People Advisor

People Advisor - 7 months FTC Portsmouth Water We’re making a difference: Together, we can ensure that there is enough water for everyone, now and in the future. Portsmouth Water is recruiting for a People Advisor on a 7-month fixed‑term contract (maternity leave cover) looking for an immediate start date in January. This generalist HR role will provide support and guidance across the full employee lifecycle, covering areas such as employee relations, change management, wellbeing initiatives and the development of people policies and processes. You’ll play a key role in empowering people managers to lead in line with our company values and people strategy. The successful candidate will contribute to the continuous improvement of our people systems and ensure accuracy in reporting and payroll processes. We’re looking for a methodical and proactive HR professional with strong advisory experience, excellent communication skills and a practical approach to problem‑solving. This is a dynamic role that will adapt to the changing needs of the business. Key Responsibilities Contribute to the continuous improvement of our people systems and practices, ensuring that information is accurate and reliable for reporting and payroll processing purposes. Provide support to managers at disciplinary, grievance, appeals and other formal employee relations hearings, as well as issuing the relevant correspondence. Coach and mentor managers on people matters and promote opportunities for greater employee engagement, well‑being and improved internal communications. Help create and schedule people‑related content across our key internal channels including The Tap, Engage and associated social communities. Ensure return‑to‑work interviews are undertaken by managers, and self‑certs/fit notes are recorded promptly for payroll processing purposes. Provide support to managers with performance and capability review meetings along with any outcomes or review actions arising from these discussions. Assist managers with the monitoring, reporting and management of sickness, absence and lateness, advising on any action that should be taken, accurately preparing documentation as and when required. Collaborate with the Occupational Health Service and the Health & Safety Team on Health Surveillance, assist managers with management referrals, support wellbeing initiatives and ensure systems and health records remain up to date. Conduct exit interviews and report any issues or trends. Assist with any planning and delivery of the employee engagement and EDI surveys where required. Review existing policies, procedures, employment terms and conditions including those aligned to collective agreements and employee handbook, identify required changes to reflect modern working practices and current legislation. Keep up with trends and developments in people management and employment legislation by reading current journals, books and articles, as well as attending networking events. Ensure all work carried out is processed and stored in the relevant company system in accordance with current GDPR guidance. Skills, Qualifications & Competencies Accredited to a minimum of CIPD Level 5 or equivalent experience Proven experience of delivering ‘in house’ people services across the employee lifecycle Proficient experience of developing and maintaining people management systems Working knowledge of the relevant employment legislation, regulatory and compliance considerations within the water sector Proven communication skills at all levels of stakeholder engagement A flexible and collaborative approach with the ability to prioritise tasks and manage conflicting priorities and deadlines Able to have a continuous improvement approach to people systems and practices Able to work as a team player and ability to use own initiative Proven track record of managing a wide range of case work, understanding and experience in complex employee relations cases A good working knowledge of Microsoft Office We recognise people want to work in a variety of different ways, this means we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. Please talk to us at the interview about the flexibility you may want. We support equality, diversity and inclusion and encourage applications from all sections of society. The company has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to work and live in the UK. Due to the high volume of applications received we are unable to respond to unsuccessful candidates. If your application is of interest to us, we will normally contact you within 4 weeks of receiving your application. Seniority level Mid‑Senior level Employment type Contract Job function Human Resources Utilities #J-18808-Ljbffr