HR Advisor

Oliver Valves; Knutsford; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading manufacturing firm in Knutsford is seeking an experienced HR Advisor to support around 270 employees. This full-time role involves comprehensive HR support, with a focus on recruitment, performance management, and early careers programs. The ideal candidate should have a CIPD Level 5 qualification, over three years of relevant experience, and strong proficiency in digital tools. Competitive salary and benefits are offered.

Benefits

Personal Group Pension Plan

Medicash Health Cash Plan

Life Assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Discretionary bonus

31 days annual leave

Qualifications

• 3+ years in a similar role within a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Familiarity with competency frameworks and job evaluation.
• Exposure to early talent initiatives like apprenticeships or internships.

Responsibilities

• Deliver comprehensive HR support covering recruitment, onboarding, and employee relations.
• Lead development of competency frameworks and job evaluation processes.
• Manage early careers programmes including apprenticeships and internships.

Skills

Strong digital skills

Analytical skills

Ability to communicate effectively

Organizational skills

Education

CIPD Level 5 qualification or relevant degree

Tools

Office 365

Excel

SharePoint

HR systems

Job description

HR Advisor / Knutsford (Site-Based) / Full Time / Up to GBP45K / Permanent (Mon-Fri 08:30-17:00)

About our Company

Our Oliver Valve companies, based in Knutsford, are one of the world s leading manufacturers in high pressure valves for the oil, gas, hydrogen and carbon capture industries. We have won recognized awards for Export, Manufacturing and Growth as well as the coveted Queens Award and more recently Kings Award for Industry. We're a profitable, privately owned, and fast-moving company looking for talented individuals to join our team and deliver our strategic objectives.

About the HR Advisor role:

The HR Advisor reports to the Global HR Manager and works in close collaboration as part of a small team supporting approximately 270 employees in the UK who are mainly based in Knutsford with a small number situated in Dundee, Scotland.

Key Responsibilities of the HR Advisor:

• Deliver comprehensive HR support covering recruitment, onboarding, performance management, employee relations, absence management, and offboarding.
• Lead the development and rollout of competency frameworks, job architecture, and structured job evaluation processes.
• Build clear role definitions and progression pathways to support internal equity, training alignment, and workforce planning.
• Manage early careers programmes including apprenticeships, internships, placements, and work experience, nurturing a strong talent pipeline aligned to business needs.
• Collaborate with managers and stakeholders to embed best HR practices and support business objectives

Requirements:

• CIPD Level 5 qualification or relevant degree
• +3 years in a similar role within a manufacturing or engineering environment
• Strong digital skills with proficiency in Office 365
• Familiarity with competency frameworks, job evaluation, or job architecture.
• Exposure to early talent initiatives e.g.: apprenticeships, or internships (desirable)

Candidate Profile:

We re looking for an experienced and confident HR professional who can provide clear, practical advice across the full employee lifecycle and support day-to-day people matters with care and discretion. You ll be highly organised and able to juggle competing priorities, delivering accurate and timely support across a busy UK operation. Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and a proactive, solutions-focused mindset are essential, along with the ability to build trust and communicate effectively with managers and employees at all levels.

You ll bring solid analytical skills to help interpret HR data and spot trends, contributing to both local improvements and wider people initiatives. Strong IT skills, particularly in Excel, SharePoint, Teams, and HR systems, are a must in this fast-paced, data-driven environment.

Salary & Package:

• Competitive Salary
• Personal Group Pension Plan (4% employer contribution, 5% employee contribution)
• Medicash Health Cash Plan including Medicash Extras (retailer discounts)
• Life Assurance (AKA Death in Service
• Employee Assistance Programme which includes access to counselling
• Discretionary bonus
• Annual leave of 31 days (inclusive of bank holidays), increasing with tenure

If you re ready to take on a varied and impactful HR role within a supportive team, we d love to hear from you

Sound like you? Apply now or get in touch to learn more.