HR Advisor

As an HR Advisor supporting schools and academies across Herefordshire, you will be working directly with school leaders on real, often sensitive people issues. You will be required to attend school sites as appropriate, trusted for your judgement, and supported to build confidence in handling increasingly complex casework. This is not a desk-based advisory role. Our schools need HR Advisors who are visible and who can attend site.

Some weeks, you may be required to spend a significant amount of time in schools and the office, with some flexibility for home working. On average, you can expect to be on site 2-3 days per week, but some weeks may require daily presence in schools or the office to meet customer demand. Other weeks will allow for more remote working. You will need to be local, flexible, and able to travel at short notice.

Working as part of a supportive HR team, you will provide high-quality advice and practical support across a broad range of HR matters, escalating more complex issues where appropriate and developing your capability through hands-on experience. Your work will include:

• Advising schools and academies on day-to-day HR issues and employee relations matters
• Supporting disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence and redundancy casework
• Attending meetings in schools, including formal and preparatory meetings, with senior support where required
• Acting as an investigating officer on a range of employment matters, including report writing
• Supporting the development and implementation of school HR policies and procedures
• Working with trade union representatives as part of formal processes
• Contributing to change management and consultation processes
• Delivering or supporting HR training sessions for schools and other clients
• Providing advice by phone, Teams, email and in person, depending on what the situation requires

You will work with a degree of autonomy, while being supported by Senior HR Advisors and HR Managers.

About you: You are an experienced HR professional who enjoys variety, challenge and face-to-face advisory work. You will bring:

• Experience advising on employee relations matters, including disciplinary and grievance cases
• The ability to handle sensitive situations professionally and calmly
• A good working knowledge of employment law and HR best practice
• Strong communication skills and the confidence to work with senior stakeholders
• Good organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities
• A flexible, practical and customer-focused approach
• Experience working with schools or within the education sector is desirable, as is knowledge of education-specific terms and conditions. However, we are also keen to hear from candidates who can demonstrate the ability to apply their HR experience effectively in a school environment.
• You will be CIPD qualified, working towards CIPD, or able to demonstrate equivalent practical experience and commitment to professional development.

This role requires regular travel to school sites across Herefordshire, sometimes at short notice. You must be able to travel independently for business purposes.

In return, we offer:

• A varied role with real impact on schools and communities
• A supportive HR team environment
• Flexible working arrangements that balance business need and home working
• A competitive benefits package including 26 days annual leave rising to 31 after 5 years service, plus bank holidays (including the option to buy or sell holidays)
• Aviva pension scheme, cycle to work scheme and access to a rewards platform offering various discounts with retailers and restaurants