Human Resources Advisor

Grind is a coffee brand that lives and breathes London. Since we opened the doors to Shoreditch Grind in 2011, we’ve expanded across the city with vibrant cafes, coffee shops, and trucks - burning the candle at both ends to serve exceptional coffee, food, and cocktails to a killer soundtrack. Today, we serve millions of cups of coffee across London and the UK each year, and we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people make better, more sustainable coffee at home. Our locations are the beating heart of Grind. They are high-energy, fast-paced, and incredibly rewarding places to work. But we’re more than just great coffee; we believe coffee can be a force for good. From creating the UK’s first compostable coffee pods and using plastic-free packaging to carbon-free shipping, we are on a dedicated mission to be the world’s most sustainable coffee company. In 2023, we established the Better Coffee Foundation to help undo the environmental damage of the global coffee industry, recovering 43 million pods' worth of ocean-bound plastic in our very first year.

A bit about the role. We are looking for an energetic, visible, and proactive HR Advisor to join our People Team at Grind. This is a fantastic role for an ambitious HR Advisor looking to step up, or a mid-level People generalist who thrives on being out in the business rather than stuck behind a desk. In this role, you'll be a trusted advisor across the business, splitting your time between our Shoreditch HQ, our Roastery in South Bermondsey and our London estate. Working closely with our High Street Leadership team and General Managers, you'll provide expert employee relations support, helping managers navigate people challenges confidently, consistently and in line with our values. You’ll build strong relationships across the business, maintain a visible presence in our sites and take a proactive approach to identifying and resolving people issues before they escalate. Alongside managing ER matters, you'll support manager capability through practical coaching and guidance, helping create a positive employee experience and a high-performing culture.

Role responsibilities:

• Be a visible, trusted partner across our business. You’ll spend time on the ground to understand the unique challenges of each area.
• Act as the subject matter expert for employee relations, managing complex and sensitive cases from start to finish.
• Coach and support managers through investigations, hearings, and outcomes, ensuring a consistent approach that balances legal compliance, commercial needs, and the employee experience.
• Work closely with the wider People Team to introduce learning and development initiatives. You’ll help support the rollout of operational training, and ensure our teams feel invested in.
• Act as the bridge between HQ and our teams, ensuring Grind’s culture, values, and sustainability mission are felt across the whole estate.
• Drive local engagement initiatives and monitor team morale.
• Provide day-to-day guidance to managers on core people practices, handling standard employee queries and lower-level employee relations matters with a fair, practical, and supportive approach.

You’ll have:

• Experience working within a fast-paced, multi-site hospitality, retail or consumer-facing environment, with a strong understanding of the challenges and pace of operational teams.
• Strong employee relations experience, with the ability to manage cases efficiently, provide pragmatic advice and proactively identify and resolve people issues before they escalate.
• Excellent relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to quickly establish trust and credibility with colleagues at all levels.
• A proactive, hands-on approach, with a willingness to spend time in sites, understand operational challenges and support teams where needed.
• Commercially minded, balancing employee experience with business objectives and operational realities.
• Strong organisational skills, able to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable working autonomously while collaborating closely with People, Operations and leadership teams.
• CIPD Level 5 qualified (or equivalent practical experience) with a proven track record in a similar People or HR role.

Bonus if you have:

• Demonstrable experience coaching managers at all levels, helping them develop their management skills, build high-performing teams and navigate complex people situations.
• Proven experience delivering engaging training programmes, workshops and group learning sessions that improve capability, confidence and operational performance.

Diversity and Inclusion. Grind is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, veteran status, or disability status. If there are any adjustments you need to help you bring your best self to an interview with us please let us know.

Benefits and perks:

• Smart Pension: We offer a pension scheme to help you plan for your future.
• Financial support: access to interest-free, short-term loans when you need them most.
• Paid Time Off: Generous holiday allowance, plus an extra day of holiday for each year of service (up to 3 additional days).
• Referral Bonus: Earn up to £450 in tiered bonuses for referring great talent to our team.
• Discounts online: Up to 40% off our retail line online.
• SpectrumLife: Access our confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for personal and professional support.
• Crew Card: Enjoy 50% off all food and drinks, plus two free coffees a day at Grind locations.
• Friends & Family Discount: Share the love with discounts for your friends and family on our website and at our sites.
• Social Events: Join us for team social events to connect and have fun.
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity: Enjoy enhanced maternity and paternity benefits once eligible.
• Wellbeing Allowance: Up to £200 annually to spend on your wellbeing.