Network Rail
Who We Are
Join Network Rail! Where People and Connections Matter.
At Network Rail, we’re dedicated to keeping passengers and freight moving safely and efficiently across the country. When you join us, you’re not just part of a team—you’re part of something that matters to millions. We believe that our people are at the heart of what we do, and every role plays a vital part in building a better, more connected railway. We’re committed to creating a diverse, inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve.
We value flexibility and understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance. As a Disability Confident Leader, we’ll do everything we can to accommodate any needs throughout the recruitment process. Safe behaviour is a requirement of working for Network Rail. Applicants should be able to demonstrate their awareness of our safety vision.
About the Role
Eastern Routes Capital Programmes sits at the heart of Network Rail’s ambition to deliver a simpler, better, greener railway. We are responsible for planning and delivering major investment across one of the UK’s busiest and most complex rail networks, covering key routes from London across the East and into the most northern areas of England. We turn strategic investment into tangible outcomes: modernising infrastructure, improving reliability, and supporting passenger growth and freight capability. Our work directly impacts millions of journeys every year and plays a critical role in supporting economic growth across the region.
We manage and deliver a multi-billion-pound portfolio of investment, spanning renewals and enhancements across track, structures, signalling, electrification and major station programmes. Our teams work closely with route businesses, operators, suppliers, and government to ensure that investment delivers safely, efficiently, and with long-term value for the railway. Our people are based across the Eastern Region footprint, with offices in London, Derby, York, with key delivery locations across the entire patch.
We operate in a client model, providing clear governance, financial and delivery oversight while working in partnership with our supply chain.
As a part-time Human Resources Business Partner, you will work with the business leadership team, under the direction of the Head of HR and Senior HR Business Partner, to deliver the business-aligned People Strategy and provide coaching and support to members of the supported leadership team. Across your three working days per week, you will provide pro-active, value-add HR support to the supported business leaders across the function on medium-term and operational people issues.
This position will role model and embed Eastern Region’s culture principles—Show We Care, Listen Learn Improve, Better Together, and Keep It Simple—by:
- Creating an environment of psychological safety and accountability where people can challenge and improve working practices.
- Driving collaboration across teams and partners to deliver whole-system outcomes.
- Promoting continuous improvement and learning.
- Ensuring clear, simple, and focused governance and decision-making.
This role can be based at York, Manchester, or London, with travel across the Region as required.
Key Accountabilities
As a trusted HR Business Partner, you will work closely with senior leaders to shape and deliver people strategies that drive business performance, organisational effectiveness, and employee engagement. You will provide expert coaching, challenge, and guidance across a broad range of people matters, including talent management, employee relations, succession planning, and organisational change.
Collaborating with stakeholders across the business, HR Centres of Expertise, shared services, and Trade Union representatives, you will develop and implement practical, cost-effective people solutions that support strategic objectives, strengthen leadership capability, and foster a high-performance culture. This role requires a commercial mindset, strong relationship-building skills, and the ability to influence and deliver across complex business environments.
Essential Criteria
- Demonstrates strong business/commercial approach and understanding of business needs.
- Proven experience of working in partnership and building strong working relationships with senior managers in order to improve people management.
- Passionate about customer service with the ability to articulate previous achievements through business deliverables.
- Knowledge and experience of implementing best practice HR solutions to drive a high-performance culture.
- Experience of coaching and influencing senior managers.
- Excellent communication skills and ability to negotiate and influence effectively with all levels of an organisation.
- Understands how to work with the business to identify, develop, and retain talent.
- Excellent technical HR knowledge – CIPD qualified or relevant experience to demonstrate level of competence.
- Proven track record of operating in a complex working environment.
- Involvement in organisation change programmes (e.g., TUPE, Organisation re-design, redundancy programmes, etc.).
- Graduate calibre.
Desirable Criteria
- MCIPD/post-graduate human resources qualification.
- Experience of managing projects to successful conclusion.
- Experience of working within a unionised environment.
Key Leadership Capabilities
- Influencing others
- Creating solutions
- Understanding others
- Making things happen
- Thinking flexibly
- Customer focus
Please note: Applicants must provide proof of essential qualifications and/or competencies where required, or demonstrate active progress toward obtaining them, or evidence their applicable experience as a condition of employment.
External How to Apply
Network Rail welcomes applications regardless of age, disability, marital status (including civil partnerships), pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender status, sex (or gender), employment status, trade union affiliation, or other irrelevant factor. We are a Disability Confident Leader employer! We will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. We are here to support you through every step of the recruitment process and to enable you to perform to the best of your ability. If you require any adjustments or modifications please contact Mark Holt (Resourcing Business Partner).
We positively embrace flexible working, recognising that employees may wish to balance work with their family and home life.
Network Rail is required to comply with UK Government standards when carrying out pre-employment checks for all new starters; this includes a basic criminal record check. In addition to the basic criminal record check, in accordance with the UK Government we are also required to verify your identity, right to work in the UK, and previous three years’ employment history. All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.
Please ensure you have the appropriate Right to Work status when applying for this role.
Keeping people safe on the railway is at the heart of everything we do; safe behaviour is therefore a requirement of working for Network Rail. You should be able to demonstrate your personal commitment to safety and awareness of our safety vision.
Network Rail can offer you a rewarding career with competitive pay and excellent benefits including a choice of contributory pension schemes, a generous annual leave package, a bonus scheme, and an annual 75% subsidy on season tickets costing up to £3,333 (to a maximum amount of £2,500). You will also be entitled to 28 days annual leave.
Salary: £43,588 to £53,167 per annum, pro rata.
*Employees will be entitled to a 75% discount off leisure travel, this includes off-peak and super off-peak tickets*
Please note, this is a 3-day working week, part-time opportunity. Closing date 28th July 2026. Late applications will not be accepted. We retain the right to close the advert before the listed closing date based on application volumes.
What’s in it for You
Here are a few of the benefits we offer:
- 28-day annual leave with the option to buy and sell days.
- Choice of pension schemes.
- 75% discount of leisure travel for you and your family.
- Private Healthcare.
- 5 days paid volunteer or carers leave.
- Up to 75% subsidised Rail and Underground travel.
- Gym Pass – access to gyms across UK.
- My Benefits platform—giving national and local retail discount.
Our aim is to ensure your candidate experience is as positive as possible. If you require reasonable adjustments at any point, simply let us know and we’ll do our best to assist you.
All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.
Your Experience and Skills
We are looking for an experienced and proactive HR Business Partner who thrives in a dynamic, operational environment and is passionate about delivering excellent people outcomes. Working three days per week, you will be a trusted advisor to leaders and stakeholders, providing expert support across employee relations, wellbeing initiatives, and strategic people projects.
The ideal candidate will:
- Have proven HR Business Partnering experience, ideally within a large, complex, or matrixed organisation.
- Demonstrate strong employee relations expertise, with the confidence to manage and advise on a broad range of cases including disciplinary, grievance, absence management, performance, and organisational change.
- Be skilled at building credible and influential relationships with managers, trade union representatives, and key stakeholders at all levels.
- Have experience leading or contributing to HR project streams, driving change initiatives, and delivering people-focused improvements aligned to business objectives.
- Be comfortable working independently while collaborating effectively with wider HR and business teams.
- Have the flexibility to travel as required between Manchester, London, and York to support stakeholders and business needs.
Above all, we are seeking an HR professional who combines strong commercial awareness with empathy, resilience, and a practical, solutions-focused approach, helping to create a positive and high-performing workplace across Network Rail.
