HR Advisor

HR Adviser (Case Officer) | 12 Month Fixed Term Contract | Cumbria (Carlisle, Kendal or West Cumbria based) | £41,000–£45,000 (3.2% pay award pending) | Full Time or Part Time | Hybrid

Are you an HR Adviser who enjoys ER casework? Do you want a role where employee relations is the job, not the bit you squeeze in around everything else?

This is a 12 month fixed term appointment with a growing education organisation, direct with the employer, and there's a strong possibility of a permanent opportunity for the right person. The organisation is expanding, with new schools joining and a growing workforce, and the HR team is being built out to keep pace. You'll be one of two HR Advisers in a team of four HR support colleagues reporting to the HR Manager, with an allocated group of schools of your own.

The schools sit right across Cumbria and patches are allocated according to where the team lives, so your group will be worked out around you. The one fixed commitment is Tuesdays at the Carlisle head office for the team meeting day, so you'll need to be within a sensible commute of Carlisle. The rest of your week is split between home and the schools in your patch.

The Role

Employee relations sits at the heart of this one. You'll own the casework for your schools and be the person Headteachers and school leaders come to when something needs handling properly.

Casework

• Manage a live caseload across absence, capability, conduct, grievance and performance
• Advise managers through the full process, from informal conversation to formal hearing
• Prepare and support at hearings and appeals, including investigation reports and case documentation
• Keep casework moving and properly documented, with clear records and outcomes

Working with unions

• Work with recognised trade unions on individual casework and formal processes
• Build day-to-day relationships with union representatives across your schools
• Support consultation where required

Supporting your schools

• Act as the HR point of contact for an allocated group of schools
• Coach and build the confidence of Headteachers and school leaders in handling people matters
• Support the full range of HR matters across your patch, from recruitment and onboarding through to policy queries and terms and conditions
• Apply local authority terms and conditions correctly and advise where they apply

Wider HR

• Contribute to change activity as new schools join the organisation
• Support policy work and keep advice current with employment legislation
• Work as part of a growing HR team, sharing casework knowledge across the group

You'll Flourish if You Have

• Solid employee relations experience — absence, grievance, disciplinary, capability — as the core of your day job
• Experience working in a unionised environment
• The confidence to advise and, where needed, push back on senior managers
• Sound working knowledge of UK employment law applied to real cases
• Experience of local authority or public sector terms and conditions
• Education sector experience is helpful, though relevant experience from a complex public sector or unionised environment is equally welcome
• CIPD qualification is welcome but not essential — hands-on casework experience matters more here
• A full UK driving licence and the ability to travel to schools across your area
• The ability to work from Carlisle every Tuesday for the team meeting day

Why You'll Love Working Here

• £41,000–£45,000, with a 3.2% pay award pending taking pay up to £46,440
• Local Government Pension Scheme with 16.9% employer contribution
• 24 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays
• Hybrid working — Tuesdays in Carlisle, the rest split between home and the schools in your patch
• Your patch is allocated around where you live, so you're not driving the length of the county
• A defined group of schools of your own, so you build proper relationships rather than firefighting across the whole organisation
• Start date flexible from 1 September onwards
• A 12 month contract with a strong possibility of something permanent for the right person
• A genuinely strong salary for an HR Adviser role in Cumbria

This role is moving quicky, so please get in touch as soon as possible.

Safer Recruitment

Foxgroves Recruitment follows safer recruitment practice on all appointments within education and regulated settings, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education and the statutory guidance that applies to our clients. As part of any application you may be asked to provide a full employment history with an explanation of any gaps, references covering your most recent roles including your most recent employer in a role working with children, and details of any relevant convictions in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check with a children's barred list check, and to any further checks required by the employer before an appointment is confirmed.

Foxgroves Recruitment acts as an employment agency for vacancies on behalf of clients, following fair and inclusive recruitment practices in line with the Equality Act 2010. All appointments are subject to pre-employment screening, including right to work checks, reference checks, and qualification verification. Reasonable adjustments are available for individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment process.