Senior HR Advisor

Who We Are 

Ultimate Performance (U.P.) is the world’s largest globally scaled private personal training business, operating across multiple regions with a reputation for exceptional results, elite coaching, and a truly premium client experience. Backed by leading private equity firm Inflexion, we are a high-performance, growth-focused organisation with a strong commercial foundation and international reach. 

We are entering an exciting next phase of growth, with a clear ambition to significantly expand our global studio footprint over the coming years. This is a pivotal moment for the business and an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the evolution of a truly international, performance-driven brand. 

The Opportunity

We have a rare opportunity within our People team for a Senior HR Advisor (Employee Relations) to play a key role in supporting our global people agenda, with a strong focus on employee relations, compliance, and manager capability. 

This is not a passive or purely administrative HR role. Our HR team operates as trusted people and business partners, working closely with leaders across the organisation to ensure people decisions are fair, robust, and commercially sound. You will support, coach, and at times appropriately challenge managers, bringing credibility, empathy, and strong judgement to complex situations. 

This role offers genuine autonomy and trust. You will be empowered to manage your own workload and priorities, with the freedom to build strong, effective relationships with managers across the global business. It requires confidence, sound judgement, and the ability to operate independently while knowing when to escalate or collaborate. 

Reporting directly to the Head of HR, and with exposure to the Chief People Officer on wider initiatives, this role provides meaningful visibility and the opportunity to develop breadth alongside depth. You will take a hands-on role in managing employee relations matters globally, supporting disciplinary processes, performance improvement plans, and terminations, while ensuring consistency and best practice across the business. 

Alongside core employee relations responsibilities, you will work closely with the Learning & Development team to support manager capability initiatives. This will include identifying common themes, risks, and development needs emerging from employee relations casework, contributing to the design of manager development programmes, and supporting the creation and delivery of practical, relevant training and upskilling initiatives. 

You will work as part of a close-knit, collaborative People team, with dedicated colleagues supporting onboarding, benefits administration, learning and development, recruitment, and health and safety. The team works closely with Payroll to ensure accuracy, compliance, and a seamless employee experience across the full employment lifecycle. Within this structure, you will have clear ownership of employee relations matters and will play a key role in ensuring that offboarding processes, including exits and terminations, are handled consistently, compliantly, and in line with best practice across all jurisdictions. 

This is an excellent opportunity for a Senior HR Advisor with circa 3–5 years’ experience who is looking to deepen their ER expertise and progress toward an HR Business Partner or HR Manager role over time. As the business continues to scale globally, the scope and impact of this role will grow accordingly, offering genuine development, increased responsibility, and exposure to broader people strategy and leadership initiatives. 

You will thrive if you enjoy pace, complexity, and working within a premium, performance-led organisation that sets high standards and values pragmatic, commercially grounded HR support. 

Requirements

The Ideal You

You’ll bring strong, practical experience across core HR disciplines, including: 

• Proven employee relations expertise, with confidence managing cases end-to-end 

• Strong performance management experience, both proactive and reactive 

• Solid HR operational and compliance knowledge 

• Experience supporting and coaching managers 

• Sound judgement, with the ability to balance risk, fairness, and commercial outcomes 

• Experience working in a fast-paced, multi-site or operational environment 

• Confidence to build relationships and appropriately challenge upwards 

• Comfort operating in ambiguity, with a pragmatic and commercially minded approach 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and debate constructively 

• Exposure to international or cross-border HR matters (desirable, not essential — support provided for more complex jurisdictions) 

• A genuine interest in health, fitness, and wellbeing 

• A degree or qualification in Human Resources or a related field (or working towards) 

The Focus

The role will centre on employee relations, operational compliance, performance management, and learning & development, while ensuring alignment with global labour laws, local regulations, and internal frameworks, always balancing risk, performance, and culture.

For more on who we are and what we stand for, visit www.ultimateperformance.com 

The Detail

1. Employee Relations & Case Management

• Act as the first point of contact for all employee relations matters across the gym estate
• Manage employee relations cases end-to-end, including grievances, disciplinary actions, performance concerns, and absence management
• Ensure fair, consistent, and timely case management in line with company policy and best practice
• Maintain accurate case documentation and records
• Escalate complex or high-risk cases appropriately
• Promote positive employee relations and a respectful workplace culture
• Adapt style and approach to local labor requirements and culture

2. Performance Management

• Support the delivery of performance management under the company’s structured framework (PT Check-In)
• Coach Gym Managers on setting objectives, conducting monthly reviews, and addressing underperformance
• Provide guidance on improvement plans, capability processes, and outcomes
• Ensure performance processes are applied consistently and fairly across locations
• Support managers in developing high-performing teams

3. Operational HR Compliance

• Ensure Personal Trainers (PTs) and Gym Managers follow corporate HR processes and policies
• Monitor compliance with contracts, working time requirements, and people processes
• Support audits and internal checks related to HR operations
• Identify risks and recommend corrective actions
• Support consistent application of process and policies across all gyms

4. Local Labour Relations & Legal Compliance

• Ensure gyms operate in compliance with local labour laws and employment regulations in each country
• Apply global HR standards while respecting local legal and cultural requirements
• Stay informed of changes in employment legislation and best practice
• Support managers with local labour relation issues and compliance queries
• Partner with external advisors where required

5. Business Partnering with Gym Managers

• Build strong, trusted relationships with Gym Managers and regional leaders
• Provide proactive HR support, guidance, and coaching
• Advise managers on people processes, policies, and decision-making
• Translate business needs into practical HR solutions
• Support change initiatives and people-related projects

6. Learning & Development

• Lead and support the internal Gym Manager (GM) Pathway programme
• Contribute to the design and development of learning materials and content
• Support delivery of training sessions, workshops, and development initiatives
• Work with stakeholders to identify development needs
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and growth

What we value 

At UP, we believe in high standards and personal accountability. We look for people who embody our values: 

Results-Driven: You focus on outcomes that genuinely move the needle 

Own It: You take full ownership, wins, failures, & everything in between. 

Passion for Progress: You’re driven by growth, not just the finish line. 

Supportive & Personalised: You adapt your approach because no two people (or challenges) are the same 

Benefits

What You’ll Get 

Here’s what you can expect when you join the UP team: 

• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays 
• Pension scheme: salary sacrifice with employer contributions 
• Electric vehicle scheme

• Simply Health policy: claim back costs for dental, optical, physio, massage & more 

• Exclusive UP discounts, including 40% off our supplements, books, and partner offers 

• Personal Training discounts: up to 50% off our world-class transformation programme (up to 36 sessions a year) for you and a loved one 

• Salary sacrifice benefits: Cycle to Work, Tech, and Home schemes 

• Employee Assistance Programme: free 24/7 mental health, counselling, and financial advice 

• Free group fitness classes at our Manchester gym in Spinningfields 

• Hybrid working: two days per week working from home 

If you are interested in the Senior HR Advisor Role we’d love to hear from you. Apply now! 

All job applicants are required to have a valid right to work.

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