HR Advisor

This is a full-time, permanent position on Crick terms and conditions of employment.

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions. The Crick is a place for collaboration, innovation and exploration across many disciplines. A space where the brightest minds can pursue big and bold ideas and discover answers to crucial scientific questions. We support them in a dynamic environment which fosters excellence with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge facilities, and a creative and curious culture. We’ve removed traditional boundaries of departments, divisions and disciplines and instead have an open approach that supports every researcher. This gives us the freedom to take risks and carry out high-quality, pioneering research. Creating a space for discovery without boundaries helps us to turn our science into benefits for human health and the economy.

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for a People Advisor to join our fast-paced, supportive HR team at the Crick. In this varied and hands-on role, you’ll be involved in a wide range of people activities, including employee relations casework, annual performance and pay reviews, delivery of management training, policy and process development, and people-focused projects that make a real impact across the Crick community. You’ll support a diverse client group spanning research labs and operational teams, giving you broad exposure and the chance to build strong working relationships across the organisation. Reporting to a People Partner and working closely with fellow People Advisors, you’ll help deliver a proactive, customer-focused HR service, providing relevant and appropriate HR support, while promoting best practice and ensuring compliance with the Crick’s policies, procedures, and employment legislation. This is a highly visible role, requiring confidence, initiative, and a proactive approach to problem solving and relationship building in a busy and dynamic environment. If you’re an experienced HR Assistant or Coordinator ready to take the next step in your career, and you’re keen to join a team genuinely committed to developing its people, this is an excellent opportunity to grow and make a meaningful contribution.

What you will be doing

• Provide general first-line HR support and advice covering all employee lifecycle activity to both employees and managers, working in partnership with People Partners, Senior People Advisors and People Coordinators where relevant.
• Trusted advisor to managers and supporting with all people issues enabling them to find and implement the best approach to deal with an issue at hand e.g., performance, conduct, attendance.
• Provide advice on employee relations matters to ensure that all casework is managed in a fair and transparent manner. This will include absence management, capability, disciplinaries, grievances, flexible working and supporting on restructures and redundancies.
• Provide primary support and advice to hiring managers on recruitment activity, including salary benchmarking, interviewing and support with writing job descriptions.
• Manage all queries on maternity leave and other family-friendly policies, including meeting with individuals and providing support and advice before, during and after periods of leave.

About you

You will have:

• Proven experience of providing HR advice to managers and employees.
• Strong understanding and knowledge of the HR support required when running employee relations cases, in particular absence management, performance management and disciplinary.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law, HR policies and best practices.
• Experience of providing advice and an end-to-end service on maternity leave and other family-friendly leave.
• Ability to work under pressure while balancing timely work output with high levels of accuracy, demonstrating excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to proactively build effective working relationships with a diverse employee population.

About Working at the Crick

Our values: Everyone who works at the Crick has a valuable role to play in advancing the Crick’s mission and shaping our culture! We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently. We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world. We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community. At the Francis Crick Institute, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed, regardless of their background, identity, or personal circumstances. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ethnicities, abilities, and experiences. We are a Disability Confident: Committed employer and want to ensure that everyone can apply and be part of our recruitment processes, so we’ll make reasonable adjustments if you need them - just let us know when you apply. If you need assistance with applying (i.e., would like to apply by phone or post) please email: weronika.kucala@crick.ac.uk.

What will you receive?

At the Francis Crick Institute, we value our team members and are proud to offer an extensive range of benefits to support their well-being and development:

• Generous Leave: 28 days of annual leave, plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays.
• Pension Scheme: Defined contribution pension with employer contributions of up to 16%.
• Health & Well-being: 24/7 GP consultation services, occupational health services and mental health support programs, eye care vouchers and discounted healthcare plans.
• Work-Life Balance: Back-up care for dependents, childcare support allowance, annual leave purchase options, Crick Networks offering diverse groups’ support, community and inclusive social events.
• Perks: Discounted gym memberships, bike-to-work scheme, and shopping discounts, subsidised on-site restaurant and social spaces for team interaction.

Please note you must meet the essential criteria listed within the Role Profile, to have your application reviewed. We reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any given time due to the number of applications received.