Senior HR Advisor - FTC

Retirement Villages Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Retirement Villages Group is seeking a Senior HR Advisor on a 12‑month fixed-term contract. Hybrid working with at least two days on-site and a 37.5‑hour week, supporting managers across multiple sites and London offices. Strong Workday expertise and extensive Employee Relations experience are essential.

You’ll work closely with the People Team to advise on UK employment law, HR policies, and organisational changes, while acting as a key Workday user and trusted partner to managers.

Qualifications

• Proven experience with Workday HRIS and HR casework.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Experience advising managers on HR policies and processes.
• Ability to coach managers through sensitive people matters.
• Proven track record of handling high-volume ER casework independently.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide pragmatic HR guidance across the full employee lifecycle.
• Independently manage complex Employee Relations cases (discipline, grievances, investigations).
• Coach managers on UK employment law and HR policies.
• Support organisational change, workforce planning and design changes.
• Act as Day 1 Workday SME for managers and employees, troubleshooting issues.
• Oversee lifecycle activities in Workday: contracts, working patterns, leavers.
• Draft, update and embed HR policies and supporting documentation.
• Assist recruitment, onboarding and pre-employment processes.
• Analyze HR data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Support employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives.

Skills

Workday HRIS

Employee relations

HR policy advising

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Time management

Education

CIPD Level 5 or equivalent

Job description

Hybrid | Minimum 2 days per week on site across our retirement villages and/or London office
Full time | Monday to Friday, 9.00am–5.30pm | 37.5 hours per week

Here at Retirement Villages Group we are looking for an experienced Senior HR Advisor to join our People Team on a 12 month fixed-term contract.

This is a busy, hands‑on role supporting managers across a multi‑site organisation, so we’re looking for someone who can quickly get up to speed and confidently manage a varied HR workload.

Strong practical Workday knowledge and substantial Employee Relations experience are essential for this role. You’ll need to be comfortable managing complex ER cases independently, while also being a confident Workday user who can support managers, troubleshoot issues and ensure employee data and processes are managed accurately.

What you’ll be doing

Working closely with managers and the wider People Team, you’ll provide pragmatic HR advice across the full employee lifecycle, including:

• Independently managing a high volume of complex Employee Relations cases, including disciplinaries, grievances, investigations, absence, medical capability and performance issues
• Advising and coaching managers on UK employment law, HR policies and best practice
• Supporting organisational change, consultations, workforce planning and changes to organisational design
• Acting as a key Workday user, supporting managers and employees with day-to-day processes and troubleshooting system issues
• Managing employee lifecycle activity within Workday, including contractual changes, working patterns, probation outcomes and leavers
• Helping managers use Workday accurately and confidently, including providing guidance and training where needed
• Supporting performance management, probation and employee development
• Drafting, reviewing and embedding HR policies and supporting documentation
• Supporting recruitment, onboarding and pre‑employment processes
• Using HR data and reporting to identify trends and opportunities for improvement
• Supporting employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives
• Working with managers across our locations, building strong relationships and providing practical, commercially focused HR support

What we’re looking for

For this role, you’ll need to bring:

• Strong hands‑on Workday HRIS experience – this is essential
• Significant experience independently managing complex and high‑volume Employee Relations casework – also essential
• Strong experience at HR Advisor or Senior HR Advisor level, ideally supporting multiple locations
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice
• Confidence advising and coaching managers through challenging and sensitive people matters
• Experience supporting disciplinary, grievance, investigation, absence, capability and performance processes
• Experience of drafting, updating and embedding HR policies and processes
• Strong systems skills and excellent attention to detail
• The ability to prioritise effectively in a fast‑paced environment with competing demands
• Strong communication and relationship‑building skills, with the confidence to influence at different levels

A CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent would be highly desirable.

Please note: Due to the multi‑site nature of the role, you’ll need to hold a full driving licence and have access to your own car.

About Retirement Villages Group

We all age. The challenge is to age well.

At Retirement Villages Group, we want people to have choices that allow them to stay independent, healthy and connected for longer. We support our communities to retain their individuality, diversity and spirit, helping people make a positive choice about how they want to live.

If you’re an experienced HR professional who enjoys getting stuck into complex ER work, knows Workday well and can build credibility quickly with managers, we’d love to hear from you!