People Partner Advisor

Overview

Are you ready to make a real impact on workplace culture and employee experience? As a People Partner Advisor, you’ll be at the heart of our Strategic People Partner Team, supporting managers and schools with expert employee relations advice. This is a fantastic opportunity where your skills and ideas will help shape the future of our workforce.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

About the role

You’ll provide pragmatic, robust HR advice and guidance, helping managers navigate complex policies and employee relations cases from start to finish. Your work will ensure consistent application of policies, promote a positive workplace environment, and support the delivery of workforce strategies that meet service requirements and customer needs.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting the People Partnering team in interpreting and advising on complex policy and procedural issues.
• Managing employee relations cases in line with council policies and legal requirements.
• Identifying areas of concern and recommending solutions based on specialist knowledge.
• Collaborating with stakeholders to clarify business requirements and support improvements.
• Contributing to HR projects and organisational change programmes.
• Maintaining accurate records and supporting improvements in HR practices.
• Analysing employee relations data to identify trends and areas for development.
• Supporting managers with training and development initiatives.
• Sharing knowledge across HR to improve customer experience.
• Keeping up to date with UK employee legislation and best practice.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

You will bring:

• Relevant experience within a large organisation, delivering similar services, with evidence of specialist knowledge and work responsibilities appropriate to the role
• Excellent ICT skills, including Microsoft applications and HR systems (e.g., SAP, Service Now).
• Strong planning, organisational, and prioritisation abilities.
• Clear communication skills, able to explain HR processes and policies to non-specialists.
• Experience contributing to policy and process development.
• Initiative and sound judgement to resolve problems and make pragmatic decisions.
• Knowledge of employment law, best practice, and emerging developments in HR.
• Interpersonal, persuasion, and negotiation skills to build relationships and influence stakeholders.
• Ability to analyse and interpret data to inform decisions.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent standard/equivalent experience.

Other information

For further information on this role please see the attached job summary.

How the team are currently working: in the office 2 days a week as a minimum

Interview date: To be confirmed

Interview-type / process: In person competency-based interview

If you would like to have an informal conversation with the recruiting manager, please contact: Alison Stone, Strategic People Partner – [email protected]

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Resources cover a wide range of specialisms, including Human Resources, Finance, ICT and Business Operations. Our main focus is supporting the other directorates to provide the best possible service to our residents. To do that, we have to make sure we have the right people in the right roles across the organisation. From our finance teams, working strategically to ensure the best value from public money; to HR keeping our employees healthy and happy, each service is vital in making sure Buckinghamshire Council has what it needs to run effectively and efficiently.

As well as providing high quality services to other areas of the Council, you could also be helping us build on the revenue which comes from our external clients. If you are ambitious, customer-focussed and bursting with new ideas, we want to hear from you.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/