People Advisor in Southampton

You will be joining a well-established organisation within the higher education sector, known for its collaborative culture, strong values, and commitment to delivering an excellent employee experience. The People & Development team plays a central role in supporting academic and professional services, ensuring best practice HR processes and high standards across the full employee life cycle. This is an excellent opportunity to join during a key operational period, contributing to a busy and high-impact HR function.

As a People Advisor, you will provide essential operational HR support to Business Partners and managers across the organisation. This is a varied, hands-on role focused on delivering high-quality, consistent HR services across the employee life cycle.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Acting as a first point of contact for HR queries, providing procedural advice and guidance to managers
• Supporting recruitment processes, contract administration, and employee life cycle activities including flexible working, maternity, and return-to-work processes.
• Producing accurate HR documentation such as contracts, offer letters, and contract variations
• Coordinating with external providers (e.g. occupational health, DBS, visa services)
• Maintaining and updating HR systems and ensuring data accuracy across HR and payroll systems
• Producing and analysing HR reports (e.g. absence data, fixed-term contracts), highlighting key trends and risks
• Supporting Business Partners with casework and administrative tasks, including meeting coordination and minute taking
• Building effective relationships with stakeholders across the organisation

This role offers exposure to a broad range of HR activities in a structured, process-driven environment, with a strong focus on service delivery, accuracy, and collaboration.

What you'll need to succeed:

To be successful in this role, you will bring a strong foundation in HR administration or advisory support, along with the ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

You will have:

• Previous experience in a generalist HR or People function, ideally in an advisory or senior administrative capacity
• Experience supporting managers with HR processes and producing professional written correspondence (e.g. contracts and letters)
• A good understanding of employment law and GDPR, particularly in relation to recruitment and employee data
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office and HR systems (HRIS/payroll systems experience desirable)
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage sensitive data with integrity
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently
• Excellent communication and customer service skills, with confidence in engaging with stakeholders at all levels
• A proactive, team-oriented approach with the ability to work independently when required
• A CIPD Level 3 qualification (or working towards Level 5) is desirable.

What you'll get in return:

• Flexible hybrid working (typically 3 days on-site)
• The opportunity to gain experience within a respected higher education environment
• Exposure to a broad range of HR processes across the employee life cycle
• A supportive and collaborative team environment
• Competitive hourly/day rate (depending on experience)
• Potential for contract extension depending on business needs

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now. If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.