HR Adviser

Zero Waste Scotland; Stirling; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Zero Waste Scotland is seeking an HR Adviser to deliver a professional, proactive HR service across the organisation. You will advise senior leaders, manage employee relations, ensure compliant policies and use people data to inform decisions.

Working with the People Partner, you will shape the People Strategy, develop training, and support recruitment, onboarding and change programmes. The role offers flexible UK-based work and a two-year FTC.

Qualifications

• Degree in Business Management, HR Management, or equivalent work-related experience.
• Chartered MCIPD or working towards (desirable).
• Strong knowledge of employment law, regulations, and HR best practices.
• Experience in managing and developing people.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional HR advice and guidance to managers and employees and senior leaders on a wide range of people matters, ensuring compliance with employment legislation, organisational policies and best practice.
• Manage employee relations cases including absence management, disciplinary, grievance, performance, flexible working and capability matters, providing recommendations and supporting managers through formal processes.
• Support managers in resolving people issues through early intervention, coaching and guidance, building management capability and confidence in handling people matters effectively.
• Develop and deliver practical advice, training and resources to upskill leaders in people management, employment practice and organisational policies, promoting a consistent and proactive management approach.
• Influence, challenge and support managers and stakeholders across the organisation to drive positive people outcomes, foster a high-performance culture and ensure fair, consistent decision‑making.
• Identify trends and recurring people issues and escal"],
• CoT_job_summary_short”:
• job_summary_short

Skills

HR advisory experience

Employee relations

Data-driven decision making

Stakeholder management

Communication and negotiation

Education

Degree in Business Management / HR Management

Chartered MCIPD (desirable)

Job description

Location We’re a digital first employer, so happy to be flexible if you’re based in the UK Application Deadline Sunday, November 1, 2026 Vacancy Type Full Time Fixed Term Salary £51,729 - £57,476 Duration if FTC FTC for 2 years Job Summary

As HR Adviser, you will play a key role in delivering a professional, proactive and people-focused HR service across Zero Waste Scotland. Acting as a trusted adviser to senior Leaders, managers and colleagues, you will provide expert guidance on a wide range of people matters, lead and support employee relations activity, and ensure the consistent application of employment legislation, policies and best practice. Working closely with the People Partner, you will contribute to the delivery of the People Strategy. You will use people data and insights to inform decision-making, identify opportunities for improvement and help enhance the overall colleague experience.

We want you if;

You have:

• Degree in Business Management, Human Resources Management, or equivalent work-related experience.
• Previous experience working in a generalist HR Advisory role.
• Chartered MCIPD or working towards (desirable).
• Strong knowledge of employment law, regulations, and HR best practices.
• Experience in managing and developing people
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills with the ability to build effective relationships at all levels of the organisation.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to make informed decisions.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to think critically and creatively with an ability to proactively propose innovative HR solutions across a wide HR remit.
• Demonstrable experience of Employee Engagement initiatives across the employee lifecycle.

What you’ll be doing;

Employee Relations and People Advice

• Provide professional HR advice and guidance to managers and employees and senior leaders on a wide range of people matters, ensuring compliance with employment legislation, organisational policies and best practice.
• Manage employee relations cases including absence management, disciplinary, grievance, performance, flexible working and capability matters, providing recommendations and supporting managers through formal processes.
• Support managers in resolving people issues through early intervention, coaching and guidance, building management capability and confidence in handling people matters effectively.
• Develop and deliver practical advice, training and resources to upskill leaders in people management, employment practice and organisational policies, promoting a consistent and proactive management approach.
• Influence, challenge and support managers and stakeholders across the organisation to drive positive people outcomes, foster a high-performance culture and ensure fair, consistent decision‑making.
• Identify trends and recurring people issues and escal

Recruitment, Talent and Workforce Support

• Lead on the delivery of recruitment and selection activities, ensuring a positive candidate and hiring manager experience.
• Work with the HR team to coordinate and support onboarding, probation and induction processes to ensure new colleagues are effectively integrated into the organisation.
• Assist in the implementation of retention initiatives and people programmes designed to attract, engage and develop talent.

