Associate People Partner

Shape how managers handle people matters across a growing organisation with real purpose Are you an experienced Employee Relations professional looking for a role where you can make a genuine impact? Do you enjoy partnering with managers, solving complex people challenges, and helping create positive workplace cultures? At RCI Group, we're looking for an Associate People Partner to join our growing People team. This is an opportunity to take ownership of a varied ER caseload while coaching and developing managers to handle people matters confidently, fairly, and effectively. About RCI Group Since 2018, RCI Group has brought together specialist health, justice, and social care providers across the UK. Collectively, our businesses have supported more than 36,000 NHS professionals to improve services, provided secure transport for over 30,000 people with mental health needs, and helped more than 20,000 individuals with communication difficulties access justice. Everything we do is guided by our values of Respect, Courage, and Impact. As we continue to grow, we're investing in a People function that helps our colleagues and leaders thrive. As an Associate People Partner, you'll be a trusted advisor to managers across the Group, managing a diverse employee relations caseload and supporting a wide range of people initiatives. You'll play a key role in resolving cases fairly and consistently while helping managers build the confidence and capability to address people issues before they escalate. Alongside day-to-day ER activity, you'll contribute to organisational change projects, consultations, TUPE activity, and wider People initiatives. Key Responsibilities Manage a caseload of up to 30 employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, flexible working, redundancy, and contract change matters. Provide expert guidance and coaching to managers on ER processes and employment best practice. Design and deliver engaging manager training on topics including disciplinaries, grievances, performance management, and absence management. Support employment tribunal preparation, working closely with People Partners and Divisional People Leads, including liaison with ACAS. Lead smaller-scale employee consultations and support larger organisational change programmes. Contribute to TUPE projects and restructuring activities across the Group. Identify trends and root causes behind employee relations issues, providing insights and recommendations to prevent recurrence. Promote consistent, fair, and legally compliant people practices across the business. About You We're looking for a confident and pragmatic HR professional who enjoys building relationships and balancing commercial needs with employee wellbeing. You'll have: Strong generalist HR and employee relations experience. Proven experience independently managing complex ER casework. Experience supporting or preparing documentation for employment tribunal claims. A sound understanding of UK employment law and ACAS guidance. The confidence to coach, influence, and challenge managers constructively. Experience supporting consultation exercises and organisational change programmes. Knowledge and experience of TUPE processes. Previous experience working within a shared-service HR environment. CIPD Level 5 qualification (or currently working toward Level 7). What We Offer Competitive salary Hybrid working arrangement Pension scheme Professional development and CIPD support Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) Wellbeing initiatives and additional colleague benefits The opportunity to work for a values-led organisation making a difference across health, justice, and social care sectors Ready to Apply? If you're passionate about employee relations and want to make a meaningful impact within a growing organisation, we'd love to hear from you. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout the recruitment process to ensure every candidate has the opportunity to perform at their best. Apply today and help us build a people-focused culture where colleagues can thrive.