At AQA were committed to advancing education and were committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and its our people who make this happen.

People Adviser

Permanent
Manchester: 33950 - 38267
Smart Hybrid Working 2 days a week in the office

Would you like to work for a charitable organisation that helps teachers and students reach their potentialwhile being supported and learning from a collaborative team of HR professionals Then this could be the role for you if youre keen to make a difference.

Within AQA youll be known as a People Adviser and youll play a crucial role in supporting the operations side of our businessthe beating heart of AQA. Youll work closely with teams across Manchester Guildford London and Milton Keynes occasionally travelling to these locations. Youll collaborate with colleagues across People Groupincluding Recruitment and Talent Learning and Development People Partnering and People Services.

Youll provide clear informed and confident HR advice to managers and employees on all aspects of the employee lifecycle including absence management conduct performance grievances probation and change management. Proactivity autonomy and confidence will serve you well as will a mindset focused on continuous improvement.

A Level 5 CIPD qualification is preferred but relevant experience is just as valuable.

Youll enjoy:

• 25 days annual leave (plus Christmas closure)
• Generous pension contributions of up to 18.5% (up to 7% from you 11.5% from AQA)
• Flexible hybrid working in a newly refurbished city-centre office

How do I apply
Read the full job description and upload your most recent CV by following the link provided. Please apply by Sunday 15th June.

First stage interviews will be held by MS Teams on Monday 23rd June. Second stage interviews will be F2F at our Manchester office on Tuesday 1st July.

AQA is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyoneregardless of religion ethnicity gender identity or expression age disability sexual orientation or backgroundis valued respected and supported to thrive.

Recruitment Agencies

We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.

Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.

Full Job Description

Summary

To provide the highest quality HR service through coaching guiding supporting and advising managers and colleagues on all aspects of the employee lifecycle ensuring compliance with policies employment law and regulations with consideration to risk and commercial management and ensuring a positive colleague experience. Having a hands-on approach and taking ownership of specific business area delivering proactive interventions in response to identified business and colleague : The People Adviser role is a key member of a team of three advisers providing high quality HR advice to managers and colleagues across the business. The team sits within People Partnering and Employee Relations department (22 colleagues). The department provides a range of services including: business area strategic support diagnosis consultancy and delivery of people-related services and projects; subject matter expertise in diversity and inclusion and employee relations; HR policy development and associated training development; operational support with people queries; and joiners movers and leavers administration and checks.

Activities:

Proactively participate facilitate support and advise managers about employee lifecycle matters for example from the point of recruitment to the leaver process policies variations to contract secondments leavers organisational development and respond to colleague queries as appropriate.
Proactively participate facilitate support and advise managers about employee relations matters such as absence management performance management grievance disciplinary capability probationary change management and TUPE ensuring compliance with employment law and company policy with consideration to risk and commercial management and respond to colleague queries as appropriate.
Lead on the development and implementation of projects including restructures policy implementation and people plans in conjunction with the Senior People Partner/People Partner ensuring deadlines are met in line with business plans and employment legislation.
Conduct benchmarking and evaluations of job roles utilising external data and systems. Proactively participate in regular job evaluation meetings.
Coaching and developing managers in order to improve their capability and empower them to make decisions challenging and escalating where necessary.
Manage collaborative relationships across People Group teams other key teams and managers.
Interpret data into relevant reports identifying themes and trends ensure agreed follow up action is taken to enable implementation of decisions.
Ensure systems are maintained and that high standards of service and performance and continuous improvement are demonstrated at all times.
Results driven approach to managing complex employee relations cases that escalate to higher stages in the process in conjunction with Employee Relations Team Senior People Partner/People Partner business managers and Trade Unions/Employee Forum.
Responsible for maintaining the relationship with recognised Trade Unions/Employee Forum in support of employee relations cases as and when required.
To comply with all AQAs policies and other legislative requirements including but not limited to Health Safety and the Environment Diversity and Inclusion and Information Security Management System.
Take responsibility for your own continuous professional development to meet existing and future business needs.
Travel to other AQA sites sometimes necessitating overnight stays as the need arises.


To be successful in this role you will need to know:

CIPD qualified or equivalent Level 5 or equivalent levels of experience.
Proven experience of advising guiding and supporting managers on a range of employee relations and employee lifecycle matters at various stages and complexities and managing the application of policies procedures and processes.
Clear written and verbal communication skills strong proven interpersonal skills adaptable to a range of circumstances with an approach to achieving consistently high standards of work.
Experience of challenging stakeholders at different levels where appropriate.
Strong organisational skills ability to prioritise and plan ahead.
Proficient use of HR systems and Microsoft Office applications.