Policy, Process and Compliance

• Lead on the development, implementation and review of HR policies, procedures and guidance documents, ensuring they remain compliant, practical andaligned to organisational needs and evolving legislation.
• Ensure consistent application of people policies and procedures across the organisation.
• Monitor legislative developments and emerging HR best practice, advising on potential impacts and recommended actions.

People Data, Reporting and Systems

• Analyse and interpret people data and metrics to provide insight on workforce trends, absence, turnover, recruitment and employee relations activity.
• Lead on management information, reports and dashboards to support informed decision‑making.
• Support the effective use of HR systems, ensuring accurate employee data and continuous improvement of people processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve data quality, reporting capability and operational efficiency.

Project and Change Support

• Support the People Partner in the delivery of organisational change, transformation and continuous improvement initiatives, ensuring effective communication
• and implementation of people‑related activities.
• Support the People Partner with organisational projects, taking responsibility for specific workstreams and deliverables.
• Support the People Partner with consultation processes associated with organisational change activities where required.
• Lead on evaluating the effectiveness of people initiatives and recommending improvements.

Operational Oversight and Team Support

• Lead, manage and provide guidance, coaching and day‑to‑day support to HR Officers, helping to develop knowledge, capability and consistency of service.
• Review and quality assure HR administration, documentation and processes to ensure accuracy for Governance & Compliance.
• Act as a senior point of contact for escalated operational HR queries.
• Support the People Partner in delivering the People Strategy, annual people plan and organisational objectives.
• Deputise for the People Partner on operational matters where appropriate.

About Zero Waste Scotland

Zero Waste Scotland is Scotland's circular economy public body. Since 2014, our work has helped more people understand that the answer to the climate emergency is to consume less. Through an expansive range of projects and programmes, our innovative work has shown that embedding circular practices is as possible as it is essential. Through sharing this knowledge, nurturing relationships, and fostering bold collaboration, we’re in a truly unique position to influence this vital change.

Here at Zero Waste Scotland, we value our people and are committed to nurturing and supporting them to learn, grow and develop so we can focus our efforts and be a collective force of unique colleagues creating positive change. As an accredited Investors in Diversity organisation, we are committed to embedding FREDIE principles (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement) across all that we do at Zero Waste Scotland.

Why work for us

Here at Zero Waste Scotland we value our people. Colleagues are supported and encouraged to grow and develop so we can all focus our efforts and be a collective force for positive change. We want to offer the best experience to all our colleagues, ensuring everyone is supported and empowered to be their best self at work and thrive.

We champion our diverse and inclusive culture, fostering a positive working environment where we all feel safe to be our true professional selves; where we are treated fairly; where there is space to ask questions, to respectfully challenge one another and to share our thoughts and ideas.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates and encourage you to talk to us about your preferred hours of work. We'll do our best to accommodate.

We offer competitive pay and benefits to support you and your family, including a contributory pension scheme,life assurance, wellbeing support, flexible working, generous holidays, enhanced family leave entitlements, continuing professional development (CPD) and volunteering opportunities.

For us, work isn’t a place we go, but a thing we do so we fully embrace flexibility and encourage you to choose home working where the role allows. While this role is home-based there may be the requirement for some travel to/within Scotland. There willbe times when you're required to attend our Stirling office or a client location (normally within the Central Belt of Scotland). The office is located next to the railway station and is conveniently accessed from across central Scotland.

No agencies thank you.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS23:45 ON THE CLOSING DATE SHOWN.

PLEASE NOTE THOUGHTHAT WE EXPECT THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FOR THIS ROLE TO BE HIGH AND THEREFOREWE MAY REQUIRE TO CLOSE THE APPLICATION WINDOW EARLY SO PROMPT SUBMISSION IS RECOMMENDED.