Support Team Manager – HR Advisory

Burgess Hodgson LLP; Canterbury; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension provision

Professional development support

Well-being-related benefits

Other firm benefits

Job summary

Burgess Hodgson LLP is recruiting for a Support Team Manager to lead the HR Advisory support function in Canterbury. You will oversee day-to-day workload, quality checks, template governance and escalation discipline while supporting team development and client onboarding.

The role focuses on structured, accurate HR administration, high-quality client work, and delivering service improvements. Onsite working pattern and a competitive salary are offered.

Qualifications

• Experience leading an HR support/administration team.
• Strong HR documentation standards, template use, confidentiality and audit trails.
• Good judgment on when to escalate or review work.
• Ability to coach others and raise standards.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, SharePoint, shared mailboxes and workflow tools.

Responsibilities

• Manage Support Team Advisors and oversee workload, priorities, deadlines and service standards.
• Maintain visibility of live work across the team and manage shared mailbox, trackers and action lists.
• Allocate work by urgency, risk, impact and capacity.
• Review client-facing HR documents for accuracy, template use, tone and deadlines.
• Set expectations for first-level checks and approvals.
• Govern template controls, libraries, SOPs and guidance.
• Coach colleagues and conduct 1:1s; support performance reviews.
• Train colleagues on HR systems and delivery platforms.
• Liaise with clients for onboarding and data capture.
• Identify high-risk matters and escalate appropriately.
• Monitor errors, delays and capacity; drive process improvements.
• Provide monthly KPI/MI updates to senior management.

Skills

HR management

Coaching and development

Client service

Quality control

Governance and templates

Education

CIPD Level 5

Tools

Microsoft 365

SharePoint

Document libraries

Excel/Spreadsheets

Job description

Canterbury, Kent | Onsite | Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.30pm | Indicative salary £45,000–£55,000, depending on experience.

As Burgess Hodgson’s HR Advisory service continues to grow, we are looking for a Support Team Manager to help lead the operational support function and keep client work accurate, organised and well controlled.

This role would suit someone who enjoys bringing structure to a busy support environment, improving standards and helping others deliver high-quality work. You will manage the support team’s day-to-day workload, quality checks, template use, trackers, document control and escalation discipline, while also supporting team development, client onboarding and service improvement.

About the role

You will manage the HR Advisory support function, helping to keep client work moving safely and consistently. This will include overseeing management of the support team shared mailbox, document preparation, trackers, workflow notes, deadlines, template governance, document libraries and first-level checking standards.

The role is not expected to provide higher-risk employment advice independently, but it does require sound management judgement. You will need to recognise when work can be handled within the support team, when it should be reviewed by you, and when it must be escalated to a People Partner or senior adviser before anything is issued.

What you will be doing

• Managing Support Team Advisors and overseeing day-to-day workload, priorities, deadlines and service standards.
• Keeping clear visibility of live work across the support function, including management of the support team shared mailbox, trackers, workflow notes and outstanding actions.
• Allocating work by urgency, risk, client impact, adviser requirements and team capacity.
• Reviewing client-facing HR documents for factual accuracy, correct template use, tone, process stage, dates, deadlines and contractual detail.
• Setting expectations for first-level checks before work is passed for manager review or People Partner sign-off.
• Maintaining template governance, document library controls, version control, SOPs and approved support-team guidance.
• Coaching support colleagues through feedback, examples, checklists, training and follow-up where quality or consistency needs improvement.
• Holding regular 1:1s, setting clear objectives and supporting performance reviews for Support Team Advisors.
• Training and supporting colleagues on relevant HR Advisory systems, workflow tools and service delivery platforms.
• Liaising directly with clients where needed, including supporting new client onboarding and data capture exercises.
• Identifying higher-risk matters and escalating them before documents are issued or client expectations are confirmed.
• Monitoring recurring errors, rework, delays, capacity pressure and escalation themes, using this information to improve processes and standards.
• Providing monthly KPI and MI updates to senior management, highlighting workload, turnaround times, quality themes, capacity risks and improvement actions.

What we are looking for

• Experience managing, supervising or coordinating an HR support, administration, documentation, workflow or client service team.
• Strong understanding of HR documentation standards, template use, confidentiality, audit trail, version control and client-ready written work.
• Good judgement in recognising what can be resolved at support-team level and what needs People Partner or senior adviser review.
• Confidence managing competing priorities, workload capacity, deadlines, client expectations and internal stakeholder needs.
• Ability to coach others, give constructive feedback, address repeated quality issues and raise standards through others.
• Strong organisation, attention to detail and confidence using, explaining and supporting others with Microsoft 365, SharePoint, shared mailboxes, spreadsheets, HR systems, task management tools, workflow trackers and document libraries.
• Confidence speaking with clients, gathering information and turning client administration needs into clear internal processes or support-team actions.
• CIPD Level 5 or equivalent practical HR experience.
• Experience in professional services, consultancy, outsourced HR, payroll bureau, accountancy practice or another client-facing support environment.
• Experience managing SOPs, document libraries, template approval processes, quality audits or workflow improvement activity.
• Experience tracking MI, including turnaround times, workload volumes, overdue work, error patterns, rework, client feedback, capacity and escalation themes.
• Experience supporting multiple clients, advisers or workstreams at the same time.

Working pattern and salary

This is an onsite role based in Canterbury, Kent. The working pattern is Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.30pm. The indicative salary range is £45,000–£55,000, 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-related benefits and other firm benefits, with full details confirmed as part of the recruitment process.

This is an opportunity to join a developing HR Advisory service in a varied, client-facing support role where accuracy, organisation and good judgement are important. The role will suit someone who enjoys practical HR coordination, working with different types of clients and helping to keep high-quality advisory work moving smoothly.

If you are a motivated, diligent individual looking for a new challenge, and would like to explore this exciting opportunity further, we would be delighted to hear from you.