Human Resources Advisor

HARRIS FEDERATION; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An educational organization in Camden Town seeks a proactive HR Advisor to support a group of academies. The role involves providing HR advice, managing employee relations, and contributing to educational initiatives. Ideal candidates will have a strong HR background and excellent communication skills, with opportunities for professional growth in a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Experience providing generalist HR advice on terms & conditions, policies, and employee relations.
• Up-to-date knowledge of employment law and current HR practices.
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Deliver a generalist HR advisory service providing up-to-date HR guidance.
• Provide professional advice on HR practice and employee relations.
• Support with organisational change programmes like redundancy and TUPE transfers.

Skills

Generalist HR advice

Employment law knowledge

Excellent communication skills

Relationship building

Confidentiality

Education

Degree level qualifications or equivalent experience

CIPD Level 5 qualification (or part qualification)

Job description

We are seeking a proactive and knowledgeable HR Advisor to join our central HR team. You'll support a group of academies, providing expert guidance on HR policies, employee relations and workforce initiatives, while contributing to projects that shape the future of education.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver a generalist HR advisory service to the Federation and our Academies, providing up‑to‑date HR guidance and support on policies, processes and systems.
• Provide professional advice and support to Federation and Academy leaders in all areas of HR practice and employee relations, including grievance, disciplinary, performance management and sickness absence, escalating complex cases as appropriate to the Head of HR and HR Business Partners.
• Support the HR Business Partner with organisational change programmes such as redundancy, restructuring and TUPE transfers; preparing documents, supporting planning and due‑diligence completion.
• Participate in the development and delivery of HR policy skills workshops for line managers and academy HR.
• Assist with end‑to‑end employee lifecycle and payroll processes.
• Prepare HR documents and create and maintain templates.
• Produce management information reports.
• Evaluate job descriptions and provide advice and guidance on salary bandings to ensure a consistent and fair approach.
• Assist with the development and implementation of HR policies and procedures.

Key Qualifications & Requirements

• Experience providing generalist HR advice on terms & conditions, application of policies and first‑line employee relations.
• Up‑to‑date knowledge of employment law and current HR practice.
• Qualifications to degree level or equivalent experience.
• At least part qualification to CIPD Level 5 or equivalent by experience, with a willingness to study.
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills.
• Confidence and ability to develop and maintain professional relationships at all levels.
• Discretion and diplomacy, with the ability to adhere to confidentiality requirements.

About the Harris Federation

Our vision, from the start, has been to provide the structure and services needed for our schools to amount to more than the sum of their parts, and to free‑up our teachers and leaders to focus on the outstanding education of all their pupils. Our young people and communities are at the heart of everything we do. Our core mission has always been to close the educational gap between young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. Our ambition is that every child in London, no matter their background, has equal access to high‑quality education and the same opportunities to succeed.

We know there are many challenges facing our young people and the communities we serve, and that's why we need determined people like you to help us tackle those inequalities. Whilst each of our academies has its own unique culture and values, as a whole Federation we have four core values – Excellence, Collaboration, Support and Innovation – which guide us in how we work and allow us to achieve the best possible outcomes for our young people, communities and colleagues.

The founder and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. Over the past thirty years we have implemented ideas and initiatives that have transformed the opportunities of pupils from working‑class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Harris academies are widely recognised as a force for social mobility. We are immensely proud of the role our alumni now play, and we believe our current generation of pupils will go on to achieve great things. Today we have over 50 schools educating more than 40,000 young people across London and Essex, employing over 5,000 staff. With the majority of our academies located in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage, a high‑quality education is key to the futures of the pupils we serve. As a provider of employment and education we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff. Our work will impact many generations to come, and we promote an inclusive culture that embraces the valuable and enriching contribution that all of our communities make. We continue to be proactive in uplifting and supporting all voices at Harris.