HR Advisor in London

We are working with a fashion retail business who are looking to appoint an HR Advisor to join their small but busy HR team. This is a brilliant opportunity for someone looking to take their first step into HR from a retail management background, in a role that offers broad hands-on exposure across employee relations, recruitment, systems and generalist HR support. This role will suit someone who has come from a Store Manager, Assistant Manager or Department Manager background and has real lived experience managing disciplinaries and grievances within retail teams.

The business is looking for someone confident, personable and resilient, who enjoys being at the heart of operations and is excited by the chance to build a long-term HR career. It is also important that this person is resourceful and proactive, as this is not a business where everything is handed down from a large head office structure. Instead, they need someone who is happy to find answers, translate them into clear guidance for the business and get stuck in at the coal face.

The successful candidate will support stores, concessions and the warehouse, while also helping with the shared HR inbox, recruitment, new starters, leavers, contract changes and HR systems administration. This is a great opportunity for someone who wants hands-on experience in a supportive team where there is lots of variety, plenty to learn and real scope to develop.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Acting as a first point of contact for HR queries across stores, concessions and warehouse teams, giving practical and clear guidance to managers and employees.
• Supporting and coaching managers through employee relations matters including disciplinaries, grievances, investigations, flexible working and performance conversations.
• Managing HR administration across the employee lifecycle including contracts, changes, probation reviews, maternity paperwork, references, leavers and onboarding.
• Maintaining accurate records on the HRIS and supporting contract changes, recruitment requests, new starters and leavers.
• Assisting with recruitment activity, including posting roles, liaising with agencies, supporting hiring managers and helping identify creative sourcing solutions.
• Providing note-taking support in formal meetings and travelling to stores and the warehouse when required.
• Supporting payroll administration over time, once fully trained, and helping resolve HR and system queries.
• Monitoring employment law updates and helping turn changes into practical, easy-to-understand guidance for the wider business.

Person specification:

• Previous retail management experience is essential, ideally as a Store Manager, Assistant Manager or Department Manager looking to move into a first HR role.
• Strong hands-on experience managing disciplinaries and grievances within your own teams.
• Good awareness of UK employment legislation and genuine interest in developing a career in HR.
• CIPD Level 5 would be highly advantageous, particularly as a sign of long-term commitment to HR.
• Tech-savvy and comfortable using systems, data and Microsoft Office, with the confidence to maintain accurate HR records.
• Gregarious, confident and resilient, with the ability to build strong relationships and deal positively with challenge or pushback.
• Resourceful and proactive, with the mindset to find answers, make them practical and support the business in a commercially sensible way.
• Someone who will enjoy being part of a small, informal and collaborative team, while remaining professional and hard-working.