Senior People Advisor

Gearset; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personal development budget

Long Term Incentive Plan

Free lunch in office

Pension with 5% match

Health care (Bupa)

Flexible home working

Job summary

Gearset, Cambridge-based, seeks a Senior People Advisor to guide managers through the employee lifecycle, applying sound judgement to performance and ER matters. You’ll embed HR practices across business areas, driving consistency, and a proactive approach to simplifying people processes in collaboration with the PeopleOps team.

You’ll bring coaching skills, UK employment law knowledge, and a pragmatic mindset to help leaders deliver results while handling sensitive information with discretion.

Qualifications

• Proven experience handling employee relations and performance-related conversations.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and its practical application in a fast-paced business.
• Coaching and influencing style that builds trust and challenges stakeholders when needed.
• Pragmatic problem-solving with the ability to connect daily people initiatives to wider company goals.
• Absolute discretion and integrity when handling private or sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Coach and support managers across the full employee lifecycle with pragmatic advice on performance management and ER issues.
• Work within different business areas to ensure Gearset's values are reflected and employee experience is consistent.
• Identify opportunities to simplify or automate people processes with PeopleOps on improvements.
• Support manager enablement with tools, training, and guidance for effective leadership.
• Collaborate on operational projects and provide absence coverage across partnering and PeopleOps.

Skills

Employee relations

Performance management

Coaching & influencing

Stakeholder management

People advisory

Education

CIPD Level 7 or equivalent

Tools

HR systems

Data analysis

Job description

At Gearset, we approach our people practices with the same care, curiosity, and attention to detail that we bring to building our product. We believe that creating a world-class DevOps platform starts with creating an environment where people can do their best work. As we continue to grow globally, maintaining a high-performing, people-centred culture that reflects our values matters more than ever.

We're looking for an experienced Senior People Advisor to join our growing People team. In this role, you'll work closely with managers across the business, helping them navigate the day-to-day realities of leading teams with confidence and consistency. You'll be a trusted advisor who brings sound judgement to complex situations, balances empathy with honesty, and helps create a positive experience for our people at every stage of their journey with Gearset.

What's the opportunity for a Senior People Advisor at Gearset?

• Play a crucial role in driving high performance across the company by guiding and empowering our leaders to build highly engaged, effective teams.
• Empower managers with practical leadership support, helping them confidently handle everything from career development to sensitive performance conversations without relying on a static HR playbook.
• Embed yourself within different business areas to ensure that our culture remains consistent, healthy, and high-performing as we continue to grow.
• Solve complex team challenges using core principles and common sense, giving you the autonomy to deliver practical outcomes rather than getting bogged down in rigid policies.
• Identify opportunities to simplify or automate administrative workflows, directly collaborating with the wider PeopleOps team to make life easier for managers and employees alike.

What you'll achieve

• Coach and support managers across the full employee lifecycle, providing pragmatic advice on performance management, ER issues, and team dynamics
• Spend time within different business areas to ensure Gearset's values are felt daily and that the employee experience remains consistent across the company.
• Spot opportunities to simplify or automate people processes to make life easier for both managers and employees, collaborating with PeopleOps on improvements.
• Work with the wider people team on manager enablement, making sure managers have the tools, training, and guidance they need to be great leaders.
• Support the People Ops Partner on operational projects and providing absence coverage across partnering and PeopleOps.

About you

• Proven experience handling employee relations and performance-related conversations with exceptional judgement and clear, straightforward communication.
• A solid understanding of UK employment law and the practical ability to apply it adaptably within a fast-paced, commercial environment.
• A natural coaching and influencing style that allows you to build genuine trust quickly and challenge stakeholders at all levels with confidence.
• A proactive, pragmatic approach to problem-solving, with the strategic awareness to see how daily people initiatives link back to the company's wider goals.
• Absolute discretion, psychological maturity, and a high level of integrity when dealing with private or sensitive information.

Nice to haves

• A Level 7 CIPD qualification, or equivalent experience in a similar professional environment.
• Experience utilising HR systems and data analysis to understand trends and streamline everyday administrative processes.

Salary and benefits (the stuff you'd expect!)

• Salary is up to £55,000 (depending on experience)
• This is a full time opportunity, working Monday to Friday from our Cambridge office with the option of flexible home working (for most of us that looks like 3 days a week in the office)
• Generous personal development budget for courses, conferences, or whatever is useful to your professional development in the role of up to £1500 per year
• Top end hardware provided
• Opportunity to join our Long Term Incentive Plan
• Free lunch in the office
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (with the option to buy an extra 5 each year)
• Company Pension Plan (matching up to 5%)

- Bupa health care

• Enhanced family leave from day 1, including 26 weeks full maternity/adoption pay, OTE-inclusive
• Bupa Menopause Plan offering specialist consultations and support
• Life Insurance & critical illness cover
• Discounted gym membership, as well as a range of health and wellness benefits