People Advisor

Pursuit Executive Recruitment Ltd; Chelmsford; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Private medical cover

Dental insurance

Pension plan

Income protection

Life assurance 4x salary

Snacks in office

Job summary

Pursuit Executive Recruitment Ltd is recruiting an experienced People Advisor near Chelmsford. The role covers employee relations, recruitment, performance and development, engagement and policy compliance, with the system‑wide automation of HR processes.

You'll guide managers, support investigations, and optimise workflows within a modern HRIS. The position offers hybrid working after a 6‑month probation and requires UK employment law expertise and CIPD Level 5 qualifications.

Qualifications

• CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience in an HR/People Advisor role.
• Strong employee relations experience.
• Excellent knowledge of UK employment law.
• Advanced working knowledge of a modern HR information system.
• Experience creating and improving HR workflows and automations.

Responsibilities

• Manage day‑to‑day employee relations cases including absence management, conduct, performance, grievances, and disciplinary matters.
• Provide practical and legally compliant HR advice to managers.
• Support investigations, hearings, and employee meetings.
• Coach managers to effectively manage people issues.
• Escalate complex or high‑risk cases to the Head of People.
• Act as the HR information system subject matter expert.
• Design and optimise system workflows for employee lifecycle events.
• Support recruitment campaigns from approval to offer stage.
• Coordinate and manage performance review cycles.
• Promote wellbeing and DEI initiatives and measure impact.

Skills

HR generalist

Employee relations

Stakeholder management

HR systems

Education

CIPD Level 5

Tools

HRIS

Job description

People ADVISOR

Near Chelmsford, Essex | £35,000 - £40,000 | Full-Time, Permanent

Our client is a well-established and growing business based near Chelmsford, Essex. They are looking to appoint an experienced CIPD Level 5 qualified (or equivalent) HR Advisor to join their People team, acting as the primary day-to-day point of contact for managers and employees across the business.

This is a varied, hands‑on generalist role covering employee relations, recruitment, performance and development, engagement and wellbeing, and policy and compliance. You will also act as the team's system expert, using your knowledge of HR platforms to design, build, and continuously improve workflows and automations that support the employee lifecycle.

Please note, this role is Hybrid following 6 month probation.

Due to the international nature of the role, you will need to work some bank holidays (normally 4 per year - Good Friday, Both May bank holidays and August bank holiday are the main ones that employees choose to be worked.

The Role - People Advisor

Employee Relations

• Manage day‑to‑day employee relations cases including absence management, conduct, performance, grievances, and disciplinary matters.
• Provide practical and legally compliant HR advice to managers.
• Support investigations, hearings, and employee meetings.
• Coach managers to effectively manage people issues.
• Escalate complex or high‑risk cases to the Head of People.

HR Systems & Process Improvement

• Act as the People team's subject matter expert for the HR information system.
• Design, implement, and optimise system workflows supporting employee relations, performance management, probation management, recruitment and onboarding, learning and development, and employee lifecycle events.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual HR processes.
• Produce insights and reports from HR system data to support business decisions.
• Support managers in the effective use of the HR system.

Recruitment & Talent Acquisition

• Manage recruitment campaigns from approval through to offer stage.
• Partner with hiring managers to identify recruitment needs.
• Facilitate candidate selection and interview processes.
• Support employer branding initiatives.
• Monitor recruitment metrics and effectiveness.

Performance & Development

• Coordinate and manage performance review cycles.
• Support managers with objective setting and performance conversations.
• Assist in identifying learning and development needs.
• Coordinate talent development initiatives and career progression discussions.

Employee Engagement, Wellbeing & DEI

• Support employee engagement surveys and resulting action plans.
• Promote wellbeing initiatives across the business.
• Partner with managers to improve team engagement and employee experience.
• Support the delivery of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives, promoting a positive and inclusive workplace culture.
• Ensure people practices are fair, consistent, and aligned with equality legislation.

Policy & Compliance

• Support implementation of HR policies and procedures.
• Ensure consistent application of people practices.
• Monitor compliance with employment legislation and company standards.

About You - People Advisor

Essential

• CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience in an HR/People Advisor role.
• Strong employee relations experience.
• Excellent knowledge of UK employment law.
• Advanced working knowledge of a modern HR information system.
• Experience creating and improving HR workflows and automations.
• Ability to translate employee relations processes into system‑based workflows.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable

• Experience working within an SME environment.
• Experience supporting HR systems implementation projects.
• Knowledge of HR reporting and people analytics.

Behaviours

Our client operates a company‑wide behaviour framework, and successful candidates will be able to demonstrate strong behavioural fit around integrity, adaptability and innovation, being proactive, valuing diversity and inclusion, and leadership at the appropriate level for the role.

What's On Offer - People Advisor

• Salary of £35,000 - £40,000.
• Standard hours - 8.00am - 4.30pm. Peak period of last working day of the month and first 4 working days of the month hours of work will be 8.00am to 5pm. One hour unpaid for lunch each day between the hour's midday to 2pm.
• 30 days' paid holiday per year (inclusive of bank/public holidays), rising to 31 days after 3 years' service and by 1 day per year thereafter to a maximum of 33 days.
• Company sick pay - 5 days during probation, 20 days in any rolling 12-month period.
• Life assurance of 4x salary from day one.
• Free snacks, fruit, and canned drinks in the office.
• Following successful probation: private medical cover, dental insurance, employer pension contribution of 5% (employee 4%), hybrid working (3 days office / 2 days home), and sponsored professional training and qualifications.
• After 6 months' service: income protection covering 75% of salary (less tax and NI) for up to 3 years if medically unable to work.