HR Advisor in Oxford

Join us at the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), where we're on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity's greatest challenges in four transformative areas: Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology, Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence & Robotics.

This is ambitious work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you'll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society.

Your Role: EIT, in partnership with Foster + Partners, is restoring and reimagining the historic Eagle & Child pub in Oxford - a landmark venue renowned for its rich literary and cultural heritage. As the pub enters an exciting new chapter, we are seeking an experienced HR Advisor to provide dedicated people support for The Eagle & Child, ensuring an exceptional employee experience in a fast-paced hospitality environment. This role will act as the primary HR partner for The Eagle & Child leadership team, supporting all aspects of the employee lifecycle.

Working closely with managers and collaborating with the wider EIT HR Business Partners, the HR Advisor will provide practical, commercially focused HR support, ensuring compliance with employment legislation, company policies, and best practice while helping to build a high-performing, engaged and customer-focused workforce. The successful candidate will bring strong HR generalist experience alongside a hospitality background, enabling them to understand the unique challenges and opportunities associated with managing teams in a premium hospitality setting.

Your Responsibilities:

• Employee Relations: Act as the first point of contact for employee relations matters within The Eagle & Child. Manage investigations, disciplinaries, grievances, absence management and performance concerns, ensuring compliance with UK employment legislation and internal policies. Provide timely, pragmatic advice to managers, escalating complex matters to the HR Business Partner where appropriate. Foster positive employee relations and support an inclusive and respectful workplace culture.
• Recruitment, Onboarding and Talent Management: Partner with hiring managers and the Talent team to attract and recruit high-calibre hospitality professionals. Support workforce planning activities, ensuring staffing levels meet operational requirements. Coordinate onboarding and induction programmes to ensure new employees are effectively integrated into the business. Work with managers to identify talent, succession opportunities and career development pathways.
• Learning and Development: Support the implementation of learning and development initiatives that enhance employee capability and service excellence. Identify skills gaps and training needs across front-of-house, kitchen and operational teams. Promote continuous professional development and support leadership development for managers and supervisors.
• Performance Management: Provide guidance and coaching to managers on performance management processes. Support managers in setting objectives, delivering feedback and managing performance improvement plans. Encourage a culture of high performance, accountability and recognition.
• Employee Engagement and Culture: Support employee engagement activities and initiatives that reinforce EIT and The Eagle & Child values. Gather and analyse employee feedback, identifying trends and opportunities for improvement. Work closely with operational leaders to maintain a positive and engaging employee experience.
• HR Operations, Analytics and Reporting: Maintain accurate employee records and HR documentation. Produce HR reports and analyse people metrics including turnover, absence, recruitment and engagement data. Use data-driven insights to identify trends and recommend improvements to people practices.
• Policy and Compliance: Ensure compliance with UK employment legislation and company policies. Support audits and compliance activities relating to people processes. Assist in reviewing and implementing HR policies and procedures relevant to the hospitality operation. Promote best practice in employee wellbeing, health and safety, and workforce management.

Requirements Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• Human Resources Knowledge: Working knowledge of HR principles, policies, procedures, and employment law.
• Employee Relations: Strong experience handling multiple employee relations issues with sensitivity and discretion.
• Data Analytics: Proficient in HR data analysis, using metrics to drive decision-making and provide actionable insights.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Project Management: Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Problem Solving: Analytical thinking and decision-making ability to address HR related challenges proactively.
• Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with a flexible, solution-focused approach.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in human resources, Business Administration, or a related field is preferred or clear evidence from career history of qualification by experience.
• Experience: Proven experience delivering HR support across the employee lifecycle within hospitality or similarly fast-paced operational environments.
• Certifications: CIPD Level 3 or Level 5 is highly desirable.

Benefits:

• Enhanced holiday: Our annual leave allowance is 25 days plus 8 bank holidays and an additional 3 days between Christmas and New Year. You will also have the opportunity to purchase an additional 5 days annual leave in January and July.
• Pension: Employer contribution 7.5%, minimum employee contribution 5%.
• Life Assurance.
• Income Protection.
• Private Medical Insurance as standard for you, your partner and any dependents, including hospital Cash Plan.
• Employee discounts.
• Electric car scheme.
• Nursery Salary Sacrifice scheme.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Family Planning.
• Neurodiversity support including advice and assessments.
• Coaching & Therapy services.

Working Together - What It Involves:

You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary. In certain cases, we can consider sponsorship, and this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford (or be willing to relocate).