People & Culture Manager

Cummins Mellor Recruitment; Huddersfield; Hybrid; GBP 44,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Competitive salary

40 days holiday package

Enhanced pension

Wellbeing programme

Career progression

Job summary

Cummins Mellor Recruitment seeks an experienced People & Culture Manager to support leaders and managers in delivering an outstanding employee experience and helping the college achieve strategic objectives. The role provides expert HR advice on employee relations, workforce planning, organisational change, and HR solutions.

A CIPD Level 5 or equivalent is preferred, with strong UK employment law knowledge and capable managing complex ER cases.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a Human Resources based role.
• Notable experience in employee relations.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment legislation and HR best practice.
• Proven experience managing complex employee relations cases from start to finish.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Experience of supporting organisational change and continuous improvement initiatives.
• CIPD at Level 5 or above, or equivalent professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Partner with managers to provide pragmatic, professional HR advice and guidance across the full employee lifecycle.
• Lead and support a wide range of employee relations casework, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence management, and performance matters.
• Coach and develop managers to build confidence and capability in managing people effectively.
• Support organisational change initiatives, including restructures, consultations, and workforce planning activities.
• Use HR data and insight to identify trends and recommend improvements that enhance organisational performance.
• Ensure HR policies and practices comply with employment legislation and reflect best practice.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of people initiatives that support employee engagement, wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Build strong working relationships with stakeholders across the college and work collaboratively with colleagues within the wider People Team.

Skills

Employee relations

HR advisory

Stakeholder management

Education

CIPD Level 5

Job description

Huddersfield
Full Time Permanent Hybrid

We are seeking an experienced and proactive People & Culture Manager to join our Team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in supporting our leaders and managers to deliver an outstanding employee experience while helping the college achieve its strategic objectives.

As a trusted partner, the People & Culture Manager will provide expert HR advice across a broad range of people matters, with a particular focus on employee relations, workforce planning, organisational change, and the delivery of effective HR solutions. Working closely with managers across a diverse range professional service areas, they will help foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performing workplace.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with managers to provide pragmatic, professional HR advice and guidance across the full employee lifecycle.
• Lead and support a wide range of employee relations casework, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence management, and performance matters.
• Coach and develop managers to build confidence and capability in managing people effectively.
• Support organisational change initiatives, including restructures, consultations, and workforce planning activities.
• Use HR data and insight to identify trends and recommend improvements that enhance organisational performance.
• Ensure HR policies and practices comply with employment legislation and reflect best practice.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of people initiatives that support employee engagement, wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Build strong working relationships with stakeholders across the college and work collaboratively with colleagues within the wider People Team.

Who we are looking for

An experienced HR professional with strong employee relations expertise and the ability to build trusted relationships with managers at all levels. They will be confident managing a varied workload, balancing operational priorities with strategic thinking, and providing practical, solutions-focused advice.

They will have:

• Significant experience in a Human Resources based role
• Notable experience in employee relations
• Strong knowledge of UK employment legislation and HR best practice.
• Proven experience managing complex employee relations cases from start to finish.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to analyse information and make sound, balanced decisions.
• Experience of supporting organisational change and continuous improvement initiatives.
• It would be beneficial if the successful individual has a CIPD at Level 5 or above, or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience within the education, tradesperson, public sector would be advantageous but is not essential.

Why Join Us?

We are committed to creating an inclusive, supportive and rewarding working environment where our people can thrive. In return, we offer:

• A competitive salary circa £44,000 - £47,000
• Joining us means an annual holiday allocation of 40 days inclusive of 25 bookable days, 10 Bank Holidays (two Tuesdays included) and additional closure days over Christmas.
• An enhanced pension plan (19.1% employer contribution).
• Our hybrid work model is non-contractual, offering flexibility without compromising efficiency (3 days on site, 2 remote) Initial training would delivered on site full time.
• Opportunities for professional development and career progression.
• A comprehensive wellbeing programme.
• The opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the success of our students, colleagues and local community.