People and HR Generalist

About Ember

We're building the future of public transport — convenient, connected, affordable and zero-emission. Our goal is to make it easier to get from A to B with Ember than it is with your own car.

We’ve already demonstrated that it's possible to use electric buses more intensively than anyone else in the world. This leads to a massive emissions reduction and is only possible because we control the full-stack and integrate it tightly together. That includes the tech platform, the charging infrastructure and the vehicles themselves. This also means we’re providing a much better passenger experience with innovative features like demand-responsive stops.

We’ve come a long way but we’re still small, with a handful of routes and 118 buses. The challenge is to scale this 50x whilst staying lean, increasing efficiency and delivering an even better product experience. We’ve recently raised equity from some of Europe’s leading climate VCs and are looking for mission-driven individuals who can help take us to the next level.

The role

This role is all about the Ember team. That means working with our Operations team and our in-house tech system to ensure that our teams right across Scotland have the guidance, structure and support that they need.

If you have a real enthusiasm for HR and all people-related matters, then we’d love to chat. Some aspects of the role will be future-facing, meaning working with our Operations Lead to develop and define our policies and our people strategy. Other parts will be reactive and will mean supporting in sensitive and difficult situations. We need someone who thrives in the middle of a busy environment. We operate a 24/7 timetable so there are always buses and drivers on the road. This isn’t a 24/7 role, but it involves supporting team members who work a wide variety of shift patterns in locations right across the country.

Attitude is more important to us than your exact level of experience. Much more important is being able to establish and maintain strong relationships, stay organised, and work calmly and precisely in a fast-growing company.

What you will do

We're still very much a scale-up and this is our first People hire, so your role will be broad. At a minimum it will include:

• Day to day involvement in supporting Ember’s City Leads with all aspects of employee relations and wider people matters
• Leading on compliance and wider onboarding checks
• Looking after complex and sensitive employee relations cases where appropriate
• Helping to manage continuous professional development for our wider team
• Assisting in developing People and HR policies that work at scale and in multiple markets
• Producing HR reports and metrics to support business decision-making.
• Supporting in Ember’s ongoing recruitment initiatives
• Working to master a deep understanding of relevant employment law

Start dates and timings An immediate start is available for the right candidate

Diversity and equality

At Ember, we support diversity across our team and customers. We work to ensure every employee feels respected and able to give their best, whether temporary, part-time or full-time. We’re happy to offer flexible working patterns where they make sense, are compassionate when it comes to time off and offer enhanced maternity and paternity leave.

Read more about our approach in our Equal Opportunities Policy.

What’s on offer

As well as a salary of £40,000 to £50,000 per annum, depending on your experience, you'll be eligible for share options through a share options scheme.

How do I apply?

Apply using the form, providing a CV and a cover letter explaining why you're right for this opportunity.

How you work and think is much more important to us than senior industry experience. A genuine passion for climate or public transport, or even both, is also very valuable and we'll teach you the rest. You don't need to be a master of anything (yet) but shouldn't feel out of your depth anywhere.

CIPD Level 5 qualification is highly desirable, though we also welcome applicants with equivalent hands-on HR management experience. At a minimum, you should possess demonstrable HR experience and/or qualifications, and should be:

• An excellent communicator (written and verbal)
• Detail oriented, ensuring nothing slips past you unnoticed
• Fast at learning new tech systems
• Very organised with the ability to juggle competing priorities
• Able to make effective use of AI tools and keen to develop and sharpen your skills in this area
• A good human, who understands that we're all humans doing our best to make a difference
• Excited to work in public transport, providing a great service for as many people as possible

We look for a range of qualities in all members of Ember's Team, and the following should resonate with you:

• A strong sense of what good really looks like whatever the topic, problem, or issue. After all, good is good.
• An instinct and curiosity that draws you to problems and drives you to find a solution, rather than hoping someone else picks it up.
• An innate structured thinker – everything is a series of steps which can be broken down and rationalised.
• An ability to build strong relationships with a diverse range of people, from drivers to software developers.