People Advisor

National Grid plc; Exeter; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus based on performance

Contributory pension (12% company max)

Share incentive plan

Salary sacrifice car

Technology schemes

Employee assistance lines

Matched charity giving

Job summary

National Grid plc is seeking a proactive People Advisor to join the NGED People team. You will partner with leaders to provide pragmatic HR guidance, influence decision-making, and drive initiatives that support performance, wellbeing and policy compliance.

This hybrid role offers work from home plus base offices in the south west. You will analyse people data, lead Talent Management and DEI projects, and coach managers on employee relations, absence, and flexible working.

Qualifications

• Experience working within a Business Partner and Centre of Excellence HR model.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills with confidence to influence.
• Customer-focused approach with excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities.
• Strong attention to detail and data governance.
• Experience analysing large data sets and translating insights into business recommendations.
• Experience advising leaders on people matters with policy and legislation.

Responsibilities

• Provide pragmatic, people-focused HR advice across business areas.
• Use data, analytics and dashboards to generate insights and support decision-making.
• Support delivery of HR processes and activities with the wider NGED People team.
• Lead and support projects on Talent Management, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and organizational effectiveness.
• Analyse workforce data to identify opportunities, risks and recommended actions.
• Support Trade Union engagement across the business.
• Provide informal Employee Relations guidance and coaching managers on policy and practice.
• Support absence management and flexible working requests.
• Signpost leaders to specialist support and resources when needed.
• Champion continuous improvement of HR processes and the employee experience.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

HR generalist experience

Data literacy

Discretion / confidentiality

Education

Bachelor's in HR or related field

CIPD qualification or working towards one

Tools

Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint)

Job description

Help shape the future of energy by putting people at the heart of everything we do.

At National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED), our people are critical to delivering safe, reliable energy to millions of customers.

We're looking for a proactive and commercially minded People Advisor to join our People team and support leaders in driving business performance through exceptional people practices.

Working closely with the Lead Business Partner, you'll provide expert HR guidance and support across your assigned business area, helping leaders navigate a broad range of people matters. You'll use data and insight to influence decision-making, deliver meaningful people initiatives, and ensure compliance with employment legislation, company policies, and our values.

This is an exciting opportunity for an HR professional who enjoys building trusted relationships, analysing people data, and contributing to strategic people priorities while delivering excellent day-to-day support.

The role is hybrid so you can enjoy working from home as well as one of our base offices located in south west area - whichever is most local to you.

Please note - Interviews will be held for the role on week commencing 9th November.

What you'll do

• Partner with leaders and stakeholders to provide pragmatic, people-focused HR advice across a variety of colleague-related matters.
• Use people data, analytics and dashboards to generate meaningful insights, support evidence-based decision-making, and challenge constructively where appropriate.
• Support the delivery of key HR processes and cyclical activities, working closely with the wider NGED People team and Group Centres of Excellence.
• Lead and support projects that deliver both business and people priorities, including areas such as Talent Management, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and organisational effectiveness.
• Analyse internal and external trends, metrics and workforce data to identify opportunities, risks, and recommendations for improvement.
• Support Trade Union engagement activities and forums across the business.
• Provide informal Employee Relations guidance and coaching managers on colleague matters in line with company policies, values and the Code of Ethics.
• Support leaders with absence management, Occupational Health referrals, flexible working requests, family-friendly provisions and other employment-related matters.
• Act as a trusted advisor, ensuring leaders are signposted to the right specialist support and resources when required.
• Champion continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance people processes and the employee experience.

What you'll need

• Experience working within a Business Partner and Centre of Excellence HR model.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to influence and challenge constructively.
• A customer-focused approach with excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and adapt to changing business needs.
• Strong attention to detail and a disciplined approach to managing data, policies and processes.
• Experience analysing large volumes of data and translating insights into meaningful business recommendations.
• Ability to handle highly confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Teams and SharePoint.
• Broad HR experience across the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, employee relations and talent management.
• Experience advising leaders on people matters while balancing business needs with policy, employment legislation and company frameworks.
• Experience delivering projects from planning and initiation through to implementation and review.
• CIPD qualification or working towards one would be advantageous.

What you’ll get

A competitive salary between £40,706.00 - £44,297.50 per annum – dependent on capability.

As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus based on personal and company performance and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You will also have access to a number of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car and technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.

More Information

This role closes on 5th November at 23:59, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary.

We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates – we make appointments purely on merit, assessed against objective selection criteria. We support flexible working and will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process should you have any physical or mental impairment which may affect your ability to participate in the process.

Please note that in most cases, National Grid is unable to offer sponsorship for employment under the UK points-based immigration system. As such, applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship now or in the future under the UK points-based immigration system. However, in exceptional circumstances where there is a clear and demonstrable need for specialist skills that cannot be sourced from the local labour market, National Grid may consider offering sponsorship. All applications are welcome from candidates who meet these requirements, regardless of race, nationality, or ethnic origin.

National Grid operates in both the UK and US, with a broad portfolio of energy businesses dedicated to providing safe, reliable, and sustainable power.

From electricity and gas transmission to advancing clean energy and modernising grids, our work covers every aspect of the energy system.

Our energy flows through absolutely everything we do

Life here at National Grid is more than just our purpose or our values, it’s everything we put into everything we do. It’s our commitment to diversity and inclusion; how we help our employees learn and grow; and how we partner with and support the communities where we live and work. It’s all this, and so much more.

We leverage our collective strengths to do meaningful BIG work so that we can be at the heart of a fair and affordable energy future.

We offer a competitive base salary, with annual reviews to ensure it reflects the market rate for your role, skills, knowledge, and experience.

Incentive Pay

Depending on your role, you'll be eligible for an annual performance bonus that rewards your contribution to our success. Your bonus is a percentage of eligible earnings and may vary each year.

Recognition

Our global recognition program lets you thank and reward colleagues for their contributions, along with career milestone awards to celebrate key achievements.

Retirement

We offer a generous pension plan with company contributions up to 12%. For every £1 you contribute, we'll add £2. You can also make extra voluntary contributions to boost your retirement savings.