HR Advisor (Education) - Birmingham

Browne Jacobson LLP; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Pension contributions

Employee assistance programme

Wellbeing initiatives

Enhanced parental leave

Job summary

Browne Jacobson LLP is seeking an HR Advisor to provide clear, practical HR advice to schools and academies across the Midlands. You will handle day-to-day advisory work, employee relations casework, and collaborate with HR Consultants on projects, potentially managing a small client portfolio.

Our team combines legal and HR expertise, delivering sector-specific, legally robust guidance with a flexible, hybrid working model and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Provide clear, practical HR advisory support to education clients.
• Strong knowledge of employment law and employee relations.
• Working towards CIPD Associate membership or equivalent expertise.

Responsibilities

• Providing a solution-focused HR advisory service to education clients, including absence and health issues, conduct and capability, grievance matters, organisational change, and the full range of employment and employee relations matters.
• Managing allocated employee relations casework from initial enquiry through to resolution, coordinating next steps, monitoring deadlines and giving clear, practical recommendations in line with policy and legislation.
• Supporting HR projects and workforce change programmes, including restructures, redundancy consultations, and TUPE exercises, and leading investigations of appropriate scope and complexity.

Job description

We're looking for a talented HR Advisor to provide clear, practical and solution-focused HR advice and support to schools and academies across the Midlands.

The role

As an HR Advisor, you'll be part of our Business & Professional Risk department, delivering day-to-day HR advisory services and managing allocated employee relations casework for schools and academies in line with their specific policies, procedures and legal requirements. You'll work alongside our HR Consultants on projects and more complex matters, and may take responsibility for a small portfolio of allocated clients.

Our team of legal and HR specialists have a wealth of education knowledge and experience and come highly commended, consistently featured in Band One of the Legal 500 and Chambers UK listings. Working together as an integrated team, we give clients advice that is practical, sector-specific and legally robust.

What you'll be doing

• Providing a solution-focused HR advisory service to education clients, including advice on absence and health issues, conduct and capability, grievance matters, organisational change, and the full range of employment and employee relations matters.
• Managing allocated employee relations casework from initial enquiry through to resolution, coordinating next steps, monitoring deadlines and keeping clients informed, whilst providing clear, practical recommendations in line with legislation, policy and best practice.
• Supporting the delivery of HR projects and workforce change programmes — including restructures, redundancy consultation and TUPE exercises — and leading investigations of appropriate scope and complexity, including planning enquiries, conducting interviews, evaluating evidence and preparing clear, balanced investigation reports.
• At least working towards Associate membership of CIPD (having completed the employment law module), combined with an excellent knowledge of employment law and employee relations and the practical application of it — or equivalent demonstrated knowledge, skills and experience.
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and persuasion skills, with the ability to build trusted working relationships, alongside strong time and project management skills to manage conflicting priorities and a demanding workload.
• A demonstrable track record of exceptional client service, with the ability to understand each organisation's goals, culture and constraints, and commercial awareness with a willingness to contribute to business development.

Why Join Us?

We offer a flexible and hybrid working model. Our comprehensive benefits package includes private medical insurance, pension contributions, an employee assistance programme, and a range of wellbeing initiatives. Enhanced parental leave is also available, reflecting our commitment to supporting you through every stage of your career and life.

Many of our people work flexibly in some way and we're open to considering how we can accommodate flexible working arrangements alongside role requirements. If this is important to you, please talk to us about it during the recruitment process.

We celebrate diversity and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, social economic background or age.

We're a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.

Take a look at our candidate interview pack for information about reasonable adjustments, what you can expect during the interview process, and guidance to help you prepare.