Senior HR Adviser in Bristol

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday / All year-round

Additional Information: The role will be offered on a hybrid working basis, to include home, office and academy-based working. The successful candidate will hold a valid driving licence and have access to their own transport in order to travel to and from CLF sites, as required. You will need to be based locally within the Southwest, in order to be able to travel to any CLF site on any given day, sometimes at short notice, as the service requires.

Provisional Start Date: As soon as possible

Your opportunity to lead employee relations across a diverse education community:

Are you an experienced HR professional with a passion for employee relations and a drive to make a real difference? Join the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) as a Senior HR Adviser and become a key part of our dynamic Central HR Team.

As a trusted partner to academy leaders, you’ll play a pivotal role in supporting our diverse family of 37 academies across the South West, including primary, secondary, all-through, special, alternative, and studio school settings. Serving over 18,000 learners aged 2 to 19, CLF is committed to equity, excellence, and opportunity for all.

This is a fantastic opportunity to lead and manage a varied and complex employee relations caseload, while also contributing to wider HR initiatives and projects that shape the future of education.

About you:

You will have:

• A strong working knowledge of HR policies, employment law, and best practice, with the ability to apply this across a wide range of employee relations activities.
• Experience in managing complex employee relations cases, including investigations, formal meetings, and organisational change processes.
• The ability to provide high-quality, pragmatic advice to Principals, Headteachers, Managers, and safeguarding leads, navigating sensitive issues with professionalism and emotional intelligence.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to build trust and credibility at all levels and work collaboratively with union representatives and external stakeholders.
• Confidence in coaching and mentoring colleagues, and in advising senior leaders on complex HR matters.
• High emotional intelligence, resilience, and a proactive, problem-solving approach in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities.
• CIPD membership (or be working towards it) and a commitment to ongoing professional development.
• A valid driving licence and access to transport, with the flexibility to travel to CLF sites across the South West, sometimes at short notice.

Applicants are advised to refer to the full requirements of the role in the attached job description and person specification, prior to submitting an application.

Why work in CLFs Central HR Team?

In this role, you’ll be part of a high-performing team that sits at the heart of HR delivery across our trust. You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Lead on end-to-end employee relations activities across a range of educational settings.
• Influence HR strategy and contribute to federation-wide improvement plans.
• Collaborate with safeguarding leads, union representatives, and senior leaders.
• Develop your career in a supportive environment that values innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

Why work at CLF?

We are a diverse and inclusive community of 37 academies across five cluster regions in the South West that is committed to excellence and making a positive impact. Our people bring unique perspectives, but we’re all driven by a shared moral purpose and a passion for making a positive impact, whether in a teaching, leadership or support role. We’re proud to foster a culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and make a meaningful difference to the lives of others.

We are an equal opportunity employer and proud to serve a diverse student population and our communities. We strongly believe that representation matters and so encourage applications from underrepresented and global majority groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

We aim to remove any barriers to employment, ensuring everyone can compete on equal terms. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered.

What we can offer you:

• Access to a generous pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Generous annual leave.
• A comprehensive induction and ongoing commitment to wellbeing and career progression, through a range of training, apprenticeships and in-role/wider-trust development opportunities.
• Well-being support through an Employee Assistance Programme.
• Health benefits, including wellness sessions, gym discounts, and flu jabs.
• A range of generous family leave options, including above industry average occupational maternity pay.
• Additional benefits like cycle to work scheme, on-site parking plus many more!

Recruitment timeline:

• Interviews: 15 August 2025, however this could be subject to change.

As part of our commitment to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), we do not accept CVs – a full education and employment history must be provided through our application form.

Skilled Worker visas cannot be sponsored through this role, as it does not meet the requirements set out by government.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, should we receive a high level of interest in the role. Therefore, candidates are advised to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid missing out.

The Cabot Learning Federation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All roles across the trust have a varying level of responsibility for ensuring safeguarding practice, with some roles holding significant responsibility and involving working with children on a daily basis in regulated activity. Regardless of the level of responsibility and involvement in each role, we expect all staff, visiting professionals and volunteers to share this commitment.

All successful candidates will undergo a comprehensive pre-employment checking process, including an enhanced DBS check (including a further check against the appropriate barred list), references from current and previous employers, health, right to work in the UK, child disqualification, prohibition from teaching/management and online checks. You must also tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.