HR Consultant

hireful; Essex; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

hireful is seeking a hands-on HR Consultant to support SME clients across the Essex area (Chelmsford, Colchester, Harlow, Basildon, Southend, etc.). You will act as a trusted HR partner with no internal HR function, delivering end-to-end operational HR services.

You will draft policies, handle employee relations, and support recruitment, restructures and training. A UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle are required for client visits.

Qualifications

• Must have hands-on HR generalist experience across employee relations, policies and onboarding.
• Experience engaging with business owners, managers and HR peers.
• UK driving licence and access to own vehicle for client visits across Essex.

Responsibilities

• Provide end-to-end operational HR support to SME clients in the Essex area.
• Draft policies and handbooks and support restructuring projects as needed.
• Handle employee relations casework and recruitment support for client teams.
• Design and deliver training for client staff and managers.
• Advise business owners and managers directly to shape client success.

Skills

HR generalist

HR Advisor

HR Manager

CIPD qualified

Education

CIPD qualification

Qualified by experience

Job description

Are you an experienced HR professional who loves rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck into the variety of a generalist role?

Do you thrive on providing pragmatic advice, drafting crisp policies, and solving complex employee relations challenges?

We re looking for a hands-on HR Consultant to provide robust support to a portfolio of SME clients around the Essex area - Chelmsford, Colchester, Harlow, Basildon, Southend, etc.

What does being a HR Consultant involve?

• You will act as a trusted HR partner to companies with no internal HR function, dealing directly with business owners and managers.
• You'll also support companies with under-resourced HR teams with project work, or step in to handle complex escalations for standalone HR officers.
• This could be tasks such as: employee relations casework, drafting policies and handbooks, restructure projects, recruitment, designing training, etc.
• This isn't a high-level strategy role. It s a pure, end-to-end operational HR role where your guidance directly shapes client success.

What we are looking for:

• Proven experience in a HR generalist role (ideally you will have been a HR Advisor or HR Manager).
• Comfortable engaging directly with business owners, senior managers, and HR peers.
• Ideally CIPD qualified,but being qualified by experience is fine too
• Full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle, for client visits across the local region.

Why you'll love being a HR consultant:

• No Cold Calling: There is zero requirement to bring in new clients. Your focus is purely on exceptional service delivery.
• Bonus Potential: Generous commission scheme available if you identify opportunities to upsell additional services to existing clients (£5-6k per year).
• Flexibility: The role is Monday to Friday, 40 hours. You manage your own diary and can flex your start/finish times to suit your work/life balance.
• Variety: You will be working from home unless you're called to a client site. This could be anywhere from zero to five days in a week.

If you're thinking about a move into HR consultancy then this is a great opportunity: a well-established and successful team, with a growing portfolio of clients.