HR Generalist

Overview

Please note - this role requires regular weekly travel to our London office and occasional 2-4 times a month travel to our Midlands and/or Northern offices. 

 At Sisk, we create places and infrastructure that shape how people live, work and connect – now and for future generations. As a family-owned, international construction and engineering group, we offer meaningful careers across building, infrastructure, rail, energy and off-site manufacturing throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe. 

We are seeking an organised, proactive and people-focused HR Generalist to support the delivery of HR services across our business. Reporting to the Senior HR Business Partner, SCUK, this role will provide operational HR support to managers and employees, helping to deliver people initiatives, employee relations support and effective people processes across assigned business areas. 

Whilst primarily supporting the SCUK business, the successful candidate will work closely with managers and employees across a range of functions and locations. As part of the wider People Team, there may be opportunities to support HR projects, initiatives and periods of increased business demand across Infrastructure, Rail and other business units as required. 

The role will work closely with the Senior HR Business Partner, HR Operations and Centres of Excellence to ensure a consistent, positive and compliant employee experience. 

Due to the nature of our operations, this role requires regular travel to offices and project sites throughout the UK. The successful candidate must be willing and able to travel across multiple business locations, including project sites, regional offices, the Dublin Head Office and, on occasion, European offices and project locations as business needs require. Flexibility and a willingness to travel are essential requirements of this role. 

John Sisk & Son have been building excellence as a family-owned international construction company by offering trust, certainty and value to our clients whilst being at the heart of change.   

Responsibilities

Stakeholder Engagement & HR Support 

• Build strong working relationships with managers, employees and HR colleagues across the business. 

• Act as a trusted first point of contact for day-to-day HR advice and guidance. 

• Support managers in the application of company policies, procedures and People practices. 

• Work collaboratively with Recruitment, HR Operations, Reward and Learning & Development teams to provide a joined-up HR service. 

• Develop an understanding of the business, operational challenges and workforce requirements to provide practical HR support. 

• Maintain regular visibility across business locations and project sites to build strong relationships and understand local people issues. 

• Act as a visible and accessible member of the People Team across offices and project sites. 

• Support managers in navigating people processes and accessing specialist support where required. 

• Work alongside the Senior HR Business Partner to understand business challenges and support the delivery of practical HR solutions. 

Employee Relations & HR Advisory 

• Provide first-line HR guidance to managers and employees on policies, procedures and people-related queries. 

• Support the Senior HR Business Partner in managing employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance, absence management, probation reviews and performance concerns. 

• Assist in the coordination of employee relations cases, including preparing documentation, note taking and tracking actions. 

• Attend formal and informal meetings to provide HR support and ensure compliance with company policies and procedures. 

• Support investigations by gathering information, preparing documentation and coordinating meetings. 

• Assist with long-term absence, wellbeing and occupational health processes, ensuring actions are tracked and managed appropriately. 

• Support managers with attendance management processes, return-to-work discussions and wellbeing conversations. 

• Escalate complex, sensitive or high-risk matters to the Senior HR Business Partner. 

• Promote fair, consistent and legally compliant people management practices across the business. 

People Processes & HR Operations Collaboration

• Act as a key liaison between the business and HR Operations team. 

• Support managers with employee changes including transfers, promotions, restructures, reporting line changes, contract amendments and leaver activity through established HR processes. 

• Assist managers in preparing and submitting required documentation and approvals. 

• Monitor progress of people-related requests and ensure timely completion through HR Operations. 

• Support organisational changes and workforce movements by coordinating actions between stakeholders. 

• Maintain employee relations trackers and records to ensure accurate reporting and governance. 

• Support workforce planning and organisational reviews through the maintenance of organisational charts, trackers and workforce data. 

• Coordinate actions arising from people reviews, organisational changes and business updates. 

Talent, Engagement & Wellbeing 

• Support the delivery of employee engagement, wellbeing, inclusion and recognition initiatives. 

• Assist managers in identifying learning and development needs within their teams. 

• Support talent review, succession planning and workforce planning activities through coordination, administration and reporting. 

