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Senior HR Advisor

Salary

£40,000-45,000 , per year , inc benefits

Location

Essex, South East England, United Kingdom

Job type

Permanent

Sector

Human resources

Job ref

X3-1283396

Job posted

Posted 40 minutes ago

Senior HR Advisor (Fixed Term Contract)

Location: Hybrid (3 days onsite, 2 days remote)
Contract: Fixed Term until end of July 2026 (with potential for extension)
Salary: Up to £45,000

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior HR Advisor to join our team on a fixed-term basis. This role will play a key part in delivering a high-quality HR service, with a strong focus on employee relations (ER) and supporting wider change initiatives.

You will work closely with the HR team, providing hands-on support across complex casework while coaching and guiding two HR Advisors.

Key Responsibilities

  • Manage and resolve complex employee relations cases end-to-end, including:

    • Grievances
    • Disciplinaries
    • Capability issues
    • Absence management
  • Provide day-to-day guidance and coaching to two HR Advisors, supporting their casework and workload management

  • Support organisational change and restructuring activity, including consultation processes alongside the HR Consultant

  • Build strong relationships with stakeholders, offering clear, professional, and commercially focused HR advice

  • Assist with clearing a backlog of casework, particularly in complex absence cases

  • Ensure HR policies and procedures are consistently applied and compliant with best practice

Key Priorities (First Few Weeks)

  • Support HR Advisors with ongoing casework
  • Take ownership of complex absence and ER cases
  • Help clear an existing backlog of employee relations matters

Skills & Experience Required

  • Proven experience in a Senior HR Advisor or equivalent role
  • Strong background in employee relations, with demonstrable experience managing complex cases independently
  • Experience coaching or mentoring junior HR team members
  • Exposure to change management and restructuring processes
  • Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

Systems & Technical Capability

  • Experience with HR systems is desirable (currently Select HR; transitioning to iTrent (MHR) in September 2026)
  • Highly system-savvy, with the ability to quickly learn new platforms

Desirable

  • Experience within the Further Education (FE) sector, with an understanding of its pace and structure

Additional Information

  • This role is initially offered on a fixed-term basis until end of July 2026, with potential for extension depending on business needs
  • Hybrid working model: 3 days onsite, 2 days remote

Apply now

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