Human Resources Employee Relations

About the Company

At Solenis UK’s Bradford facility, one of the largest and most productive single-owner chemical plants in the UK, we produce polymers, flocculants and dispersants for wastewater treatment and other heavy industrial sectors. Solenis+1
Our site is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and RC14001 and we’re strongly committed to safety, quality, environmental performance and community engagement. Solenis+1
We’re proud of our people, the industrial-scale operation and the role we play in West Yorkshire’s manufacturing sector.

Role Purpose

We are seeking an experienced and proactive HR professional with solid employee relations capability to join our site HR team and act as the employee relations subject-matter expert. You’ll partner with site leadership and HR colleagues at Bradford to foster a positive, compliant, and engaging employee relations culture across a large manufacturing environment.

You will:

• Provide expert advice and support on employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance, performance management, absence/occupational health, industrial relations (including works council/union engagement if applicable), redundancy/consultation processes and change management.
• Partner with site management to ensure fair, consistent and lawful application of HR policies and procedures, aligned to global HR standards and local UK employment law.
• Own investigations, fact-finding, hearings, appeals and ensure accurate documentation, outcomes and lessons learned.
• Drive proactive employee relations strategies: engagement, early intervention, employee voice, recognition of trends, root cause-analysis and action.
• Support change programmes: organisational restructures, consultation processes, site-wide initiatives and ensure robust two-way communication.
• Provide coaching and training to line managers on effective employee relations, performance conversations, absence management and conflict resolution.
• Work with Occupational Health, Safety & Wellness, and Diversity & Inclusion functions to ensure ER risks are mitigated and we maintain high standards of employee wellbeing.
• Maintain accurate ER metrics, dashboards and report to site and HR leadership on trends, hotspots, cost, and recommended interventions.
• Act as trusted link between site HR and central HR/global centres of excellence to ensure consistent application of ER frameworks and escalation where required.

Key Skills & Experience

• Proven experience in an HR/Employee Relations role in a manufacturing, industrial or high‐hazard environment is strongly preferred.
• Robust knowledge of UK employment law and good practice (discipline, grievance, absence, redundancy, TUPE, consultation etc.).
• Demonstrable experience handling complex investigations, hearings and appeals with fairness, integrity and rigour.
• Strong influencing, negotiation and stakeholder management skills — able to engage with site leadership, managers, employees and unions/unions representatives (if applicable).
• Ability to diagnose trends, propose proactive action and deliver solutions that support business objectives and positive employee relations culture.
• Good coaching/training skills to empower managers to handle ER issues effectively.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; high level of professionalism and confidentiality.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise in a fast-paced manufacturing site environment.
• Proficient in MS Office; experience with HRIS/ER case-management systems desirable.
• CIPD qualified (or equivalent) preferred.

What We Offer

• A role in a globally operating speciality chemicals company with a significant UK manufacturing footprint and strong commitment to sustainability, safety and community. (See our Bradford site info.) Solenis+1
• An opportunity to drive real-business impact at site level, making a visible difference to culture, management capability and employee engagement.
• Competitive salary and benefits package (to be discussed at interview).
• Opportunity to work in a site with strong focus on safety, quality and continuous improvement.
• Support for ongoing professional development and growth.