Senior Human Resources Consultant

We’re looking for an experienced Senior HR Consultant to join a growing HR consultancy and manage a portfolio of clients across a range of sectors. This is a varied role combining hands-on HR advice with strategic people consultancy. You’ll work with business owners, senior leaders and managers, helping them navigate people challenges, manage risk and build stronger HR practices. You’ll need to be confident working independently, comfortable with complexity and able to give advice that balances employment law, best practice and commercial reality.

Location: Oxford / Oxfordshire

Salary: Competitive DOE

Working pattern: Hybrid / flexible, with regular travel to client sites, Monday - Friday, Full time, Permanent

Responsibilities:

• Manage a portfolio of clients and build strong, trusted relationships.
• Provide practical HR advice by phone, email, virtually and onsite.
• Lead complex employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance, capability and performance cases.
• Advise on absence, family leave, flexible working and other employee lifecycle matters.
• Support redundancy, restructure and TUPE processes.
• Conduct HR audits and help clients identify risks and opportunities.
• Develop and review contracts, policies, handbooks and HR processes.
• Advise on recruitment, onboarding, probation and employee development.
• Support leadership and management development through coaching and training.
• Provide advice on reward, benefits and wider people initiatives.
• Deliver HR projects tailored to individual client needs.
• Keep up to date with employment law and share relevant knowledge with clients and colleagues.
• Identify opportunities where additional consultancy support could add value.
• Contribute to the wider consultancy through knowledge sharing, process improvement, networking and supporting business development.

Qualifications:

Experience in HR consultancy, professional services or a multi-client environment would be advantageous, as would a CIPD qualification.

Required Skills:

• Significant generalist HR experience and strong UK employment law knowledge.
• Confidence managing complex employee relations and organisational change.
• Able to advise and appropriately challenge business owners, senior leaders and managers.
• Understanding that good HR advice needs to be legally sound and commercially practical.
• Enjoys solving problems and finding workable solutions rather than simply identifying risks.
• Builds genuine, trusted relationships with clients.
• Communicates complex issues clearly and confidently.
• Comfortable managing multiple clients, projects and competing priorities.
• Works well independently but enjoys being part of a collaborative team.
• Strong judgement, empathy and discretion when handling sensitive situations.
• Adaptable and enjoys the variety that consultancy brings.
• Commercially aware and confident spotting opportunities to add value.

Preferred Skills:

Experience in HR consultancy, professional services or a multi-client environment would be advantageous. CIPD qualification would be advantageous.