HR Advisor in Edinburgh

The Scottish Government ambition is to be a world-leading, diverse employer where people can be themselves at work. We are committed to ensuring our workplaces are environments where everyone feels respected and supported, and where there is inclusion and equal opportunity.

The key purpose of the HR People Advice Team is to empower and build capability in our leaders, managers and staff to enable them to create the culture where that ambition can be embraced and delivered. The team provides dedicated HR support and advice to colleagues across the organisation to ensure fair and consistent treatment, with a focus on wellbeing and on the resolution of issues as the earliest possible opportunity.

The team focuses on ensuring that the SG employee experience is a positive one which takes into account individual circumstances, the Fair Work principles and the ambitions of the SG. There are circa 30 staff in the HR People Advice Team supporting a diverse range of business areas across various locations throughout Scotland.

• Provide advice and support to managers and staff at all levels on HR matters (informal and formal) including: performance management; sickness absence; conduct; discipline; grievance and job grading. You will be the first point of contact for managers and staff.
• Assist the HR Senior Adviser (B2) with discipline and grievance cases. This involves making initial assessments about a case, appointing Investigating, Deciding and Appeal Officers, arranging panel hearings and note taking.
• Casework management for probationers and taking forward HR processes where there are concerns about conduct, attendance or performance.
• Casework management for intermittent and long-term sickness absence. This includes supporting the individual and manager to ensure all workplace adjustments are in place, seeking advice from our Occupational Health provider or other external expert organisations, holding formal attendance meetings and making decisions about appropriate action, seeking advice and support, as necessary, from HR policy and legal colleagues.
• Providing advice on and completing Job Grading evaluations.
• Staff management of HR People Advice Administrator (A3).

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on, you should provide evidence of how you meet these in your statement.

• People policies and employment law - Understands, applies and interprets relevant HR law, policies and processes in providing advice and support. Able to research, investigate and manage HR cases - escalating issues when required.
• Employee relations and disputes - Able to balance individual and business expectations regarding employee/worker relationships. Quickly builds effective relationships, and helps manage disputes and workplace conflict.
• People data and analytics - Analyses and interprets data to inform decision making. Manages sensitive data and records in line with data protection and management policies.

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Member of (or willing to work towards) CIPD membership at Associate level.

Strong customer service, stakeholder management and communications skills. Able to evaluate risks and likely consequences of decisions and to seek help and expertise.

This role is a temporary opportunity with an expected commitment of 6 months (with possibility of extension). This post is a full-time role, but we welcome applications from staff with different working patterns, proposed working patterns will be assessed against the business requirements for this post.

Applications are invited from eligible staff in bands A-B for this vacancy, see guidance on Saltire for details on eligibility criteria: Temporary vacancies and lateral move opportunities. Please submit a statement outlining your suitability for the role, relevant skills and experience, and what you would bring to the team (maximum 500 words). Vacancies close at 23:59pm on Wednesday 17 June.

Applications will be reviewed by panel. Shortlisted candidates who are considered to have the skills and experience will be invited to interview with the hiring manager and another panel member. The panel will recommend the candidate considered most suitable for the post. Interviews are expected to be scheduled for w/c tbc.

If you have specific questions about the role, please contact stephen.smith3@gov.scot. Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.