HR Advisor/HR Generalist in Leeds

Location: Leeds (4-5 days per week on site)

Contract: Interim Contract with Potential to Become Permanent

Start Date: July 2026

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Compressed hours/4-day working pattern will be considered)

Your New Company

Hays HR is delighted to be partnering with a successful and growing manufacturing and engineering organisation based in Leeds to recruit an experienced HR Advisor/HR Generalist to join their small and effective HR team. This is an exciting opportunity to join a well-established business at a pivotal stage of its growth journey. The organisation is entering a new phase of expansion and transformation, creating the need for a commercially focused HR professional who can support both key people projects and day-to-day operational HR activities.

Your New Role

The successful candidate will play a key role in delivering a structured absence management programme across the business during the first four to five months of the assignment. Working closely with managers and key stakeholders, you will take ownership of processing and managing sickness absence cases, ensuring all activity is conducted fairly, consistently and in line with company policy and employment legislation.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Managing sickness absence cases from start to finish.
• Conducting formal absence review meetings.
• Advising managers on absence management processes and best practice.
• Producing outcome and confirmation letters.
• Managing capability processes relating to long-term and short-term absence.
• Making recommendations and supporting decisions regarding capability dismissals where appropriate.
• Coordinating and supporting appeal hearings.
• Maintaining accurate case records and ensuring procedural compliance.
• Identifying trends and providing HR insights to support business decisions.

Generalist HR Responsibilities

Following the initial project period, the role will broaden to include:

• Providing proactive HR advisory support across the employee lifecycle.
• Managing employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance, performance management and flexible working requests.
• Supporting recruitment campaigns and hiring projects.
• Assisting with onboarding and induction activities.
• Supporting organisational change and workforce planning activities.
• Contributing to policy development and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Supporting managers with people-related coaching and guidance.
• Participating in wider HR projects as the business grows and evolves.

There is genuine potential for this position to become a permanent opportunity for the right individual.

What You'll Need to Succeed

You will be an experienced HR professional with strong operational HR and employee relations expertise gained within a fast-paced commercial environment. The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Significant employee relations experience.
• Extensive experience managing all stages of sickness absence management.
• Strong knowledge of capability procedures and associated employment legislation.
• Experience conducting formal meetings, investigations and hearings.
• Experience supporting dismissals and appeal processes.
• A confident and credible approach when advising managers at all levels.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• The ability to manage sensitive situations with professionalism and empathy.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Previous experience within manufacturing, engineering or industrial environments would be beneficial but is not essential.
• CIPD qualification or equivalent experience would be advantageous.

Due to the potential requirement for occasional travel between sites, access to your own transport would be advantageous.

What You'll Get in Return

Opportunity to join a successful and growing manufacturing and engineering business. High-profile project work with genuine impact on organisational performance. Exposure to a broad range of HR generalist activities. Potential to become involved in future HR transformation and people projects. Opportunity for the role to become permanent. 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays. Additional day off for your birthday. Flexible consideration of compressed hours/four-day working arrangements. Supportive and collaborative working environment. Opportunity to play a key role in supporting the organisation through its next phase of growth and expansion.