People & Culture Officer

Hartford Care Ltd.; Dudley; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Hartford Care Ltd is seeking an experienced People & Culture Officer to join the team. The role is hands-on and field-based, working across our portfolio of care homes and providing practical HR advice to Home Managers and management teams.

You will visit homes regularly, handle employee relations matters, support investigations, absence and wellbeing, and drive fair HR practices in line with policies and legislation.

Qualifications

• Generalist HR or employee relations experience at HR Officers/Advisor level.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR policies.
• Experience advising managers on disciplinary, grievance, absence and performance management matters.
• Experience handling workplace investigations and formal HR processes.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build relationships at all levels.
• Solutions-focused with the ability to provide clear, balanced HR advice.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple cases.
• CIPD Level 5 or working towards it; willingness to travel between care homes.

Responsibilities

• Provide advice and guidance to managers on employee relations matters.
• Support managers through investigations, disciplinary and grievance processes.
• Coach and support Home Managers and their teams.
• Visit care homes regularly to provide hands-on HR support.
• Assist with absence management and employee wellbeing.
• Advise on performance management including probation and improvement plans.
• Promote fair and legally compliant people management practices.
• Support recruitment onboarding and employment compliance.
• Identify trends and drive practical improvements with the team.

Skills

UK employment law

Employee relations

Investigation support

People management coaching

On-site support

Communication skills

Discretion & confidentiality

Education

CIPD Level 5

Tools

HR systems

HR reporting

Job description

About the Role

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced and proactive People & Culture Officer to join our People & Culture team at Hartford Care.

This is a varied, hands-on HR role, ideally suited to someone who enjoys working closely with managers, providing practical HR advice and making a real difference to the people and teams they support.

Working across a portfolio of care homes, you will be a key point of contact for Home Managers and their management teams, providing professional, confident and pragmatic advice on a wide range of employee relations matters.

You will play an important role in supporting managers to navigate challenging people situations, ensuring that employment matters are handled fairly, consistently and in line with employment legislation, company policies and our values.

This is not a desk-based HR administration role. We are looking for someone who enjoys being visible and accessible, building strong working relationships and spending time in our homes, supporting managers and employees face to face.

Key Responsibilities

As a People & Culture Officer, you will:

• Employee Relations: Provide advice and guidance to managers on a broad range of employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, performance, absence management and other employment-related concerns.
• Investigations and Formal Procedures: Support managers throughout workplace investigations, disciplinary and grievance processes, providing guidance on appropriate procedures, evidence gathering, meetings and outcomes.
• Manager Coaching and Support: Build strong, trusted relationships with Home Managers and their management teams, offering practical advice, coaching and support to help them manage people matters confidently and effectively.
• On-Site HR Support: Regularly visit our care homes, providing hands-on support, attending meetings, resolving people-related concerns and promoting positive working relationships.
• Absence and Wellbeing: Support managers with short- and long-term absence management, occupational health referrals, return-to-work arrangements and employee wellbeing.
• Performance Management: Advise managers on performance concerns, probationary reviews, improvement plans and the appropriate management of underperformance.
• HR Best Practice: Promote fair, consistent and legally compliant people management practices, ensuring that managers understand and follow company policies and procedures.
• Employee Engagement and Culture: Work collaboratively with management teams to promote a positive workplace culture, improve employee engagement and support retention.
• Recruitment and Compliance: Provide guidance on recruitment, onboarding and employment compliance matters, working alongside our wider People & Culture and administration teams.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify emerging people trends and areas for improvement, working with the wider People & Culture team to develop practical solutions.

About You

We are looking for an approachable, confident and knowledgeable HR professional who enjoys working in a fast-paced, people-focused environment.

You will be comfortable managing a varied workload, offering sound advice on sensitive employment matters and supporting managers through sometimes difficult conversations.

Essential Experience and Skills:

• Previous experience in a generalist HR or employee relations role, ideally at HR Officer or HR Advisor level.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law, HR policies and employee relations procedures.
• Practical experience of advising managers on disciplinary, grievance, absence and performance management matters.
• Confidence in supporting workplace investigations and formal HR processes.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with managers and employees at all levels.
• A pragmatic, solutions-focused approach, with the confidence to provide clear and balanced HR advice.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise competing demands and manage multiple cases simultaneously.
• The ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with professionalism, discretion and sound judgement.
• CIPD Level 5 qualification, or currently working towards it.
• A full UK driving licence and the ability to travel regularly between our care homes.

Desirable Experience:

• Previous HR experience within health and social care or another multi-site, operational environment.
• Experience supporting managers through complex employee relations cases.
• Experience of HR systems and producing HR management information.
• Knowledge of employment compliance, including right to work and immigration sponsorship requirements.