HR Manager — People & Onboarding Leader (Social Care)

Avalon Group; Harrogate; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Bank holidays

Agile working options

Free onsite parking

Health cash plan

Employee discounts

Sick leave allowance

Blue Light Card discounts

Training and development

Job summary

Avalon Group in Harrogate is seeking an experienced HR Manager to unite the HR and recruitment teams, set clear priorities, and raise service standards across pre‑employment checks and onboarding. You will ensure candidates move efficiently from application to start date with accurate documentation and clear handovers.

You will lead HR team performance, strengthen employee relations, drive inclusive recruitment and onboarding, and improve HR systems and data quality.

Qualifications

• Substantial generalist HR experience, including complex employee relations.
• Experience leading, coordinating or developing an HR, people or recruitment team.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and contemporary HR practice.
• Experience improving recruitment, onboarding, workforce resourcing or candidate experience.
• The ability to use HR data to identify trends, prioritise work and measure progress.
• CIPD Level 5 or above, or equivalent knowledge and experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide visible, day-to-day leadership to the HR and recruitment team.
• Set clear priorities, responsibilities and service expectations.
• Coach and develop team members; monitor workloads and risks.
• Lead complex employee relations cases and advise on disciplinary matters.
• Ensure investigations and communications are well documented.
• Lead end-to-end recruitment and onboarding with strong candidate experience.
• Improve HR systems, data quality and reporting.
• Ensure policies are compliant and up to date.
• Champion equality, diversity, wellbeing and employee voice.

Skills

Substantial generalist HR experience,

Team leadership / HR coordination

UK employment law knowledge

Recruitment/onboarding improvement

HR data / analytics

Education

CIPD Level 5 or above, or equivalent

Job description

Avalon Group in Harrogate is seeking an experienced HR Manager to unite the HR and recruitment teams, set clear priorities, and raise service standards across pre‑employment checks and onboarding. You will ensure candidates move efficiently from application to start date with accurate documentation and clear handovers.

You will lead HR team performance, strengthen employee relations, drive inclusive recruitment and onboarding, and improve HR systems and data quality.