People Advisor

About the role

You will provide pragmatic, commercially focused advice and guidance to managers and employees across the full employee lifecycle. You will lead and support a broad range of employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance, capability, performance, absence management, flexible working and family leave. You will coach and support managers to build confidence and capability in handling people issues effectively and consistently. You will ensure People policies and practices are applied fairly, consistently and in line with current employment legislation. You will manage probation processes, ensuring managers and employees receive timely guidance and support. You will conduct consultations relating to parental leave, adoption, shared parental leave and other statutory leave arrangements.

Key facts

What you'll do

Deliver an outstanding employee and manager experience by working collaboratively with People Operations, Payroll and People Systems teams.

Find opportunities to simplify, standardise and improve People processes across the employee lifecycle.

Champion the use of digital tools, automation and AI to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of People Services.

Identify repetitive or manual activities that could be streamlined through workflow automation, AI or enhanced self-service.

Work with the People Systems team to test, implement and embed new technologies and process improvements.

Use AI responsibly to enhance drafting, knowledge management, reporting and operational effectiveness while maintaining appropriate governance, confidentiality and data security.

Stay informed about emerging HR technologies and recommend innovative solutions that add new value to employees, managers and the wider People team.

Use people data and operational metrics to identify trends, risks and opportunities.

Produce meaningful insights that support informed business decisions and continuous improvement.

Implement service performance and recommend actions to improve quality, efficiency and the employee experience.

Build trusted relationships with managers and leaders across the business, providing balanced and commercially focused advice.

Influence decision making through credible recommendations, sound judgement and evidence-based insight.

Requirements

Demonstrable experience operating as a People Advisor or HR Advisor within a generalist HR environment.

Solid experience managing a broad range of employee relations cases from initial advice through to resolution.

Excellent understanding of UK employment legislation and its practical application within a commercial organisation.

Strong commercial judgement with the confidence to influence and challenge constructively.

Experience identifying and implementing process improvements within HR or People Services.

Strong digital capability with confidence using HR technology, AI tools and data to improve outcomes.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate information into practical recommendations.

Experience managing projects or contributing to cross-functional change initiatives.

Highly organised with the ability to prioritise competing demands and work effectively under pressure.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Strong relationship-building and collaborator management skills.

Collaborative, adaptable and committed to delivering an exceptional employee experience.

High levels of integrity, discretion and professionalism when handling confidential information.

A proactive, curious and continuous improvement mentality.

Nice to have

CIPD Level 5 or Level 7 qualification (or equivalent experience).

Experience working within a global or multinational organisation.

Experience using Workday or another enterprise HRIS.

Experience supporting HR technology implementations or process automation initiatives.

Familiarity with AI-enabled workplace technologies and their practical application within HR.

Experience analysing HR metrics and using data to influence decisions.

Practical notes

We've embraced a 50% hybrid working model, averaging two to three days onsite, that fosters trust and remote adaptability while encouraging in-person camaraderie and peer learning. Additionally, we are open to accommodating specific flexible working pattern requests for all roles where feasible.

We are a Disability Confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments or personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email talent@ft.com and a member of our team will be happy to help.

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