HR Advisor

Portmeirion Group Limited; Stoke-on-Trent; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Portmeirion Group Limited is seeking an experienced HR Advisor at our Head Office Stoke location. The role is permanent, full-time (38.75 hours), and involves delivering expert HR guidance, handling employee relations cases, and supporting managers across the employee lifecycle.

You will lead investigations, support recruitment activities, and ensure GDPR-compliant HR records while building strong stakeholder relationships to drive a positive workplace culture.

Qualifications

• Providing expert first-line HR advice and guidance to managers and employees.
• Managing a varied employee relations caseload including disciplinary, grievance, performance, absence and flexible working matters.
• Leading workplace investigations with fair, consistent outcomes.
• Preparing for and attending hearings, chairing meetings where appropriate.
• Promoting early intervention and informal resolution to achieve positive outcomes.
• Escalating complex or high-risk cases to the HR Manager.
• Building strong relationships across the business to provide practical HR support.
• Coaching managers to build confidence in people management.
• Supporting recruitment activities from advertising to onboarding and probation reviews.
• Preparing contracts and employee correspondence.
• Maintaining HR records and GDPR-compliant systems.
• Producing HR reports and supporting policy reviews.
• Contributing to employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Deliver expert first-line HR advice to managers and staff.
• Handle a broad employee relations caseload and ensure compliant outcomes.
• Lead investigations and support hearings as required.
• Assist with recruitment processes, onboarding, and probation reviews.
• Maintain accurate HR records and GDPR-compliant documentation.
• Provide HR metrics to guide business decisions and policy development.

Skills

Employee relations

HR advisory

Stakeholder management

Coaching managers

Tools

HR systems

Contract generation

GDPR compliance

Job description

HR Advisor

Location: Head Office Stoke

Salary: Competitive

Contract: Permanent, Full Time, 38.75 hours

Why work for us

We believe that our people are our greatest asset and the Group’s success is directly related to the effectiveness of our people. We want people to join our team who are as passionate as we are about our six wonderful brands, our products, and our heritage and share the same values.

Portmeirion Group has heritage and family at our core. We have a responsibility to our employees, customers, communities and the people that bring our products into their homes, and we work hard to reflect this in everything we do.

Our business and brands have a global footprint and strong history. They are grounded in family values, craft, and a commitment to making beautiful products that bring people together and are passed from generation to generation. We operate with integrity, decency, honesty, positivity and inclusion. We use our talent for innovation and creativity to solve challenges and explore how we can become custodians of the future.

We build our global business in a way that evolves this heritage to safeguard the next generation; Combining the best of the past with today’s innovations and designs to make our business as good as it possibly can be and create a positive legacy for the future. For our employees, communities, customers and the planet.

Are you an experienced HR professional who thrives on building strong relationships, solving people challenges, and making a real difference in the workplace?

We're looking for a proactive and commercially minded HR Advisor to join our HR team. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys working across the full employee lifecycle, with a particular passion for employee relations and supporting managers to create high performing, engaged teams.

As our HR Advisor, you'll play a key role in delivering an efficient, professional and people focused HR service.

Your responsibilities will include:

Employee Relations

• Providing expert first-line HR advice and guidance to managers and employees.
• Managing a varied employee relations caseload, including disciplinary, grievance, performance, absence, probation and flexible working matters.
• Supporting and leading workplace investigations, ensuring fair, consistent and compliant outcomes.
• Preparing for and attending disciplinary, grievance and appeal hearings, acting as HR Advisor and chairing meetings where appropriate.
• Promoting early intervention and informal resolution wherever possible to achieve positive outcomes.
• Escalating complex or high-risk cases to the HR Manager when appropriate.

HR Operations

• Building strong working relationships across the business, providing practical and commercially focused HR support.
• Coaching and developing managers to build confidence in people management.
• Supporting recruitment activities, including advertising, interviewing, onboarding, inductions and probation reviews.
• Preparing contracts, offer letters and employee correspondence.
• Maintaining accurate HR records and systems in line with GDPR requirements.
• Producing HR reports and metrics to support business decisions.
• Assisting with the review and continuous improvement of HR policies and procedures.
• Supporting employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives that help create a positive workplace culture.

Compliance & Governance

• Ensuring all HR activities comply with UK employment legislation, ACAS guidance and company policies.
• Maintaining accurate and confidential employee records and case documentation.
• Identifying potential risks and escalating complex issues appropriately