Responsibilities
* Inclusive Environment: Wellbeing room, Multi-faith room, Employee Representative Groups (Gender, LGBTQ+, International, Generational, Disability, Social & Cultural Diversity, Neurodiversity)
* A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a new Head of Social Policy & Industrial Relations (SPIR) for Airbus Commercial Aircraft in the UK. This is an exciting time to lead the Airbus UK Commercial Aircraft SPIR team. As the successful candidate you will lead the social strategy for the company in the UK, fostering simplification and innovative solutions to our activities and ways of working. You will contribute to maintaining a good social climate and develop trustful, constructive relationships with key trade union representatives. Providing strategic and operational leadership to the SPIR team, you will promote team performance and visibility through anticipation, communication, transparency, best practice sharing and external benchmarking. You will also lead and influence change as part of the UK HR leadership team.
* Strategic Roadmap: Define and execute a social strategy that ensures long-term industrial stability while maintaining the operational agility required for Airbus Operations Ltd.
* Industrial Relations: Lead negotiations and consultations with national Trade Unions and employee representatives, fostering a constructive partnership approach.
* Legislative Leadership: Proactively monitor emerging employment legislation, integrating new legal requirements into our framework while balancing compliance with operational flexibility.
* Policy & Governance: Develop and maintain Airbus UK HR policies, ensuring they reflect current best practices in inclusion, equality, and diversity.
* Transnational Collaboration: Contribute to the broader SPIR transnational strategy in coordination with the Transnational Head of Employee Relations.
* Stakeholder Management: Represent Airbus before external bodies, including government agencies and employer associations, and lead the UK Consultative Forum.
* Operational Support: Provide pragmatic solutions for complex employee relations issues, supporting HR Business Partners and operational managers in resolving both collective and individual disputes.
Qualifications
Who You Are You are a resilient leader who thrives in complex, unionized environments. You possess the rare ability to challenge the "status quo" while maintaining deep professional respect across all levels of an organization.
* Proven Track Record: Extensive experience managing complex employee relations and large-scale change management programmes within a unionized landscape.
* Subject Matter Expertise: Deep, up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law and a sophisticated understanding of HR best practices.
* Leadership: A natural ability to lead, motivate, and develop multi-site teams, operating with integrity and setting high ethical standards.
* Analytical Rigor: Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to provide pragmatic advice on ambiguous or complex topics.
* Influence: Exceptional communication and negotiation skills (English at negotiation level), with a focus on a partnership-driven approach.
* Lean Mindset: Experience in adopting lean methodologies to eliminate non-value-added tasks and drive efficiency.
Benefits
* Financial Reward: Competitive salary, annual profit share, contributory pension, share options, car leasing scheme, free onsite parking, tax‑free technology scheme, shopping discounts and much more
* Work / Life Balance: 35 hour week, flexible working around core hours and Friday afternoons off, hybrid working, option to buy/sell holiday
* Personal Development: Personalised development plan and unlimited access to 10,000+ E-learning courses, internal mobility including international opportunities
* Health & Wellbeing: Bupa health insurance (including assisted fertility treatments and gender dysphoria & reassignment support), wellbeing benefits (including 24/7 online GP and mental health support), discounted family health/dental insurance/eye tests, cycle‑to‑work scheme, on‑site canteen and coffee shop, lunchtime yoga/meditation
* Family and Caregiving: Life assurance, enhanced pay for parental leave (23 weeks at 100% pay), adoption/shared parental/caregiving leave, purpose-built maternity rooms on site
* Corporate Support: Not a 100% match? No worries! Airbus supports your personal growth with customised development solutions.
Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief. Airbus is, and always has been, committed to equal opportunities for all. As such, we will never ask for any type of monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process. Any impersonation of Airbus to do so should be reported to emsom@airbus.com.
At Airbus, we support you to work, connect and collaborate more easily and flexibly. Wherever possible, we foster flexible working arrangements to stimulate innovative thinking.
#J-18808-Ljbffr