People Adviser in Manchester

At AQA, we're committed to advancing education and we're committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it's our people who make this happen.

Job title: People Adviser. Contract type: 12-month Fixed Term Contract. Location: Manchester, M15. Salary: £34,000 to £38,300. Working Arrangements: Hybrid working - 2 days a week in office (Tuesdays & Thursdays). Working hours: 35 hours per week with flexible working hours (8am - 4pm OR 9am to 5pm).

People join us for the work, but stay for the team. We're supportive, collaborative, and genuinely enjoy what we do. Looking for a role where your employee relations expertise will make a real impact? At AQA, you'll join a passionate People Team where you'll take ownership of a diverse and complex employee relations (ER) caseload from an early stage. We believe great people practices create the foundation for a positive employee experience and organisational success. As we continue to support our colleagues through change, growth and business priorities, we're looking for an experienced People Adviser to join our People Team on a 12-month fixed-term contract. If you're an experienced HR professional with a broad range of practical ER experience, who enjoys managing formal cases end-to-end whilst building trusted relationships with managers, we'd love to hear from you.

What's in it for you?

• Free access to an on-site gym and games room in our modern Manchester office
• Access opportunities for ongoing professional development and continuous learning as well as employee assistance and wellbeing programmes
• 25 days' annual leave, rising to 30 days with service, plus additional Christmas closure days
• A generous pension scheme with combined contributions of up to 18.5%, available from your first day
• Up to five paid volunteering days each year

An inclusive, values-led culture supported by employee networks including LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, empowering women, wellbeing, ethnic diversity and interfaith communities.

Purpose of the role

As a People Adviser, you'll be working in a team of 4 Advisers, alongside the People Partnering and Employee Relations team, who value knowledge sharing, teamwork and delivering excellent support across the organisation. You'll take ownership of a varied ER caseload, supporting managers across AQA with practical, people-focused advice on complex workforce matters. From an early stage, you'll independently manage a varied range of formal ER cases, involving leading workplace investigations, interviewing employees and witnesses, preparing investigation reports and supporting managers through formal meetings and outcomes.

In this role, you'll be responsible for:

• Leading a range of formal ER cases from start to finish, including grievances, long-term and short-term sickness absence cases, formal capability processes, probation reviews, failed probation cases, disciplinary matters and conduct concerns.
• Facilitating workplace investigations, gathering evidence, interviewing employees and witnesses, supporting independent hearing managers to assess findings and producing clear, balanced investigation reports.
• Advising managers on appropriate courses of action, ensuring decisions are fair, consistent, evidence-based and aligned with company policy and employment legislation.
• Coaching and supporting managers through difficult conversations, performance concerns, attendance issues and complex employee dynamics.
• Preparing for and facilitating formal meetings, including capability, attendance, disciplinary, grievance and probation-related hearings.
• Making recommendations and supporting managers through decision-making processes and formal outcomes.
• Building confidence and capability within the management population by providing practical, commercially focused ER guidance.

You’ll thrive in this role if you have:

• Significant experience in a People Adviser, HR Adviser or Employee Relations-focused role, with responsibility for independently managing formal ER cases.
• Demonstrable experience leading investigation processes, interviewing employees and witnesses, supporting hiring managers to evaluate evidence and producing high-quality investigation reports.
• Experience confidently handling formal grievance, sickness absence, capability, disciplinary and probation processes from start to finish including supporting reviews and handling failed probation cases, conducting witness interviews, preparing investigation reports, managing formal capability and attendance processes, and guiding managers through challenging employee situations.
• Experience chairing or supporting formal ER meetings and advising managers on appropriate outcomes.
• A proven track record of coaching managers through difficult conversations, challenging employee situations and sensitive workplace issues.
• Sound knowledge of UK employment law and confidence applying legislation, policy and best practice to real-life ER scenarios.
• The ability to balance empathy with objectivity whilst making practical, risk-based recommendations.
• Strong written communication skills with experience drafting formal documentation, outcome letters and reports.
• CIPD Level 5 qualification (or equivalent experience).
• The confidence to quickly establish credibility and take ownership of a caseload early in the role.
• Experience of Employment Tribunals is not essential.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At AQA, we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyone—regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background—is valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. We actively promote inclusive language, avoid stereotypes, and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

Interview Process

Interview process: Teams interviews to start on W/C 26th Oct with face‑to‑face interviews the

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