Job Description – HR Manager
Role Overview
Job Title: HR Manager
Department: Group People, HR and Compliance
Reports to: Chief People and Compliance Officer
Location: Group HQ, Unit 4A Pepper Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, with travel to Aaron Group business unit offices and operational sites as required
Hours: Full-time
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £45,000 – £50,000 per annum, depending on experience.
Purpose of the Role
The HR Manager will lead the day-to-day delivery of a consistent, legally compliant and commercially effective HR function across Aaron Engineering Group and its business units.
Reporting to the Chief People and Compliance Officer, the role will support the Group in strengthening recruitment, onboarding, induction, employee relations, probation, performance management, HR governance, policy implementation, training record control, employee communication and manager capability.
The role is intended to close the current gaps identified across the Group in recruitment compliance, onboarding consistency, policy adherence, PDR cadence, training delivery, line management standards, remote working controls and HR data quality. These areas are expressly reflected in the Group HR Manager job description and Strategy Day notes.
The HR Manager will act as a practical and visible HR lead across Aaron Group, ensuring HR processes are not only documented, but actively embedded, followed and evidenced across the business.
Key Responsibilities
HR Leadership and Group HR Delivery
- Manage the day-to-day HR function across Aaron Engineering Group and its business units.
- Support the Chief People and Compliance Officer in delivering a consistent Group HR operating model.
- Provide clear, practical and commercially balanced HR advice to managers and senior leaders.
- Ensure HR processes are applied consistently across the Group, including recruitment, onboarding, probation, employee relations, performance management, absence, policy acknowledgement, training and employee communications.
- Act as a trusted HR point of contact for employees, workers, managers and directors.
- Support the development of a professional, confidential and responsive HR service across the Group.
Recruitment and Workforce Planning
- Manage and support recruitment activity across the Group, ensuring recruitment processes are properly approved, documented and evidenced.
- Work with managers to define role requirements, job descriptions, adverts, interview processes and candidate selection criteria.
- Ensure recruitment activity follows fair, consistent and legally compliant processes.
- Maintain recruitment records and ensure evidence is available for audit, review and internal governance purposes.
- Support workforce planning, succession planning and role changes in line with business growth and operational requirements.
- Ensure promotions, changes to roles, pay or employment terms are properly documented and routed through the appropriate approval process.
Onboarding, Induction and New Starter Controls
- Own and improve the Group onboarding and induction process.
- Ensure right-to-work checks, starter documentation, contracts, policy acknowledgements, IT setup, PPE/fleet requirements, training evidence and first-day arrangements are completed before deployment or start date where required.
- Work with line managers, IT, Finance, Fleet, Compliance/HSEQ and Operations to ensure new starters are properly set up and inducted.
- Ensure new starters have clear probation objectives and appropriate 30, 60 and 90-day review arrangements.
- Track and report completion of onboarding, induction and probation documentation.
- Improve the consistency of onboarding across head office, business units, remote offices and site-based teams.
Employee Relations and Manager Support
- Provide first-line and escalation HR support to managers on employee relations matters.
- Support managers with conduct, capability, disciplinary, grievance, absence, welfare, probation and performance concerns.
- Ensure employee relations processes are evidence-led, fair, confidential, legally compliant and aligned with company policy.
- Coach managers to deal with issues promptly and consistently, reducing avoidable escalation and delay.
- Prepare and review HR documentation including meeting invites, outcome letters, investigation notes, absence correspondence and performance improvement documentation.
- Liaise with external HR or legal advisers where appropriate and as directed by the Chief People and Compliance Officer.
- Support early intervention on attendance, conduct, performance and workplace behaviour concerns.
Performance, Probation and PDR Framework
- Own and coordinate the Group probation, one-to-one and PDR cadence.
- Ensure managers set objectives, review performance and record outcomes.
- Track completion of 30, 60 and 90-day probation reviews.
- Support the development of performance management templates, guidance and manager tools.
- Provide HR input on capability, development, training needs and performance concerns.
- Report on PDR completion, probation outcomes and follow-up actions.
- Help embed a culture of timely feedback, accountability and fair performance management.
HR Compliance, Policy and Audit Readiness
- Maintain and improve HR policies, procedures, templates and controlled HR documents.
- Ensure policy acknowledgements are issued, tracked and recorded.
- Maintain HR evidence to support Board reporting, client audits, ISO/RISQS-style audits, supplier questionnaires, framework submissions and internal reviews.
- Support right-to-work compliance, employee record completeness, GDPR awareness, working time documentation and employee file control.