• Promote participation in development programmes, mentoring initiatives and internal opportunities. 

• Assist with employee survey action plans and local engagement initiatives. 

• Support employee networking groups, engagement events and local people initiatives. 

• Support activities that enhance employee retention, development and career progression. 

• Contribute to building a positive, inclusive and engaging workplace culture. 

People Data & Reporting 

• Produce and maintain HR reports, dashboards and workforce data. 

• Monitor trends relating to absence, turnover, vacancies and employee relations activity. 

• Support the Senior HR Business Partner with data analysis and reporting. 

• Prepare people metrics, reports and updates to support business and leadership discussions. 

• Maintain employee relations trackers, organisational data and workforce records. 

• Maintain accurate people records and ensure GDPR compliance. 

• Highlight emerging trends, risks and opportunities to the Senior HR Business Partner. 

• Support audit, governance and compliance activities as required. 

Policy, Governance & Compliance 

• Support the implementation and communication of HR policies and procedures. 

• Ensure all activities comply with employment legislation and company standards. 

• Contribute to HR projects and continuous improvement initiatives. 

• Share learnings, best practice and recommendations arising from employee relations cases and business activities. 

• Support policy reviews and updates where required. 

• Identify opportunities to improve employee experience and HR service delivery. 

• Support wider People Team initiatives and project work as required. 

Experience

• Previous experience in a HR Generalist, HR Advisor or similar HR role. 

• Experience supporting employee relations matters and providing guidance to managers. 

• Good knowledge of UK employment legislation and HR best practice. 

• Strong interpersonal skills with an approachable and professional style. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 

• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities. 

• Proactive, solution-focused and resilient approach. 

• Commercial awareness and understanding of operational business environments. 

• Ability to build credibility and effective relationships at all levels. 

• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage confidential information. 

• Experience supporting managers within a multi-site or operational environment. 

• Experience producing and analysing HR data and people metrics would be advantageous. 

• Experience working within construction, engineering, infrastructure or project-based businesses would be advantageous. 

• Willingness to travel regularly to project sites and offices across the UK, Ireland and occasionally Europe. 

Qualifications

• Degree in Human Resources, Business or a related discipline desirable. 

• CIPD Level 3 or Level 5 qualification, or working towards professional accreditation. 

• Sound understanding of UK employment legislation. 

• Strong Microsoft Office skills, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. 

• Evidence of continued professional development. 

• Full UK driving licence desirable. 

Additional Information

What Success Looks Like 

• Managers receive timely, practical and commercially focused HR support. 

• Employee relations matters are effectively coordinated and supported in line with company policy and employment legislation. 

• Strong partnerships are built across SCUK business areas, offices and project sites. 

• HR processes run smoothly through effective collaboration with HR Operations and Centres of Excellence. 

• Employees have a positive experience and feel supported throughout their employment journey. 

• People-related risks are identified early and escalated appropriately. 

• High-quality HR data, reporting and workforce insights are provided to support decision-making. 

• The Senior HR Business Partner is supported in delivering the People agenda through effective coordination, employee relations support, stakeholder engagement and project assistance. 

At Sisk, your rewards package goes far beyond your salary. Our most valued benefits include: 

• Competitive salary 

• 26 days annual leave 

• Pension scheme 
• Travel costs covered

• Comprehensive health, wellbeing and lifestyle supports 

• Career development opportunities and much more as part of our Total Rewards programme 

Our people are at the heart of our success and our proposition to them is work with purpose, have time for life, build a career with no limits and surround yourself with great people.     

Our Internal Recruitment Team fulfil all vacancies on a direct basis. Unsolicited contact by unapproved agencies (sharing speculative CVs) will not be accepted and introductory fees will not apply.    

*The full job specification is available on request     

At Sisk we are committed to attracting and hiring diverse talent into our organisation. We know the confidence gap and imposter phenomenon can get in the way of meeting remarkable candidates. We also know that candidates from underrepresented backgrounds often don't apply for roles if they don't feel they meet all the criteria. Give your transferable skills the chance to tell the full story. It’s not all about your technical expertise. Don’t hold back, we’d love to hear from you