Senior HR Advisor

Career Legal; Southampton; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Career Legal is seeking a Senior HR Advisor in Southampton for a 12-month fixed-term contract. You will support managers and employees across employee relations, onboarding, policies and reporting, partnering with the HR leadership team to drive best practice in a professional services environment.

You will bring strong UK employment law knowledge and the ability to influence managers, handle complex cases, and deliver pragmatic HR advice in a fast-paced setting.

Qualifications

• Experience as Senior HR Advisor or HR generalist.
• Strong employee relations experience and ability to handle complex cases.
• Solid understanding of UK employment law and practical application.
• Experience advising and influencing managers on HR best practice.
• Experience in a professional services environment is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Advise and coach managers on employee relations and disciplinary matters.
• Provide practical HR guidance while ensuring legal compliance.
• Support onboarding and improve employee experience from day one.
• Develop and implement HR policies and processes across the firm.
• Produce HR reports and provide data-driven insights for decisions.
• Partner with stakeholders across offices to maintain consistent service.
• Support wellbeing, diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Skills

Employee relations

UK employment law

Stakeholder management

HR reporting

Onboarding & induction

HR systems

Tools

HRIS

MS Office

Job description

Our client, a leading Intellectual Property firm, are looking to hire a Senior HR Advisor into their Southampton office, on a 12 month FTC basis.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced HR professional to join a highly respected professional services organisation, supporting managers and employees across a broad range of people-related matters. Working as part of a collaborative HR team, you will play a key role in delivering pragmatic HR advice, managing employee relations cases, supporting HR initiatives and helping to foster a positive and inclusive workplace culture.

Reporting into the HR leadership team, you will provide expert HR guidance and support across the employee lifecycle, partnering with managers to ensure best practice and consistency in approach.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Advising and coaching managers on a wide range of employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, performance management, absence management and conflict resolution.
• Providing practical and commercial HR advice whilst ensuring compliance with employment legislation and company policies.
• Supporting the implementation and continuous improvement of HR policies, processes and procedures.
• Assisting with onboarding activities and supporting a positive employee experience from day one.
• Partnering with stakeholders across the business to deliver people-focused solutions and initiatives.
• Supporting engagement, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Contributing to HR projects and wider people strategies.
• Maintaining accurate employee records and HR system data.
• Producing HR reports and analysing data to support informed decision-making.
• Building trusted relationships with stakeholders across multiple office locations.
• Working closely with colleagues to ensure a consistent and high-quality HR service is delivered across the business.

To be successful in this position, you will be an experienced HR professional who enjoys working in a fast-paced, professional environment and is confident handling a broad range of HR matters.

You will possess:

• Previous experience operating in a Senior HR Advisor or equivalent HR generalist role.
• Strong employee relations experience with the ability to manage complex cases confidently and independently.
• A sound understanding of UK employment law and its practical application.
• Experience advising and influencing managers on HR best practice.
• Strong knowledge of HR policies, procedures and people processes.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility at all levels.
• A professional and discreet approach when handling confidential information.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Good analytical skills and experience producing HR reports and insights.
• Proficiency in HR systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience within a professional services environment.
• Previous exposure to the legal, intellectual property or wider corporate services sectors.

If you're an experienced HR professional looking for your next challenge within a dynamic and people-focused organisation, we'd love to hear from you.