People Advisor in Woking

For over a century, The Pirbright Institute has stood at the forefront of global scientific innovation, contributing to landmark breakthroughs in the study and control of viral diseases affecting livestock and those that can spread from animals to humans (zoonoses). As a world-leading centre of excellence, our state-of-the-art facilities enable over 150 scientists from more than 30 nationalities to work collaboratively to predict, detect, understand and respond to high-consequence viral threats. At Pirbright, you will join a vibrant and dynamic community where scientific rigour meets genuine diversity. Whether you are advancing research, supporting operations, or leading innovation, your contribution will help shape a healthier, safer world for our livestock, you and upcoming generations.

About the role

As a People Advisor, you will be a trusted HR practitioner providing high-quality, hands-on advisory support across the employee lifecycle. You will take ownership of day-to-day advisory support, a broad range of employee relations cases, performance management and people change processes, ensuring they are managed fairly, consistently, and in line with UK employment law and organisational policy. Working as part of a wider People function (including People Partners, Shared Services, EDI, Talent Acquisition and L&D), you will play a key role in delivering a reliable, efficient and high-quality HR service that supports a positive employee experience. This role would suit someone with a solid grounding in HR who is confident managing a range of people's matters, enjoys variety, and is comfortable taking ownership of their work. It offers an excellent opportunity to further develop employee relations experience while building the broader capability required for a future move into a business partnering role.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a primary point of contact for managers and employees, providing timely, clear, pragmatic and legally sound advice on policies, procedures, and employment legislation.
• Take ownership of a range of employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, performance, absence, flexible working and family-friendly matters.
• Ensure all cases are managed consistently, fairly, and within appropriate timescales, maintaining accurate documentation throughout.
• Coach and guide managers to handle day-to-day people's issues confidently and appropriately, building their capability over time.
• Assess risk and apply sound judgement to determine appropriate action, escalating more complex or high-risk cases where required.
• Deliver core HR processes including probation, performance management, appraisal cycles, absence management, and annual pay review.
• Ensure HR processes are applied consistently and completed accurately and on time.
• Work closely with Shared Services to ensure accurate employee data, contracts, and records are maintained.
• Support onboarding, contractual changes, and leaver processes, ensuring smooth and professional employee experience.
• Maintain accurate case and process records, ensuring compliance with GDPR and audit requirements.
• Support the delivery of organisational change activities such as restructures, redeployment, and fixed-term contract management, working alongside People Partners.
• Provide advice to managers during change processes, ensuring fairness, consistency, and compliance with legal requirements.
• Champion wellbeing, inclusion, and engagement activities across the Institute.
• Work collaboratively with People Partners, Shared Services, Talent Acquisition, and L&D to deliver a consistent HR service across the Institute.
• Build effective working relationships with managers, colleagues, and Trade Union representatives.
• Identify recurring issues or inefficiencies in processes and suggest practical improvements.
• Contribute to HR initiatives such as policy updates, manager guidance, wellbeing and engagement activities.
• Contribute to the delivery of learning, wellbeing, engagement, and policy rollout initiatives, ensuring information is clear, up to date, and accessible to managers and employees.
• In collaboration with the People Partner, contribute to the development and delivery of manager toolkits, induction, guidance and resources to build people management capability.
• Maintain data analysis, reports cycles updates and trend analysis to identify areas of improvements.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the position and is not an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, or working conditions associated with it. Responsibilities may change to carry out other duties as may be reasonably required by the line manager and may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing need of The Pirbright Institute.

Role Requirement

• CIPD Level 5 (or working towards) or equivalent practical HR experience.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and its practical application.
• Proven experience managing a range of employee relations cases independently.
• Ability to apply sound judgement, balancing legal risk, policy, and practical outcomes.
• Confident communicator with the ability to influence and build credibility with managers.
• Proactive and solutions-focused, with the confidence to take ownership of work and follow through to resolution.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• High attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records.
• Experience using HR systems (HRIS) and Microsoft Office.
• Experience working in unionised or highly regulated environments.
• Familiarity with scientific research, academic, or non-profit sectors.
• Experience supporting organisational change processes (e.g. restructures, redeployment, TUPE).
• Knowledge of visa and immigration processes for international staff and students.

What Pirbright offers you

• A supportive and collaborative working environment with a strong sense of community.
• Beautiful campus in a semi-rural location with free on-site parking and good transport links.
• Generous Group Personal Pension Scheme and life assurance (subject to age and earnings).
• 25 days annual leave plus public and privilege days, increasing up to 31 days with long service.
• Enhanced Maternity package.
• Option to buy and sell annual leave.
• Option to carry over up to two weeks' annual leave.
• Pirbright Lifestyle Hub (employee discount site).
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Childcare allowance.
• Access to chargeable electric car charging facilities.
• Access to on-site subsidised facilities including staff restaurant, gym, and social club with subsidised membership.

Ready to make a difference? If you are a talented and driven HR professional seeking a challenging and rewarding opportunity within a prestigious scientific institute, we encourage you to apply. Please submit your CV and a compelling cover letter outlining your experience and why you are the ideal candidate for this role.