Head of Social Policy & Industrial Relations (SPIR) – Airbus UK

Job Description:

SECURITY CLEARANCE: Eligibility to gain UK SC Security Clearance

TRAVEL REQUIRED: Some travel within UK

LOCATION: Broughton or Filton (60% of your working week must be office based)

TYPE: Full time 

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU

• 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, flexible 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

• Inclusive Environment: Wellbeing room, Multi-faith room, Employee Representative Groups (Gender, LGBTQ+, International, Generational, Disability, Social & Cultural Diversity, Neurodiversity) 

Our world is changing. And so are we. From our commitment to zero-carbon flight) to cleaning up space, sustainability is at the heart of our purpose. So what's your next change?

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. 

The role reports directly to the UK HR Director for Airbus Commercial Aircraft

As the Head of SPIR, you are the architect of our social roadmap. Your focus will be divided between high-level strategy and operational leadership, ensuring our workforce relations are strong and collaborative. 

Key Responsibilities:

• 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.

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.

Required Skills & Experience:

• 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.

Not a 100% match? No worries! Airbus supports your personal growth with customised development solutions.

HOW WE CAN SUPPORT YOU

Many of our staff work flexibly in many different ways, including part-time. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need and we’ll always do our best to accommodate your request. 

Please let us know if you need us to make any adjustments for the selection process – you can share this with your Talent Acquisition Partner if you are invited to interview. Examples may include (but not exclusive to) accessible facilities; auxiliary aids; room layout, etc. Any information disclosed will be treated in the strictest confidence.

As a Disability Confident Employer, Airbus UK will offer an interview to any applicant that considers themselves to have a disability or long-term condition under the Equality Act 2010 and meets the minimum criteria of the role (as set out in the job advert). To ‘opt in’, just select the option during your application submission and your application will be considered accordingly.

#LI-MC1

 

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Company:

Airbus Operations Limited

Employment Type:

Permanent

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Experience Level:

Professional

Job Family:

Leadership

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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.