Maria Davies Associate CIPD

CIPD Level 5 HR Professional | People & Operations Partner supporting frontline managers | Absence Management, ER Exposure & Practical OD | Operational & Data-Led

Warfield, England, United Kingdom

About

People-focused operational leader with a strong foundation in HR practice and a CIPD Level 5 qualification, bringing extensive experience supporting and coaching managers across large, multi-site environments. Over 15 years, I have led complex frontline operations at scale while working closely with HR teams on employee relations matters, absence management, workforce planning and organisational change. I bring a pragmatic, OD-informed mindset, focusing on manager capability, consistency and engagement to improve outcomes for both employees and the organisation.

Experience

  • HR Adviser – Families First Partnership Programme Bracknell Forest Council at Bracknell Forest Council
    Jun 2026 - Present · 2 mos

  • Human Resources Consultant FTC at Surrey County Council
    Jan 2026 - Jun 2026 · 6 mos

    HR Business Partnering | Employee Relations | Workforce Strategy | Public Sector Description: Partnering with senior stakeholders and operational leaders across services to deliver pragmatic, risk-aware HR solutions within a complex public sector environment. Act as a trusted advisor to leaders, influencing decision-making on employee relations, organisational change, and workforce strategy. Lead end-to-end management of complex ER cases (disciplinary, grievance, absence, capability), ensuring alignment with UK employment law and organisational policy. Drive consistency and capability by coaching and upskilling managers in people management, improving confidence and reducing organisational risk. Support organisational change activity including restructures, role redesign, and consultation processes, ensuring compliance and effective engagement. Design and implement practical HR tools and frameworks (e.g. absence management processes, case trackers, guidance materials) to improve operational efficiency. Collaborate with Occupational Health and cross-functional teams to deliver holistic, employee-centred outcomes. Champion wellbeing, engagement and proactive case resolution to enhance employee experience and service delivery.

  • Professional development at Career Break
    Feb 2025 - Dec 2025 · 11 mos

    Retraining to get CIPD and AI certification

  • Area Manager at Mountain Warehouse
    Apr 2024 - Feb 2025 · 11 mos

    • Partnered with HR to ensure legal compliance and mitigate organisational risk. • Managed end-to-end people processes, including ER cases (grievance, disciplinaries, absence) and performance management. • Designed and implemented succession planning frameworks, coaching store managers and preparing them for advanced leadership roles. • Improved engagement through inclusive practices and development programmes, with the area ranking in the top four nationally for year-end LFL and sales results. • Acted as a trusted people leader, balancing commercial delivery with workforce development and alignment to long-term HR priorities. • Liaised with payroll and HR systems to ensure accurate processing of employee data and contractual changes.

  • District Manager at Robert Dyas
    Jul 2019 - May 2024 · 4 yrs 11 mos

    • Responsible for a turnover of circa 35 million and accountable for all KPI metrics from sales to shrink to colleague engagement. • Responsibility for 3rd party services for Robert Dyas and management of London Area running 25 stores. • Partnered with HR on talent development programmes, strengthening leadership pipelines. • Coaching managers on HR policy, ER, and wellbeing while leading performance and training initiatives. • Supported organisational change projects, balancing business goals with people impact. • Deputised for the Head of Operations, contributing to organisational change projects and business-wide people initiatives. • Lead within Robert Dyas to develop commercial/sales strategies to drive profitability of services within chain including budget construction and reporting set up. This led to services exceeding budget and showed double digit growth over the last 3 years I have been in the role. • Liaising with global businesses and successfully building strong relationships to deliver services plan with mutual benefits.