Senior People Advisor

Main Purpose of the role

We’re looking for an experienced Senior People Advisor to join our People team and play a key role in supporting our managers and colleagues across the organisation. This is a role for someone who enjoys working through complex people issues, is confident making sound judgements, and can balance empathy and pragmatism with a clear understanding of employment legislation, risk and organisational needs.

You’ll take ownership of a varied and often complex employee relations caseload, providing advice from initial assessment through to resolution. This will include grievances, disciplinary matters, capability, absence, conduct and workplace investigations, as well as supporting wider organisational change. You’ll be trusted to work autonomously, but will also know when to challenge, escalate or seek wider input.

We’re particularly interested in someone who has experience with employee voice and employee representatives and who understands the importance of meaningful, constructive engagement. You’ll help us build positive relationships and ensure that colleague perspectives are heard and appropriately considered.

Primary Responsibilities

• Managing a complex and varied employee relations caseload from initial assessment through to resolution.
• Advising and coaching managers on sensitive and challenging people matters, providing clear, practical options and recommendations.
• Supporting and, where appropriate, leading workplace investigations, ensuring matters are handled fairly, consistently and with appropriate confidentiality.
• Supporting formal processes including grievance, disciplinary, capability, absence and performance management.
• Providing pragmatic advice on employment legislation, company policies and good people practice.
• Working with employee voice forums and employee representatives, building constructive relationships and supporting effective consultation and resolution.

Contributing to organisational change, including restructures, consultations and workforce planning.

Promoting fairness, inclusion and equality in the way we manage people and make decisions.

Identifying themes and trends across casework and employee feedback, using insight to help improve our policies, practices and colleague experience.

Building trusted relationships with colleagues and managers by taking an in-person, visible and approachable approach to people support.

Travelling to our Poole site when required to provide hands-on support for colleagues and managers.

Working collaboratively across the People team while managing your own priorities and caseload effectively.

Travelling to our Poole site when required to provide advisory support for colleagues and managers.

What skills are we looking for?

To be successful in this role, you must have strong experience as an HR professional, with a proven background in employee relations and managing complex cases from start to finish. You will have a strong understanding of UK employment legislation and its practical application, together with experience working with employee representatives and/or employee voice arrangements. You will have excellent investigation, conflict resolution and problem-solving skills, with the confidence to constructively challenge and influence managers and stakeholders. Strong communication skills, sound judgement and the ability to make balanced, risk-based decisions are essential, as is the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion. You will be practical, approachable and solutions-focused, with a genuine understanding of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) and how this supports fair and inclusive people practices.

The ideal candidate will have experience supporting operational or site-based workforces and a relevant HR/People qualification, such as CIPD, or equivalent practical experience. You will be visible and approachable, taking the time to understand the context behind a situation, listen to different perspectives and build relationships based on trust. You will be comfortable having difficult conversations, challenging appropriately and making recommendations where there may not be an obvious answer. A practical, people-focused approach and the ability to work collaboratively across the business will be highly valued.