HR Advisor

idibu; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the UK water sector is seeking an HR Advisor to join their People Advice Service team in Reading. The role involves providing essential HR policy and process advice, managing queries, and supporting employees and managers effectively. Ideal candidates will be customer-focused, organized, and possess strong communication skills, with a competitive salary and excellent benefits offered.

Benefits

26 days holiday, increasing to 30 with service

Generous pension scheme

Health and wellbeing benefits

Qualifications

• Experience in a high-volume HR Advisory service.
• Ability to manage challenging stakeholders.
• Confident in coaching managers and employees.

Responsibilities

• Providing front-line advisory service for HR queries.
• Managing simpler ER cases and maintaining case records.
• Collaborating with wider teams and participating in training.

Skills

Customer-focused

Organized

Excellent communication skills

Active listening skills

Job description

The HR Advisor will play a critical role in the People Advice Service team, responsible for providing front-line People policy and process advice to all Thames Water employees and managers. This role requires someone confident, customer-focused, with strong knowledge of People processes, policies, and systems.

What you’ll be doing as an HR Advisor

1. Providing a professional front-line advisory service supporting employees and managers with People policy, process, and system queries, aiming to resolve most at the first point of contact.
2. Offering customer-focused advice via inbound calls and email.
3. Coaching line managers and employees to find information in the People Portal and FAQs to support self-service.
4. Raising cases in ServiceNow when questions cannot be quickly resolved.
5. Ensuring daily short-term and long-term sickness reports are uploaded and actioned according to the process each morning.
6. Collaborating with wider teams.
7. Managing simpler ER cases as agreed with the HR Advisory Team Leader.
8. Maintaining clear, concise case management records in line with GDPR.
9. Participating in training and updates about system, policy, or process changes.

Location and Working Pattern

Base Location: Reading - Hybrid

Working Pattern: 36 Hours

What you should bring to the role

1. Experience working in a remote, high-volume HR Advisory service using a similar model.
2. Customer-focused with detailed knowledge of People policies, processes, and procedures.
3. Highly organized and responsive, capable of handling a high volume of queries daily.
4. Confident and tenacious, taking ownership to resolve issues promptly.
5. Experience managing challenging stakeholders.
6. Active listening skills, inquisitiveness, and ability to coach managers and employees on self-service and escalation.
7. Excellent communication skills adaptable to all levels.

What’s in it for you?

1. Competitive salary up to £35,000 depending on experience.
2. 26 days holiday, increasing to 30 with service, plus bank holidays.
3. Generous pension scheme through AON.
4. Benefits supporting health, wellbeing, and finances, including health MOTs, physiotherapy, counselling, Cycle to Work, vouchers, and life assurance.

About Thames Water

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, serving over 16 million customers daily. We aim to build a better future for all—helping customers, communities, people, and the planet thrive. We seek passionate, skilled individuals committed to making a difference.

Our Values and Working Environment

Thames Water offers a diverse, rewarding workplace where every day presents new opportunities to make a difference. We provide fast career progression, flexible work options, and excellent benefits. Join us if you want a sustainable career impacting millions and protecting water resources for future generations.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion, welcoming applications from all backgrounds and providing support throughout the recruitment process. We also offer opportunities to support our customers directly as part of our team, with full training provided.

Note: Due to high application volumes, we may close the vacancy early. We encourage prompt applications.