HR Advisor

Location: Manchester (travel to schools across Greater Manchester required)

Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: Competitive, based on experience

Reports to: Senior HR Consultant / Head of Education Services

We are recruiting for a specialist consultancy providing HR support, guidance, and strategy to schools, academies, and trusts across the Greater Manchester region. Our mission is to help education providers create positive, compliant, and high-performing working environments through expert HR advice grounded in sector knowledge. As demand for our services grows, we are seeking a confident and experienced HR Advisor, ideally with local authority experience, who understands the unique challenges and structures of the education sector.

Role Overview

The HR Advisor will play a key role in delivering high-quality HR services to schools. You will provide both remote and on-site advice, supporting leaders, business managers, and governors with a wide range of HR matters. The role involves travel to schools across Manchester and surrounding areas, so confidence in working face-to-face with clients is essential. This role is perfect for someone who enjoys building relationships, problem-solving, and influencing good practice in a fast-paced and varied environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Advisory & Casework
  • Provide clear, timely, and practical HR advice in line with employment law, education sector guidance, and local authority policies.
  • Manage complex employee relations casework including sickness absence, disciplinary matters, grievances, performance, and capability.
  • Support schools through restructuring, redundancy processes, and organisational change.
  • Advise on safer recruitment, pre-employment checks, and safeguarding-related HR considerations.
• Policy & Compliance
  • Produce, review, and update HR policies tailored to the education sector.
  • Ensure client schools are compliant with employment legislation, Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), and local authority frameworks.
  • Support the implementation of HR best practice across schools and trusts.
• Training & Support
  • Deliver training sessions and workshops to school leaders and staff (e.g., performance management, attendance, safer recruitment).
  • Coach school management teams to build internal HR confidence and capability.
• Relationship Management
  • Build strong, long-term relationships with headteachers, school business managers, governors, and trust leaders.
  • Represent the consultancy professionally in all client interactions.
• Operational HR
  • Support with HR documentation, templates, contracts, and reports.
  • Assist with HR audits and workforce planning.
  • Maintain accurate and confidential case management records.

Person Specification

Essential Experience

• Proven experience in an HR Advisor or similar role.
• Strong background in education or local authority HR (schools HR, children's services, or council HR team).
• Strong employee relations casework experience.
• Experience giving advice to managers at all levels.
• Confident working independently and in client-facing situations.

Desirable Experience

• CIPD Level 5 or above (or working towards).
• Experience supporting multi-academy trusts.
• Experience delivering training or workshops.

Skills & Attributes

• Sound understanding of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Ability to interpret and apply school-specific policies and safer recruitment requirements.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage a varied caseload.
• Calm, professional, and solution-focused.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across Greater Manchester.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits.
• Professional development including CIPD support.
• Supportive team environment with sector specialists.
• Varied and meaningful work with schools that value our contribution.
• Opportunity to make a real difference in the education landscape.