People Advisor

Financial Times; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Medical cover

Subsidised gym memberships

Hybrid working model

Job summary

The Financial Times is seeking a People Services Advisor to partner with managers and employees across the employee lifecycle. You will deliver expert advice, handle employee relations matters, and help optimise People processes using digital tools, automation and AI-enabled solutions.

Working as part of a global People Services team, you will contribute to continuous improvement, data insights and scalable ways of working, while supporting a hybrid model with onsite and remote collaboration.

Qualifications

• Experience as People/HR Advisor in a generalist HR environment.
• Solid knowledge of UK employment legislation and practical application.
• Experience managing employee relations cases from start to resolution.
• Strong digital capability with HR technology, data and AI tools.

Responsibilities

• Provide pragmatic, commercially focused advice to managers and employees across the full lifecycle.
• Lead and support a broad range of employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance and absence management.
• Coach managers to handle people issues effectively and ensure policy compliance.
• Promote continuous improvement by standardising and improving People processes.

Skills

People advisor

HR advisor

employee relations

data analytics

digital tools

AI tools

project management

Education

CIPD Level 5/7

Tools

Workday

HRIS

Job description

About Us

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide.

About Us

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide. At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Here, you’re given the chance to reach millions, create work that matters and deliver impartial journalism in a polarised world. In our warm, collaborative culture, you’ll connect with a diverse community of experts who support your growth, career aspirations and wellbeing. Your future at the FT will be filled with opportunities that challenge and inspire you. With no fixed path, you’ll discover new skills and forge a career that can take you anywhere. Build a newsworthy career at the FT.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.

The Role

The People Services Advisor is a trusted partner to managers and employees, delivering expert advice across the employee lifecycle while helping to continuously improve the way People Services operates.

This role combines strong employee relations knowledge with a passion for operational excellence, technology and innovation. Working as part of a global People Services team, the People Services Advisor will use data, digital tools and AI-enabled solutions to simplify processes, improve the employee experience and support managers to make informed people decisions.

The role is suited to an experienced HR professional who enjoys solving problems, finding opportunities for improvement and working in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. Alongside providing high-quality operational support and advice, the successful candidate will actively contribute to the evolution of our People function through continuous improvement, automation and scalable ways of working.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations & People Advice

• Provide pragmatic, commercially focused advice and guidance to managers and employees across the full employee lifecycle.
• Lead and support a broad range of employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance, capability, performance, absence management, flexible working and family leave.
• Coach and support managers to build confidence and capability in handling people issues effectively and consistently.
• Ensure People policies and practices are applied fairly, consistently and in line with current employment legislation.
• Manage probation processes, ensuring managers and employees receive timely guidance and support.
• Conduct consultations relating to parental leave, adoption, shared parental leave and other statutory leave arrangements.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Deliver an outstanding employee and manager experience by working collaboratively with People Operations, Payroll and People Systems teams.
• Find opportunities to simplify, standardise and improve People processes across the employee lifecycle.
• Challenge inefficient ways of working and implement practical, scalable improvements.
• Contribute to the development of global People Services standards, ensuring consistency, quality and compliance.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging innovation and sharing guideline across the People team.

Digital, Automation & AI

• Champion the use of digital tools, automation and AI to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of People Services.
• Identify repetitive or manual activities that could be streamlined through workflow automation, AI or enhanced self-service.
• Work with the People Systems team to test, implement and embed new technologies and process improvements.
• Use AI responsibly to enhance drafting, knowledge management, reporting and operational effectiveness while maintaining appropriate governance, confidentiality and data security.
• Stay informed about emerging HR technologies and recommend innovative solutions that add new value to employees, managers and the wider People team.

Data & Insight

• Use people data and operational metrics to identify trends, risks and opportunities.
• Produce meaningful insights that support informed business decisions and continuous improvement.
• Implement service performance and recommend actions to improve quality, efficiency and the employee experience.
• Work with the People Systems team to ensure accurate and meaningful management information is available to support decision making.

Projects & Change

• Lead or contribute to global People initiatives including organisational change, reward, benefits, wellbeing, policy development, process redesign and HR technology projects.
• Support the delivery of the FT People Strategy and wider organisational priorities.
• Develop and manage project plans, engaging partners and ensuring successful delivery against agreed turning points.
• Build solid relationships across the business, developing a detailed understanding of operational challenges and finding opportunities to improve the employee experience.

Stakeholder Management

• Build trusted relationships with managers and leaders across the business, providing balanced and commercially focused advice.
• Influence decision making through credible recommendations, sound judgement and evidence-based insight.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across the global People team to deliver an integrated and consistent service.
• Promote diversity, inclusion and belonging through everyday interactions, advice and project work.

Person Specification

Essential

• Demonstrable experience operating as a People Advisor or HR Advisor within a generalist HR environment.
• Solid experience managing a broad range of employee relations cases from initial advice through to resolution.
• Excellent understanding of UK employment legislation and its practical application within a commercial organisation.
• Strong commercial judgement with the confidence to influence and challenge constructively.
• Experience identifying and implementing process improvements within HR or People Services.
• Strong digital capability with confidence using HR technology, AI tools and data to improve outcomes.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate information into practical recommendations.
• Experience managing projects or contributing to cross-functional change initiatives.
• Highly organised with the ability to prioritise competing demands and work effectively under pressure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong relationship-building and collaborator management skills.
• Collaborative, adaptable and committed to delivering an exceptional employee experience.
• High levels of integrity, discretion and professionalism when handling confidential information.
• A proactive, curious and continuous improvement mentality.

Desirable

• CIPD Level 5 or Level 7 qualification (or equivalent experience).
• Experience working within a global or multinational organisation.
• Experience using Workday or another enterprise HRIS.
• Experience supporting HR technology implementations or process automation initiatives.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled workplace technologies and their practical application within HR.
• Experience analysing HR metrics and using data to influence decisions.

What’s in It for You?

Our benefits vary by location, but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here.

We’ve embraced a 50% hybrid working model, averaging two to three days onsite, that fosters trust and remote adaptability while encouraging in-person camaraderie and peer learning. Additionally, we are open to accommodating specific flexible working pattern requests for all roles where feasible.

Accessibility

We are a Disability Confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments or personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email [e-mail] and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Further Information

At the FT, we embrace innovation and the use of technology and appreciate that individuals may harness AI tools as part of their job application process. While we are happy for you to use AI to assist with your application, it is essential that all information provided is authentic and accurately represents your skills, experience and qualifications.

Candidates should be aware that the use of AI throughout the application process may be monitored to ensure a fair and transparent hiring process for all.

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