HR Advisor/ Manager

About Arborvitae Care Services

At Arborvitae Care Services, we provide social care services for children and young people aged 8–17. We’re passionate about creating an inclusive, supportive and values-driven working environment, with our core values of Growth, Integrity, Community, Protect and Inspire guiding everything we do. The Role We’re looking for an experienced and proactive HR Advisor / HR Manager to join our growing team and play a key role in delivering a high-quality, people-focused HR service across the organisation.

This is a varied, hands-on role covering the full employee lifecycle, employee relations, recruitment, HR policies, compliance and people initiatives. You’ll work closely with managers and senior leadership, providing practical advice, supporting managers with complex people matters and helping shape and develop our HR function. Key Responsibilities

Oversee and support the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, probation, performance management, absence, disciplinaries and leavers.

Provide practical, solution-focused HR advice to managers on complex and sensitive employee relations matters.

Support disciplinary, grievance, absence management and other employee casework, including investigations and hearings.

Coach and support managers in applying HR policies and best practice.

Ensure accurate HR records and maintain high standards of confidentiality and compliance.

Ensure ongoing compliance with UK employment legislation and HR best practice.

Lead and support the review and development of HR policies, handbooks and documentation.

Draft and amend employment contracts and contractual changes.

Support and oversee end-to-end recruitment, developing a proactive approach to talent acquisition.

Monitor recruitment activity, workforce planning, hiring trends and recruitment metrics.

Build strong relationships across the organisation and provide tailored HR support.

Deliver training and upskilling to managers to support effective people management.

Support the HR team with initiatives that improve employee engagement, wellbeing and retention.

Provide oversight of the HR system, ensuring accurate data, reporting and effective utilisation.

Support the development and review of employee benefits.

Work closely with senior leaders and management teams to support the delivery of the people strategy.

Contribute to the continuous improvement of HR processes and drive positive change across the organisation.

Where appropriate, provide coaching, direction and support to members of the HR and recruitment team.

About You We’re looking for someone who is commercially minded, pragmatic, hands-on and solutions-focused, with a genuine people-first approach.

You’ll ideally have

Previous experience as an HR Advisor, HR Manager or senior HR professional within a busy, generalist HR environment.

Experience managing the full employee lifecycle, ideally within a growing or multi-site organisation.

Strong experience handling employee relations matters confidently and professionally.

A strong understanding of UK employment legislation and HR best practice.

Experience supporting or leading end-to-end recruitment and talent acquisition.

Experience working with managers and senior leaders to support people strategy.

Experience using HR systems to manage data, reporting and HR processes.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Strong problem-solving, analytical and decision-making skills.

Excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Confidence working with stakeholders at all levels and handling confidential information.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and Outlook.

An adaptable, collaborative and proactive approach.

CIPD Level 5 or equivalent experience; Level 7 would be advantageous.

What We Offer

Enhanced holiday scheme, increasing with service

Birthday Day Off

NHS Cash Plan Top Up

Life Assurance x3

Free Blue Light Card

Access to industry-leading training

Clear career progression through our Roots to Growth scheme

Supportive Leadership Team

If you’re looking for a role where you can make a real impact, support our people and help shape the future of a growing organisation, we’d love to hear from you.