People Advisor in Basildon

Near Basildon, Essex - must be a car driver | £35,000 - £40,000 | Full-Time, Permanent | Hybrid (After 6 months probation).

Our client, a well-established and growing organisation based near Basildon, is looking for a CIPD Level 5 qualified (or equivalent) HR professional to join their People team as a key point of contact for employees and managers alike. This is a broad, hands‑on generalist position spanning employee relations, recruitment, performance management, engagement, and compliance - with a strong systems element, as you'll take the lead on shaping and improving the HR platform that underpins the employee journey.

Please note, Due to the international nature of the business, some bank holiday working is required (typically 4 per year - Good Friday, the two May bank holidays, and the August bank holiday are usually the ones covered).

What You'll Be Doing

Employee Relations

• Handle a full caseload of ER matters - absence, conduct, performance, grievance and disciplinary - from start to finish.
• Give managers clear, commercially sound and legally compliant advice.
• Support and sometimes lead investigations, hearings and formal meetings.
• Build manager capability and confidence in handling people issues directly.
• Know when to flag complex or higher-risk cases to the Head of People.
• Become the team's go-to expert on the HR information system.
• Build and refine workflows covering ER, performance, probation, recruitment, onboarding, L&D and other lifecycle events.
• Spot and implement opportunities to automate manual HR admin.
• Turn system data into insights that inform business decisions.
• Help colleagues get the most out of the system day-to-day.

Recruitment

• Own recruitment campaigns end-to-end, from business case through to offer.
• Work closely with hiring managers to scope out genuine resourcing needs.
• Run selection processes and interviews that find the right fit.
• Contribute to employer branding activity.
• Track and report on recruitment performance.

Performance & Development

• Run the performance review cycle across the business.
• Coach managers through objective-setting and difficult performance conversations.
• Help identify and address learning and development needs.
• Support career progression conversations and talent development plans.
• Help design and act on employee engagement survey results.
• Champion wellbeing initiatives across the workforce.
• Work with managers to strengthen team engagement and experience.
• Support the delivery of DEI initiatives and help embed an inclusive culture.

Policy & Compliance

• Support the rollout of HR policies and procedures.
• Help ensure people practices are applied consistently.
• Keep on top of employment legislation and internal standards.

What You'll Bring

• Solid track record in an HR/People Advisor‑level role.
• Strong, hands‑on employee relations experience.
• Sound working knowledge of UK employment law.
• Confident, advanced user of a modern HR information system.
• Experience building or improving HR workflows and automations.
• Ability to translate people processes into system logic.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving ability.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in an SME setting.
• Involvement in HR systems implementation projects.
• Familiarity with HR reporting and people analytics.

What's On Offer

• Core hours 8.00am-4.30pm (8.00am-5pm during month-end peak: last working day plus the first 4 working days of the month); 1 hour unpaid lunch, to be taken between 12pm-2pm.
• 30 days' paid holiday inclusive of bank holidays, rising to 31 after 3 years' service and by 1 day per year thereafter to a maximum of 33.
• Company sick pay: 5 days during probation, 20 days in any rolling 12-month period.
• Life assurance of 4x salary from day one.
• Free snacks, fruit and canned drinks in the office.
• Post-probation: private medical cover, dental insurance, 5% employer pension contribution (4% employee), hybrid working (3 days office / 2 days home), and sponsored professional training and qualifications.
• After 6 months: income protection at 75% of salary (less tax and NI) for up to 3 years if medically unable to work.

Please make sure your location is included on your CV when applying, to avoid any delay to your application.