People Partner – HR Advisory

Burgess Hodgson LLP; Canterbury; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension provision

Professional development support

Well-being-related benefits

Job summary

Burgess Hodgson LLP in Canterbury is seeking a proactive People Partner to join our HR Advisory team. This client-facing role focuses on practical employee relations work, delivering clear advice to business owners and directors.

You will handle day-to-day and moderately complex HR matters, support SMEs across sectors, and contribute to project work such as HR audits and policy reviews. On-site role with occasional client visits.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years’ generalist HR experience with ER casework.
• Strong employment law awareness and ability to handle complex matters.
• Excellent client-facing communication with business owners and directors.
• Experience supporting SMEs and professional services clients.
• Proven track record in project-based HR work and audits.

Responsibilities

• Advise clients on day-to-day and moderately complex HR matters such as disciplinary, grievance and performance management.
• Manage complex ER cases with appropriate escalation and support.
• Draft HR letters, process plans, and guidance for clients.
• Attend client meetings and onsite visits, building trusted relationships.
• Collaborate with HR Support and senior partners to ensure consistent delivery.
• Identify opportunities for additional HR support and project work.

Skills

ER casework

Employment law awareness

Client-facing communication

Commercial awareness

HR project delivery

HR advisory

SME experience

Team collaboration

Education

Five years generalist HR experience

Tools

HRIS platforms

Microsoft 365

SharePoint

Workflow trackers

Job description

Canterbury, Kent | Onsite, with client visits asrequired| Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.30pm | Indicative salary £50,000–£65,000, depending on experience.

As Burgess Hodgson’s HR Advisory service continues to grow, we are looking for a People Partner to join our developing HR Advisory team. This is a client-facing role for an experienced HR professional who enjoys practical employee relations work, clear advice-giving and helping business owners manage people matters with confidence.

You will advise a varied client base across retained, PAYG, project and People Partner Programme work, balancing commercial awareness with safe, well-documented and proportionate HR advice. The role will suit someone who is confident speaking directly with clients, including business owners, directors and senior stakeholders, and comfortable attending client meetings and onsite visits where required.

About the role

• Advising clients on day-to-day and moderately complex HR matters, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence, flexible working, family leave, probation, performance management and routine redundancy issues.
• Managing complex or higher-risk ER cases withappropriate supportand escalation.
• Gathering facts,identifyingriskand explaining practical options before recommending a clear next step.
• Drafting and reviewing client-ready HR letters, process plans, advice notes, meeting scripts, policies,guidanceand employee relations documentation.
• Liaising confidently with clients, including business owners,directorsand senior stakeholders, building trusted working relationships through clear communication andtimelyfollow-up.
• Attending client meetings and onsite visits whererequired, including for onboarding, fact-finding, HR audits, project work, employee relationssupportand relationship management.
• Working collaboratively with HR Support, Senior PeoplePartnersand the wider HR Advisory team so that advice,recordsand client delivery remain consistent.
• Identifyingopportunities foradditionalHR support, projectworkor wider advisory services where this would add value for the client, and supporting agreed project work such as HR audits, policy reviews, peopleplans, client onboarding and service improvement activity.

What we are looking for

• Minimum of five years’ generalist HR experience, including strong ER casework experience and practical employment law awareness.
• Confidence handling complex ER matters and knowing when to escrow for senior, legal or specialist input.
• Strong client-facing communication skills, with confidence liaising directly with business owners,directorsand senior stakeholders.
• Commercial awareness, scopedisciplineand the confidence toidentifywhereadditionalHR support, project work or wider advisory services would add value.
• A collaborative approach, with the ability to work well with HR Support, Senior PeoplePartnersand the wider HR Advisory team.
• Strong organisation, confidentiality awareness and confidence handling sensitive client and employee information appropriately.
• At least three years’ HR consultancy, outsourced HR, professionalservicesor multi-client advisory experience.
• Experience supporting SMEs, professional servicesclientsor clients across more than one sector.
• Experience delivering project-based HR work, policy reviews, peopleplans, client training or HR audits.
• Experience using HR software, HRIS platforms, case management systems, shared mailboxes, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, workflow trackers or document libraries.

Working pattern and salary

This is an on-site role based in Canterbury, Kent, with client visits as required. The working pattern is Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.30pm. The indicative salary range is £50,000–£65,000, depending on experience.

In addition to salary, the successful candidate will receive access to Burgess Hodgson’s employee benefits package. This may include pension provision, professional development support,well-being-relatedbenefitsand other firm benefits, with full details confirmed as part of the recruitment process.