ER Advisor

HR Advisor (Operations)

Pay: from £35000 DOE

Location: Ilkeston Derby with travel as and when required across the UK

Hours Monday Friday 0830- 1700

Purpose of the Role

The HR Advisor (Operations) provides operational HR support across all Group businesses, acting as the primary HR contact for managers and employees once colleagues have successfully completed probation.

The role is responsible for managing employee relations matters, advising on employment law and HR best practice, supporting performance and attendance management, promoting employee wellbeing, and ensuring company policies are applied fairly and consistently. It also plays a key role in developing management capability through coaching, training delivery, and learning resources while supporting HR projects and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations

• Manage employee relations cases including investigations, disciplinary, grievance, absence, and capability processes.
• Advise managers on employment law, company policies and HR best practice.
• Prepare investigation reports, correspondence, and formal documentation.
• Support managers to resolve people issues fairly, consistently and in line with legal requirements.
• Escalate complex or high-risk matters to the Head of HR.
• Maintain accurate employee relations records and documentation.

Performance & Management Support

• Support managers with performance, attendance, and capability issues.
• Coordinate and monitor Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs).
• Coach managers to improve confidence, decision-making and people management capability.
• Promote consistent management practices across the Group.

Learning & Development

• Design and deliver training workshops for managers and employees.
• Develop learning materials, toolkits, and e-learning content.
• Support apprenticeship programmes alongside managers and training providers.
• Promote awareness and understanding of company policies and procedures.

Wellbeing & Employee Support

• Coordinate Occupational Health referrals and support implementation of workplace adjustments.
• Support employee wellbeing initiatives, engagement activities and a positive employee experience.

Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Support HR projects, organisational development initiatives and HRIS implementation.
• Contribute to improving HR processes, systems, documentation, and policy implementation.
• Build effective relationships with managers through regular visits to Group locations.

Working as Part of the HR Team

The HR team operates a specialist model to support employees throughout their employment.

The Talent Acquisition & HR Advisor leads recruitment, onboarding, probation management and employee relations during the early stages of employment.

The HR Operations Advisor takes responsibility for employee relations once employees have completed probation.

Both roles work collaboratively to ensure a seamless employee experience and provide mutual support during investigations, hearings, training delivery and wider HR projects.

Person Specification

Essential

• CIPD Level 5 qualified.
• Significant employee relations case management experience.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Experience conducting investigations, disciplinary and grievance processes.
• Experience supporting performance and capability management.
• Experience designing and delivering training.
• Excellent communication, coaching and influencing skills.
• Strong organisational and administrative ability.
• Ability to build credibility with managers at all levels.
• Full UK Driving Licence.

Desirable

• Learning & Development, Organisational Development or Train-the-Trainer qualification.
• Experience within industrial, manufacturing, logistics, transport, recycling, or similar operational environments.
• Experience developing training materials or e-learning.
• Experience supporting apprenticeship programmes.
• Experience using HR systems and workforce reporting tools.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• Calm, professional and dependable.
• Approachable and collaborative.
• Practical, organised and solutions focused.
• Confident in constructively challenging managers.
• Supportive in developing management capability.
• Able to exercise sound judgement, manage risk and work independently as part of a wider HR team.

About Ward

Ward is one of the UK's leading independent recycling and waste management businesses, operating across multiple locations and business entities. With a turnover exceeding £300 million and a workforce of over 550 employees, we continue to grow and evolve as a business and wider Group.

What makes Ward different is that we remain a family-owned and family-run organisation. Despite our size, we have retained the entrepreneurial spirit, pace and pragmatism that have been part of the business for generations.

We are ambitious, commercially focused, and continuously evolving. Decisions are made quickly, relationships matter, and our people are expected to take ownership, solve problems, and make a positive contribution to the success of the business.

Like many successful family businesses, we are not a highly corporate organisation. We value practical solutions, common sense and people who can build credibility through their actions. We are continually improving our systems, processes and management capability, and this role will play an important part in that journey.

Our HR team reflects this approach. We are a commercially focused function that supports the business by developing managers, managing risk, improving employee experience, and helping the organisation achieve its goals. We believe in strong relationships, practical solutions and giving managers the confidence to manage their teams effectively.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: From £35,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Cycle to work scheme
• Free flu jabs
• Free parking
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Life insurance
• On-site parking

Experience:

• generalist HR: 3 years (required)

Work Location: In person