Human Resources Advisor

HM Revenue & Customs; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension

Flexible / Hybrid Working

25–30 days annual leave

Coaching and development

Family friendly policies

Job summary

HM Revenue and Customs is seeking 4 HR Expert Advice Service Caseworkers to advise managers and staff on complex HR issues within a busy, evolving HR environment. You will handle formal processes, including potential dismissal, and support case progression with sound judgement and resilience.

You will join a team focused on reducing time to resolution while ensuring fairness and compliance with policy, employment law and HMRC values.

Qualifications

• Expert HR advice to employees and managers on complex formal processes, up to dismissal and, where required, formal litigation.
• Experience managing sensitive and complex employee relations cases, guiding timely progression and resolution.
• Ability to apply HR policies thoughtfully, balancing employment law, org priorities and wellbeing.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert HR advice to employees and managers on formal processes, including dismissal where required.
• Manage a range of sensitive HR cases, driving progress and influencing outcomes.
• Build effective relationships with managers and stakeholders and navigate difficult conversations.
• Support early resolution of workplace issues using Dispute Resolution approaches.

Skills

HR expertise

Employee relations

Policy interpretation

Communication

Influencing

Judgement under pressure

Education

CIPD Level 5 (or working toward)

Job description

We are needing 4 x HR Expert Advice Service Caseworkers

About the Role

Our Expert Advisors provide specialist advice to support business managers across HMRC on a full range of complex HR issues in accordance with HR policies and guidance, to assist resolving workplace matters quickly and proportionately.

The role is a case support role focussed on supporting the formal HR processes with an awareness of informal resolution. Due to the nature of our work we need the successful candidate to be flexible, willing to cover all elements of EAS work as required.

It is an exciting time to join our team as we are going through a Change Programme focused around improving how we work. This will enable us to work more efficiently, allowing us to support our customers more effectively.

Job Description

These are high-profile posts within a busy, demand-led and evolving digital environment, and we are looking for motivated, confident and enthusiastic individuals who thrive on challenge and are committed to delivering excellent outcomes. We welcome applications from experienced HR professionals, as well as people managers who have significant experience of managing complex employee relations issues and supporting formal people decisions.

The roles involve managing complex and often sensitive employee relations issues, requiring resilience, sound judgement and the ability to work effectively in demanding situations. No two cases are the same, so we are seeking individuals who can assess each situation on its own merits, navigate ambiguity and identify the most appropriate strategy and solution.

Working at the heart of HMRC’s people agenda, you will apply policy thoughtfully rather than mechanistically, balancing employment law, organisational priorities, employee wellbeing and business needs. You will be expected to analyse information, consider risks and opportunities, and provide pragmatic, evidence-based advice that supports effective decision-making.

As a trusted adviser and critical friend to managers and decision-makers, you will be confident in constructively challenging assumptions, influencing thinking and having honest, sometimes difficult conversations where necessary. You will use your expertise and judgement to challenge appropriately, even when views differ, ensuring decisions are fair, proportionate and aligned with both HMRC’s values and legal obligations. This requires confidence, professionalism and the ability to build credibility quickly while supporting individuals and the business through some of the most complex and impactful workplace situations.

Person specification

The team delivers a high-quality professional HR service which includes:

• Providing expert advice to employees and managers on complex HR formal processes, up to and including dismissal and, where required, formal litigation.
• Managing a range of sensitive and complex HR cases, driving them forward using sound judgement to support timely progression and resolution, while constructively challenging decision-makers and influencing outcomes where appropriate.
• Building effective relationships with managers and stakeholders, confidently navigating difficult conversations and encouraging open, respectful communication throughout the case, ensuring all parties are treated with dignity and respect.
• Supporting employees and managers to resolve workplace issues at the earliest opportunity, using a range of Dispute Resolution approaches to achieve positive outcomes and minimise the need for formal grievance processes.
• Experience of managing employee relations cases, such as disciplinary, grievance, conduct, performance or absence matters, either in an HR role or as a people manager.
• Experience of interpreting and applying HR policies and procedures, or the ability to quickly develop this knowledge and use it effectively to manage complex casework and support decision-making.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to build relationships, provide constructive challenge and support robust decision-making.
• Resilience and professionalism when handling sensitive issues, managing difficult conversations and working in complex or challenging situations.
• Ability to prioritise and manage a varied workload in a busy, demand-led environment.
• Willingness to work towards a Level 5 CIPD qualification if not already held.

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a 'Further Location Preferences (optional)' field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Office closures

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

If your location preference is for one of the following sites, its important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.

These sites are:

• Benton Park View, Newcastle - moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
• Trinity Bridge House, Salford - moving to an alternative office in Manchester/ Salford

You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

Alongside your salary of £37,682, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £10,916 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.