People Advisor

Nacro; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Nacro is seeking an experienced People Advisor to provide practical, timely HR advice and employee relations support across the organisation, with a focus on handling a proactive caseload. You will work with managers on disciplinary, grievance, absence, performance, probation and flexible working matters, ensuring fairness and alignment with policies and employment law.

The role is Birmingham-based with hybrid working (2 days in the office); a CIPD Level 5 qualification and solid HR generalist

Qualifications

• Good HR generalist experience across the employee lifecycle.
• Up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law, HR policy and good people-management practice.
• Ability to apply employment law and policy to individual circumstances, identify risks and provide practical recommendations.
• Experience producing clear written advice, case documentation and maintaining accurate and confidential records.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage a busy caseload.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to adapt to different audiences.
• Good professional judgement and when to seek guidance; commitment to high-quality service.
• CIPD Level 5 qualification is required.
• Experience with organisational change, consultation processes, HR systems or working with unions would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Provide clear, practical and timely HR advice and guidance to managers and employees.
• Proactively manage an allocated employee relations caseload with fair progress.
• Advise on disciplinary, grievance, absence, performance, probation and flexible working matters.
• Support absence and health-related processes, including Occupational Health referrals.
• Advise on application of policies and employment law.
• Support formal consultation processes and meetings with preparation and documentation.
• Help managers identify and manage people-related risks and conduct risk assessments.
• Establish case plans with actions and timelines, and monitor progress.
• Review documentation and advise on fair next steps; escalate high-risk matters.
• Maintain confidential case records and identify learning for policy improvements.
• Contribute to wider People and Organisation Development projects and activities.

Skills

HR generalist

Employment law

Written advice

Communication

Caseload management

Stakeholder management

Education

CIPD Level 5 or equivalent

Tools

HR systems

Job description

• Location: Birmingham-based (Hybrid – 2 days per week in Birmingham Office)
• This role does not offer eligibility for visa sponsorship.

This role offers a starting salary within Nacro’s pay structure of £34,421, per annum with expected progression to £35,454, per annum within the first year, subject to meeting clear criteria and performance standards, with further pay progression available in the future. Nacro’s pay framework provides transparent progression points and supports ongoing professional development and career growth.

At Nacro, we believe that everyone deserves a good education, a safe and secure place to live, the right to be heard, and the chance to start again, with support from someone on their side.

That’s why our housing, education, justice, and health and wellbeing services work alongside people to give them the support and skills they need to succeed. And it’s why we fight for their voices to be heard and campaign together to create lasting change.

We see your future, whatever the past.

“Do you want to make a difference to people’s lives and want to work for an organisation that will invest in your personal development?”

About the role:

Are you an experienced HR professional looking for an opportunity to make a real difference through effective people advice and employee relations support?

As a People Advisor, you will provide practical, timely and high-quality advice to managers and employees across Nacro, with a particular focus on proactively managing employee relations casework.

You will support managers to navigate a broad range of people matters, including disciplinary, grievance, absence, performance, probation and flexible working, ensuring cases are managed fairly, consistently and in line with Nacro's policies, employment law and values.

This is a hands-on advisory role where you will take ownership of an allocated caseload, agreeing clear actions and timescales with managers, monitoring progress, identifying potential risks and providing constructive challenge where required. While you will provide advice and guidance throughout the process, managers will remain accountable for managing their employees and making employment decisions.

You will also play an important role in building manager capability, helping colleagues develop their confidence in managing people issues effectively and supporting a positive employee experience across Nacro.

What you'll be doing:

• Provide clear, practical and timely HR advice and guidance to managers and employees across a range of people policies and employee relations matters.
• Proactively manage an allocated employee relations caseload, ensuring cases progress fairly, consistently and without avoidable delay.
• Advise and support managers with disciplinary, grievance, absence, performance, probation and flexible working matters.
• Support managers and employees through absence and health-related processes, including Occupational Health referrals and reasonable adjustments.
• Advise managers on the application of Nacro's policies, employment law and good people-management practice.
• Support formal consultation processes and meetings, including preparing managers, providing advice and maintaining appropriate documentation.
• Help managers identify, assess and manage people-related risks, including supporting employee risk assessments and suspension risk assessments.
• Establish clear case plans, agreeing actions, responsibilities and realistic timescales with managers and maintaining oversight throughout the case.
• Review documentation and provide advice on fair and proportionate options and next steps.
• Recognise complex, sensitive or high-risk matters and elevate appropriately.
• Maintain accurate, timely and confidential case records and documentation.
• Identify themes and learning from casework and contribute to improvements in policies, processes, guidance and manager capability.
• Contribute to wider People and Organisation Development projects and activities.

You will bring with you:

• Good HR generalist experience across the employee lifecycle.
• Up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law, HR policy and good people-management practice.
• The ability to apply employment law and policy to individual circumstances, identify risks and provide practical recommendations.
• Experience of producing clear written advice, case documentation and maintaining accurate and confidential records.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage a busy caseload, prioritising competing demands effectively.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate sensitively and adapt your approach to different audiences.
• The confidence to provide constructive challenge while building trusted relationships with managers and colleagues.
• Good professional judgement and an understanding of when to seek guidance or
• A commitment to providing an efficient, accurate and high-quality service.
• A CIPD Level 5 qualification, or equivalent knowledge and capability gained through relevant practical experience, is required.
• Experience of organisational change or consultation processes, using HR systems and case data, or working with trade union representatives or employee companions would be advantageous.

Nacro is a fair and inclusive employer

At Nacro, we believe in the power of a diverse and inclusive team. We are a Ban the Box employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those with criminal records. Convictions are not discussed during the application process and will only be considered later if relevant to the role, assessed fairly, proportionately and confidentially. For advice, contact our confidential Criminal Record Support Service on 0300 123 1999 or [e-mail] .