HR Advisor

Cold Chain Technologies supports the global pharmaceutical and life science industries delivering lifesaving temperature controlled shipments. Our uniquely innovative containers maintain the cold chain, preventing shipments being spoiled or delayed, and delivering temperature sensitive products to patients on time and to help save lives. 

To support our ongoing growth, we are now looking for a part-time HR Advisor to join our team at our Madrid site (formerly Exeltainer).

This is a stand-alone, part-time HR Advisor role providing comprehensive, hands-on HR support to managers and employees in Madrid. The role operates within a unionised environment and requires a solid understanding of Spanish employment law and collective bargaining agreements.

The HR Advisor partners with managers to deliver practical HR solutions, supports employee relations matters, and ensures HR processes are compliant, consistent, and aligned with both business needs and local legal requirements, while forming part of the wider HR EMEA team.

Key Responsibilities

• HR Operations & Administration
• • Manage employee annual leave, ensuring accurate records, appropriate approvals, and compliance with statutory requirements and collective agreements.
• • Maintain employee communication channels, including regularly updating WhatsApp distribution lists to ensure timely and accurate internal messaging.
  • Oversee sickness absence administration, ensuring accurate tracking, documentation, and compliance with Spanish social security and company requirements.
  • Monitor and manage time and attendance records, resolving discrepancies and ensuring accurate data for payroll processing.
  • Coordinate with temporary staffing agencies, including raising requests, onboarding temporary workers, and ensuring accurate documentation and compliance.
  • Arrange pre-employment and periodic medical examinations with the occupational health provider and ensure records are maintained in line with legal requirements.
  • Support occupational health and safety activities in collaboration with the Quality department, ensuring compliance with safety standards and risk prevention.
  • Act as the main liaison with the Mutua and external prevention services (Servicio de Prevención Ajeno), coordinating accident reporting, follow-ups, and compliance.
  • Organise and manage employee training activities, including scheduling, record-keeping, and administration of funding schemes (e.g. FUNDAE), ensuring compliance.
  • Coordinate procurement and distribution of PPE, ensuring employees have appropriate equipment and records are maintained for audit purposes.

• Employee Relations, Unions & Collective Bargaining
  • Build effective working relationships with managers, providing practical HR advice on employee relations matters in line with Spanish labour law and applicable collective agreements.
  • Act as a key point of contact for trade unions and the Comité de Empresa, supporting regular communication, meetings, and information-sharing processes.
  • Prepare documentation and support consultation processes with employee representatives, ensuring legal requirements and timelines are met.
  • Support collective bargaining processes by gathering relevant data, preparing documentation, and assisting senior HR in negotiations where required.
  • Manage and advise on day-to-day employee relations cases, including disciplinaries, grievances, absence management, and performance issues, ensuring fair and consistent application of policies and agreements.
  • Guide and coach managers on handling employee issues in a unionised environment, helping them apply policies appropriately and manage risk.
  • Ensure all employee relations activities are properly documented, tracked, and stored in line with legal and audit requirements.
  • Escalate complex or high-risk cases to senior HR or legal advisors as appropriate, providing clear summaries and recommendations.

• Organisational Change & HR Projects
  • Support organisational changes such as restructures, role changes, and redundancies, ensuring all processes comply with Spanish labour law and collective consultation obligations.
  • Support managers in implementing changes, including preparing communications and addressing employee queries.
  • Contribute to HR projects aimed at improving processes, compliance, and employee experience within the Spanish operation.

• Recruitment & Onboarding
  • Manage the end-to-end recruitment process for local roles, including drafting job descriptions, coordinating interviews, and ensuring compliant hiring practices.
  • Work with managers to define role requirements and provide guidance on selection decisions in line with fair and inclusive hiring principles.
  • Coordinate onboarding processes, ensuring all contracts, documentation, and system updates are completed accurately and on time.
  • Ensure new starters receive a structured and positive onboarding experience aligned with company standards.

• Performance, Development & Training
  • Support the performance management cycle, ensuring reviews are completed in line with company processes and any applicable agreements.
  • Provide guidance to managers on setting objectives, conducting performance discussions, and managing underperformance.
  • Identify training and development needs in collaboration with managers, supporting the delivery of relevant learning initiatives as well as succession planning and broader talent development activities within the local team.

• Payroll, Reward & Benefits
  • Prepare and validate monthly payroll inputs, ensuring all employee data (e.g. absences, allowances, changes) is accurate and submitted within deadlines.
  • Act as the first point of contact for employee queries relating to pay and benefits, providing clear and timely responses.
  • Support salary review and bonus processes, ensuring alignment with company policy and collective agreements.
  • Assist in reviewing and administering employee benefits in line with local market practice and agreements.

• HR Governance & Compliance

• • Ensure all HR processes and documentation comply with Spanish employment law, collective agreements, and internal policies.
  • Maintain accurate, up-to-date HR records and systems, ensuring readiness for audits and inspections.
  • Handle employee data in compliance with GDPR and Spanish data protection regulations (LOPDGDD).
  • Produce regular HR reports (e.g. absence, turnover, headcount) and provide insights to support decision-making.

• • Support the development and updating of local HR policies and procedures while continuously identifying opportunities to improve HR processes for greater efficiency, accuracy, and compliance

Key Relationships

• Managers and employees in Madrid
• Trade unions and Comité de Empresa
• HR team (EMEA)
• Finance and Payroll
• External providers (Mutua, occupational health, agencies, legal advisors, payroll providers)

Skills, Experience & Knowledge

• Essential

• • Fluent in Spanish and English

• • Proven HR generalist experience within Spain, with the ability to build effective working relationships and confidently influence stakeholders.
  • Strong working knowledge of Spanish employment law and collective bargaining frameworks, with experience working in a unionised environment and supporting interactions with employee representatives.

• • Experience managing employee relations cases
  • Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
• Desirable
  • Postgraduate qualification in Human Resources and Employment Law.
  • Experience in an international organisation
  • Knowledge of GDPR / LOPDGDD

Behaviours & Competencies

• Provides practical, solutions-focused HR advice
• Build trust through professionalism, consistency, and confidentiality
• Communicates clearly and confidently with employees, managers, and representatives
• Demonstrates sound judgement and awareness of legal and business risks
• Organised and able to prioritise effectively in a part-time role
• Proactive and takes ownership of tasks through to completion
• Adaptable and collaborative, supporting wider HR initiatives as needed

Please note that we can only accept applications from people who have employment rights in Spain.

Cold Chain Technologies is committed to Equal Opportunities in employment and service delivery. The policies and practices of the Company aim to promote an environment that is free from all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination and values the diversity of all people.