HR Advisor

Our HR service will be recognised as being supportive, innovative and value for money.  We will support the achievement of Council objectives to deliver better outcomes for the people of Suffolk through the delivery of creative people solutions.  We will be trusted to deliver in all that we do.

As an HR Advisor you will provide professional employee relations casework support and advice to customers. You will be proactive in supporting managers with expert advice, guidance and case strategies to ensure they are well supported to manage their people issues robustly, aligned to their business. You will also assist managers in developing their own people management/employee relations capabilities to reduce demand.

You will work with service managers and HR Strategic Partners to best understand service context and current challenges and tailor your advice and guidance to ensure it is business aligned. You will also be flexible in assisting other teams in HR and across the County Council to achieve their people-related aims.

The HR Advice Team is a small, friendly, hardworking team comprising of five HR Advisors, an HR Advice Team Coordinator and an HR Advice Team Manager, sitting within Human Resources and the Corporate Services Directorate.

• Modelling our ASPIRE values in all that we do (included below)
• Being an effective ambassador for Suffolk County Council HR services, acting in a professional manner and demonstrating integrity
• Taking responsibility for own personal growth and development, sharing what we learn with colleagues and being motivated to perform at our
• Making the most of our resources and technology, applying smart working, good time management and finding ways to improve and respond to changes
• Striving to resolve problems and achieve positive outcomes, influencing improvements for positive change
• Communicating clearly with our customers, being considerate to their needs and aspirations, taking responsibility and doing what we say we will do efficiently and effectively
• Working collaboratively as one team, building relationships with colleagues, partners and a network of contacts to deliver the best outcomes, paying attention to customer satisfaction
• Ensuring value for money in providing a quality

• Have an in-depth understanding of employee relations casework, demonstrating the ability to reflect upon different options and provide professional, bespoke advice based upon the balance of risk, benefits and costs with a view to specific service contexts
• Provide advice on the most appropriate course of action by coaching managers through difficult people issues, giving them confidence in tackling difficult conversations with their staff
• Deal with a variety of complex queries from stakeholders including staff, managers, trade unions and HR colleagues
• Confidently use probing questioning techniques to ascertain key facts in order to provide accurate, legally compliant advice
• Contribute to providing a professional and robust Advice duty service for managers to access during ‘core hours’
• Research employment legislation and regulations and share knowledge with others
• Implement and improve processes to ensure effective service delivery and compliance with legislative/best practice guidelines, making suggestions to the HR Advice Team Manager and other colleagues as appropriate
• Support managers to develop impactful correspondence to staff as required
• Always maintain confidentiality when dealing with sensitive employee relations issues
• Ensure timely and relevant management information is collated and distributed to appropriate parties
• Develop and build upon productive working relationships with managers and HR colleagues
• Partner with HR and wider teams on work which overlaps and proactively look to identify opportunities to work across teams for new pieces of work
• Demonstrate the ability to handle multiple, often conflicting priorities
• Interact with customers in a way that demonstrates empathy and professionalism
• Possess strong communication and administrative skills
• Possess strong problem solving, conflict resolution, influencing and decision making skills

This list is not exhaustive and main objectives / performance measures will be discussed and agreed with your line manager.

ESSENTIAL- someone with an employee relations background experience over qualifications is preferable.

Values and Personal Qualities:

• A passion for delivering a valuable, customer-centred service
• Ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• Ability to work successfully as part of a small team

Specialist knowledge and experience:

• Proven experience of successfully managing a range of employee relations cases
• Knowledge and practical application of UK employment law across a range of different situations
• Proven experience of working collaboratively with trade unions
• Experience of effective partnership and collaborative working
• Comprehensive understanding of Council priorities and political dynamics
• Ability to mediate and resolve conflict effectively
• Excellent verbal & written communications skills required to convey varied and/or complex information with a range of audiences
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to help others prioritise and effectively manage their own workload to ensure deadlines are consistently met
• Flexibility to undertake tasks outside of normal activities in order to support the wider team in meeting goals and objectives

Qualifications and Professional memberships:

• Relevant qualifications in a related subject (e.g. foundation level HR qualification, NVQ 3, CIPD) or equivalent level of knowledge and experience.

 Additional requirements:

• This organisation positively encourages the use of technology to communicate and engage, but on occasions there may be a requirement for you to travel using reasonable and suitable means available to you and agreed by the authority.

If you have a disability or long term illness that otherwise prevents you from meeting any of the essential criteria, please contact us to discuss whether a reasonable adjustment could be made.