Services for both HR administration and HR Advisory additional support, when needed. The UK HR team is headed up by a fabulous HR Director who is leading on transformational change.

What You'll Be Doing

• Act as the primary HR contact for managers and employees across the business
• Provide practical, commercially focused advice on employee relations, performance, absence, and disciplinary matters
• Partner with operational leaders to drive performance, accountability, and engagement
• Manage complex ER cases within a unionised environment
• Build and maintain strong relationships with union representatives and employee forums
• Support organisational change, restructures, and workforce planning initiatives
• Drive improvements in people processes, engagement, and retention
• Ensure HR policies, compliance, and employment law standards are met
• Oversee HR administration and payroll coordination through shared services
• Monitor and analyse HR metrics (absence, turnover, trends) to inform decision-making

What We're Looking For

• Proven HR generalist experience within manufacturing or other industrial environments
• Strong background in employee relations within a unionised setting
• Experience in a stand-alone or highly autonomous HR role
• Demonstrated success supporting organisational change and transformation
• Solid knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice
• Highly pragmatic, resilient, and commercially minded
• Strong influencing and relationship-building skills with operational leaders
• Hands‑on approach with the ability to manage complex and sensitive situations
• CIPD Level 5 (minimum) - Level 7 desirable or equivalent experience

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