HR Advisor

All Locations; Hereford; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An educational HR consultancy is seeking an HR Advisor to support schools across Herefordshire. This role involves direct interaction with school leaders and hands-on advisory work on HR issues. The successful candidate will need strong communication skills, a good knowledge of employment law, and experience in employee relations. The position promises flexible working with a supportive HR team, competitive benefits, and a chance to make a real impact on local schools.

Benefits

26 days annual leave

Aviva pension scheme

Access to a rewards platform offering various discounts

Qualifications

• Experience handling sensitive situations professionally.
• Good working knowledge of employment law and HR best practice.
• Ability to manage competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Advise schools and academies on HR issues.
• Support disciplinary and grievance casework.
• Attend meetings and act as an investigating officer.

Skills

Experience advising on employee relations matters

Strong communication skills

Good organizational skills

Flexible and customer-focused approach

Education

CIPD qualified or equivalent experience

Job description

Overview

As an HR Advisor supporting schools and academies across Herefordshire, you will be working directly with school leaders on real, often sensitive people issues. You will be visible on site, trusted for your judgement, and supported to build confidence in handling increasingly complex casework. This is not a desk-based advisory role. Our schools need HR advisors who are visible and on site.

How the role works in practice You will spend a significant amount of time in schools and the office, with some flexibility for home working. On average, you can expect to be on site 2-3 days per week, but some weeks may require daily presence in schools or the office to meet customer demand. Other weeks will allow for more remote working. You will need to be local, flexible, and able to travel at short notice.

The role

Working as part of a supportive HR team, you will provide high-quality advice and practical support across a broad range of HR matters, escalating more complex issues where appropriate and developing your capability through hands-on experience.

• Advising schools and academies on day-to-day HR issues and employee relations matters
• Supporting disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence and redundancy casework
• Attending meetings in schools, including formal and preparatory meetings, with senior support where required
• Acting as an investigating officer on a range of employment matters, including report writing
• Supporting the development and implementation of school HR policies and procedures
• Working with trade union representatives as part of formal processes
• Contributing to change management and consultation processes
• Delivering or supporting HR training sessions for schools and other clients
• Providing advice by phone, Teams, email and in person, depending on what the situation requires

You will work with a degree of autonomy, while being supported by Senior HR Advisors and HR Managers.

Qualifications and experience

• Experience advising on employee relations matters, including disciplinary and grievance cases
• The ability to handle sensitive situations professionally and calmly
• A good working knowledge of employment law and HR best practice
• Strong communication skills and the confidence to work with senior stakeholders
• Good organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities
• A flexible, practical and customer-focused approach
• Experience working with schools or within the education sector is desirable, as is knowledge of education-specific terms and conditions. However, we are also keen to hear from candidates who can demonstrate the ability to apply their HR experience effectively in a school environment.
• You will be CIPD qualified, working towards CIPD, or able to demonstrate equivalent practical experience and commitment to professional development.

Travel and flexibility

This role requires regular travel to school sites across Herefordshire, sometimes at short notice. You must be able to travel independently for business purposes. Occasional evening work may be required to support customers.

Our vision and values

Our vision To provide excellent business support services to the public sector and those who work with them. Our mission: Creating and building trusted and sustainable relationships in order to deliver business critical services for our key customers.

Our values

• Passion for improvement - Continuous improvement to develop more effective ways of delivering services for our customers
• Customer focus - Satisfying our customers and helping them to support themselves
• Professional integrity - Bringing the best of our shared technical expertise and professional values to our work
• Mutual support - Whether one-to-one or in teams, we encourage and support each other to strive for excellent performance in all that we do
• Ambition - Our staff are committed to the success of our company in delivering effective services to organisations, communities and individuals

In return, we offer

• A varied role with real impact on schools and communities
• A supportive HR team environment
• Flexible working arrangements that balance business need and home working
• A competitive benefits package including 26 days annual leave rising to 31 after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays (including the option to buy or sell holidays), Aviva pension scheme, cycle to work scheme and access to a rewards platform offering various discounts with retailers and restaurants

We welcome applicants whatever their personal characteristics or social identity. All requests for flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments will be considered.