HR Advisor

Who are we, and what do we do? You may not have heard of us, but there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed our products. Avara Foods is one of the UK’s leading food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the country’s major supermarkets and well-known restaurants. We own and manage our entire supply chain, from farms to factory and all the way to the customer door – meaning we have careers that cover a whole range of functions. We have major processing sites across England and Wales, and an agricultural network of over 350 farms, spanning from North Yorkshire to the South Coast and Wales.

A little about our Telford site: Our advanced manufacturing site in Telford is one of our main processing facilities, processing up to 1.5 million birds per week. There are over 1,200 talented people employed at our Telford site, helping us to deliver high quality products to our customers and making the business a trusted leader in fresh foods. We’ve recently invested £2.3 million in technology and equipment, making it one of the most advanced food manufacturing facilities in the UK.

About the Role: Are you passionate about People? Looking for a new challenge? Do you have experience or qualifications in HR? As an inclusive, forward-thinking business, we take pride in our approach to investing in our people across Avara Foods and are looking for a highly competent and motivated HR Advisor to join our HR Team on a 9-12 month fixed term contract, based at our Telford site. The role is office based, but there may be times you are required to enter the Factory environment so you’ll be in a fast-paced, dynamic FMCG factory environment which is noisy and refrigerated in some areas.

As a HR Advisor, you’ll be working Monday to Friday 08:00-16.30 or 08.30 to 17.00 with flexibility required to cover Twilight shift on a rota basis.

What will you be doing as a HR Advisor at Avara? As a HR Advisor you will ensure the effective day to day running of the HR office, by setting up, monitoring and continually improving systems and procedures. To provide a comprehensive and professional service to all internal and external customers within procedural and economic constraints.

What will your key responsibilities include?

• Provide advice on all ER matters and ensure all complaints and disciplinary hearings are conducted in line with the Complaints/Grievance and Disciplinary guidelines, to ensure best practice adopted.
• Providing advice and guidance to Managers on our Absence Policy and Procedures.
• Proactive management of our long-term sickness amended duties and health conditions cases and involving Occupational Health as and when appropriate.
• Be the first point of contact for, and manage, maternity, paternity, and flexible working cases.
• Processing new starters, leavers, and contractual changes where necessary.
• Support managers with probationary review meetings where potential outcome could be extension/dismissal.
• Manage and review 60 hours process flagging breaches/potential breaches to HRO/Line Manager.
• Supporting with any HR related projects.
• Responding to telephone and email queries.
• Carrying out exit interviews, recording the data and interpreting that data to find any trends.
• Supporting the Resourcing department and line managers with interviews on a range of vacancies.
• Helping with the Company’s induction programme for all new weekly and monthly starters.

What you’ll need to be successful:

• Up to date experience and confident in usage of Microsoft Office and HR packages.
• Good working knowledge of employment law.
• CIPD qualified or working towards is desirable.
• Experience of working within a manufacturing or fast paced organisation and up to date knowledge of employment law.
• Excellent communication skills and can multitask.
• A drive to improve performance and deliver outstanding results.
• Results oriented with an emphasis on quality and teamwork.
• Methodical with an attention to detail whilst working at pack.
• Ability to build effective relationships with internal and external contacts.
• Ability to handle conflict/confrontation effectively.
• A high level of personal integrity demonstrating respect and empathy for others and is consistent, open, and honest.
• Proven unionised environment experience would be beneficial but not essential.

The benefits of working for Avara Foods: As a HR Advisor you will enjoy a secure, supportive and progressive working environment, where your contribution and achievements will be recognised and rewarded. We offer comprehensive training as well as continuous development as you build your long-term career with us. You can also look forward to benefits that amongst other things include the following:

• Competitive salary.
• 31 days holiday allowance (pro rata).
• Various lifestyle benefits, such as cashback perks, exclusive shopping discounts from well known retailers, and discounted cinema tickets!
• Wellbeing resources, including free online health advice & support, and wellbeing assessments.
• Subsidised staff canteen.
• Free staff parking.

What happens after you apply for this role? After you’ve applied, you’ll be contacted in due course by a Resourcing Officer at our Telford site, to discuss your application and CV further. There’ll also be a chance for you to ask us any questions you may have about the role. If you’re ready to work in a dynamic environment alongside talented people who take pride in delivering great results, apply today! We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.