- Work with Compliance/HSEQ colleagues to ensure HR processes support competence, training, fatigue management, wellbeing, fitness for work and deployment readiness, particularly across rail, access, security and site-based operations.
- Support internal HR audits and corrective actions where gaps are identified.
Training, Competence and Worker Records
- Support the maintenance of training records, competence records and role-specific HR evidence.
- Work with managers and Compliance/HSEQ colleagues to identify mandatory training and competence requirements.
- Ensure training records are complete, accurate and available for audit or deployment checks.
- Support the improvement of training matrix reporting and follow-up.
- Help ensure employees and workers are only deployed where appropriate documentation, competence and onboarding controls have been completed.
Systems, HR Data and Continuous Improvement
- Maintain accurate HR data and reporting across employee lifecycle activities.
- Develop and maintain HR trackers and KPI dashboards covering recruitment, onboarding, probation, PDRs, absence, training, policy acknowledgements and employee relations activity.
- Support the implementation of HR software, digital onboarding, document control and approval workflows.
- Improve HR file structures, templates, SharePoint use and document control.
- Identify process gaps, duplication or non-compliance and recommend practical improvements.
- Help move HR from a reactive support function to a consistent control and governance function.
Culture, Communication and Employee Support
- Promote Aaron Group’s culture, values and expected standards through recruitment, onboarding, induction, management guidance and employee communication.
- Build trusted relationships with employees, managers and senior leaders while maintaining confidentiality and professional boundaries.
- Support employee wellbeing, dignity at work, equality, diversity and inclusion, reasonable adjustments and appropriate signposting.
- Assist with Group-wide HR communications, policy updates, process reminders and employee guidance.
- Help ensure HR is visible, approachable, consistent and aligned with Group business objectives.
Key Internal Relationships
- Chief People and Compliance Officer
- Group Board and senior leadership team
- Business Unit Directors, COOs and Managing Directors
- Line managers and supervisors
- Finance and Payroll
- Compliance / HSEQ
- IT and Systems
- Fleet and Procurement
- External HR, legal, occupational health, recruitment and training providers
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- Strong HR generalist experience within a UK SME, multi-site or operational business.
- Good working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
- Experience managing recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, probation, absence and performance processes.
- Ability to coach managers through practical HR issues.
- Strong written communication skills and ability to produce accurate HR documentation.
- High level of confidentiality, judgement and professionalism.
- Strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
- Confident user of Microsoft 365, Excel, SharePoint and HR systems.
- Comfortable working with HR data, trackers, policies, forms and audit evidence.
- Ability to improve processes and embed consistent standards across a growing SME.
- Practical, commercially aware and solution-focused approach.
Desirable
- Experience in construction, engineering, rail, security, access, HV, facilities management or another regulated operational environment.
- Experience supporting HR compliance in audit-led, client-led or framework environments.
- Experience implementing HR systems, onboarding platforms or HR reporting dashboards.
- Experience supporting training matrices, competence records or deployment readiness.
- Previous experience in a Group structure or multi-business environment.
Qualifications
Essential
- CIPD Level 5 or equivalent practical HR experience.
- Good working knowledge of UK employment law, ACAS principles, equality, data protection, right-to-work, working time, family leave, absence and employee relations processes.
Desirable
- CIPD Level 7 or working towards.
- Chartered CIPD membership or ambition to progress towards it.
- Employment law, employee relations, HR systems, investigation or mediation training.
Key Performance Indicators
The HR Manager will be expected to support measurable improvement in:
- Recruitment process compliance and evidence.
- New starter onboarding completion before deployment or start date.
- Right-to-work, contract and starter documentation completion.
- Policy acknowledgement completion.
- Probation review completion at 30, 60 and 90 days.
- PDR and one-to-one completion across the Group.
- Training and competence record accuracy.
- Absence, conduct, capability and performance case management.
- Employee relations documentation quality.
- HR data accuracy and reporting.
- HR policy review and document control.
- Audit-readiness of HR files and records.
- Manager compliance with Group HR processes.
Personal Attributes
- Confident and approachable.
- Practical and commercially aware.
- Professional and discreet.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Able to challenge constructively.
- Comfortable influencing managers and senior leaders.
- Calm under pressure.
- Organised and process-driven.
- Fair, consistent and objective.
- Able to balance employee support with business risk and operational needs.
- Comfortable working in a growing SME where processes are being improved and embedded.
Pay: £45,000.00-£50,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Private medical insurance
Experience:
- HR Manager: 3 years (required)
Work Location: In person
