People Advisor (Employee Relations Specialist)

Bidwells; Cambridge; Remote; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Real Living Wage salary

8% pension matching

28 days holiday + bank holidays

Birthday off

Wellness day

Paid sabbaticals

Private medical cover

Medicash plan

Lifestyle discounts and perks

Job summary

Bidwells in Cambridge is seeking an experienced People Advisor (Employee Relations Specialist) to support managers, handle a broad range of ER casework, and drive initiatives that improve employee experience. You will partner with leaders across the business, applying up‑to‑date UK employment law, policies, and best practice to guide decisions and resolve complex people matters.

You will coach managers, help shape wellbeing and inclusion initiatives, and contribute to a collaborative,

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing a wide range of employee relations cases.
• Up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Ability to coach managers through complex ER matters and difficult conversations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support a broad range of employee relations casework from performance to disciplinary and grievance processes.
• Coach and develop managers to handle people matters effectively and consistently.
• Provide expert guidance on HR policies, employment law and best practice.
• Support absence management, family leave cases and flexible working arrangements.
• Play a key role in wellbeing, mental health and inclusion initiatives.
• Help improve employee engagement, retention and overall experience.
• Review and enhance people policies ensuring compliance with legislation.
• Support wider People Team projects and process improvements.

Skills

Employee relations

Coaching managers

Employment law

Policy guidance

Communication

Relationship-building

Education

CIPD qualifications welcomed

Job description

People Advisor (Employee Relations Specialist)

Full time Cambridge

At Bidwells, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As we continue to grow, we're looking for an experienced and commercially minded People Advisor with a strong employee relations background to join our People Team in Cambridge.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a people professional who enjoys building trusted relationships, coaching managers through complex people matters and making a genuine impact on employee experience. You'll work closely with leaders across the business, helping them navigate a wide range of employee relations issues while driving initiatives that support wellbeing, inclusion and engagement.

Why Bidwells

Bidwells is one of the UK's leading property consultancies, known for helping shape some of the country's most innovative places and communities. Behind our success is a collaborative and people-focused culture where individuals are empowered to contribute, challenge the status quo and continuously improve the way we work. With around 600 employees located across the UK, our People Team plays a vital role in supporting colleagues from Inverness to Bristol and everywhere in between.

Joining our People Team means becoming part of a supportive, forward-thinking environment where you'll have the opportunity to influence business decisions, improve processes and help create a workplace where people can thrive, do their best work and build exceptional careers.

Just as importantly, this is a role where you can thrive too. You'll be joining a collaborative and ambitious business that genuinely invests in its people, giving you the opportunity to broaden your experience, take ownership of meaningful projects and develop your career within a growing and progressive People function. Whether you're looking to deepen your employee relations expertise or take the next step in your HR career, Bidwells offers an environment where you'll be trusted, supported and empowered to succeed.

What you'll be doing

As a trusted advisor to managers across the business, you'll:

• Lead and support a broad range of employee relations casework, from performance and capability matters through to disciplinary and grievance processes.
• Coach and develop managers to build confidence in handling people matters effectively and consistently.
• Provide expert guidance on HR policies, employment law and best practice.
• Support absence management, family leave cases and flexible working arrangements.
• Play a key role in wellbeing, mental health and inclusion initiatives across the firm.
• Help improve employee engagement, retention and overall employee experience.
• Review and enhance people policies, ensuring compliance with changing legislation.
• Support wider People Team projects, process improvements and business change initiatives.

About you

We're looking for someone who combines strong technical HR expertise with a practical, people-first approach.

Ideally you'll bring:

• Proven experience managing a wide range of employee relations cases in a similar environment.
• Confidence coaching managers through performance management, difficult conversations and complex ER matters.
• Up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Experience supporting family leave and flexible working cases.
• A continuous improvement mindset, with examples of improving processes and ways of working.
• The ability to balance commercial priorities with positive employee outcomes.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.

CIPD qualifications are welcomed but what matters most is your ability to provide pragmatic, credible advice and build trust across the organisation.

What’s in it for you

Competitive Salary:

We recognise and reward talent with generous salary and group bonus scheme. As a Real Living Wage employer, we’re committed to fair pay that reflects the true cost of living.

Comprehensive Benefits:

Including up to 8% matched pension, 28 days holiday (+ bank holidays) as a minimum, along with your birthday off work, a wellness day, paid sabbaticals, private medical cover, medicash plan, lifestyle discounts and perks, and more.

Professional Development:

Continuous learning, study support and promotion opportunities.

Innovative Culture:

Be part of a forward-thinking team at the forefront of industry trends.

Family Friendly:

We offer enhanced family leave policies to support individuals close to you.

Work-Life Balance:

We value your well-being and offer agile working to support it.

Bidwells is dedicated to fostering a truly inclusive culture of belonging, where everyone can thrive and succeed as their true and authentic selves at every level. We are committed to equal employment opportunity and positively encourage applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of race, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, disability, age, sexual orientation, transgender status, religion or belief. Flexible working requests are considered from day one.