HR Advisor (2777)

Do you want to help create a better world for animals? At the RSPCA, we believe animal welfare is everyone's welfare. Join us in creating a better world for every animal. We can do it if we work together, everyone for every animal. Are you ready to choose a career with us and make a difference?

We're looking for a passionate, pragmatic and people-centred HR Advisor to join our People & Culture team on a permanent basis. 

This is more than an advisory role. You will be a trusted partner to managers, a champion of fairness, and a proactive contributor to a workplace culture rooted in respect, inclusion and accountability. 

You will provide support across the Society, with an initial focus on our Animal Services teams.

• Location: Home-based (with some travel required for team meetings in our London Hub and field operations across England and Wales)
• Hours: 35 per week, Monday to Friday

Our recruitment journey - key dates for you to note: 

Here's what the process looks like, no surprises, just a friendly guide:

1. Application
   You'll be asked to answer an application question to give us a sense of your experience, skills, and potential. Don't worry if you don't tick every box - what really matters is what you can bring to the role and the team.
2. Panel Interview
   If your application is successful, you'll be invited to a panel interview with a HR Business Partner, and a colleague from our Operations team. This is a chance to:

• Share more about what you've done and what you're proud of
• Ask questions about the role, team, and impact you could make
• Show off your skills and behaviours in a relaxed, supportive setting

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know - we're happy to support you.

Are you ready to join our movement?

While you will operate as a true HR Generalist - working across employee relations, policy development, data insights, and culture-building initiatives - there is a strong emphasis on leading and owning the Employee Relations process, proactively resolving disputes wherever possible before escalation is required.

As our HR Advisor, you will:

• Build strong, credible relationships with managers and leaders across England and Wales
• Provide expert, balanced advice that blends employment law, commercial awareness and compassion
• Coach managers to build confidence and capability in leading their teams
• Support a positive and constructive relationship with Trade Union representatives
• Contribute to initiatives that enhance engagement, wellbeing and organisational effectiveness

Your work will directly enable colleagues across the organisation to focus on what matters most: protecting animals and promoting kindness.

You can gain full insight into the responsibilities of this role from the attached job description. We have added a brief summary below: 

Partnering & Advisory

• Coaching managers on complex employee relations matters with clarity and sound judgment
• Providing practical, solutions-focused advice on employment law and best practice
• Supporting consultation processes and collaborative union engagement
• Helping leaders make fair, consistent and inclusive decisions

Culture & Capability

• Leading investigations, hearings and absence management processes with professionalism and care
• Supporting wellbeing and engagement initiatives
• Reviewing and evolving policies to ensure they are inclusive, accessible and aligned with our values
• Contributing to continuous improvement within the People & Culture function

Insight & Improvement

• Analysing HR data to identify trends and inform proactive interventions
• Producing clear reports and working with our HRIS team using iTrent
• Using insight to shape better people practices and mitigate organisational ris

Essential Skills & Experience:

• CIPD Level 5 (or working towards it)
• In-depth knowledge of current UK employment law and HR best practice
• Experience as a generalist HR professional supporting a wide range of stakeholders (as either an HR Advisor / People Advisor or similar)
• Confidence in managing complex employee relations cases
• Ability to coach and influence with empathy and clarity
• Skilled in using IT systems including Google Suite and HRIS systems (e.g. iTrent)
• Excellent analytical, communication and interpersonal skills
• Absolute attention to detail

Desirable:

• Experience working with trade unions and participating in consultations or negotiations
• Confidence delivering HR training to diverse groups

If you bring strong initiative, take pride in ownership, and aren't afraid to step outside your comfort zone - embracing mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow - we'd love to hear from you.

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles will need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK - We are unable to sponsor visas at RSPCA

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed  to our mission.  For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our RSPCA Family! 

We're here to support you and encourage you to let us know if you need any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please feel free to contact us at resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk or 0300 123 0685 so we can ensure the process works for you.