HR Adviser – 12-month maternity cover

Location: Midlands base, with regular travel across assigned SOCOTEC locations

SOCOTEC’s Central Services team provides essential support across HR, Finance, IT, Digital, Marketing, Communications and Operations, enabling our business and technical teams to deliver high-quality services to clients across the UK. By managing recruitment, staff development, payroll, financial planning, digital systems, and internal communications, we ensure smooth operations, efficiency and innovation throughout the organisation. Our people-focused, collaborative culture empowers colleagues to contribute ideas, work safely, and grow their careers while supporting SOCOTEC’s mission to deliver trusted, market-leading services in infrastructure, environmental, and technical sectors.

What's in it for you?

Your expertise deserves recognition. Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a comprehensive benefits package including 25 days’ holiday (with the option to buy more), an electric car scheme (where applicable), employee recognition programmes, family-friendly support, exclusive retail discounts, employee assistance programmes, and an enhanced company pension. SOCOTEC UK & Ireland is proud to be Disability Confident accredited.

Are you an experienced HR Adviser who can provide confident, practical and commercially focused advice to managers?

We are looking for an HR Adviser to join our Central HR team on a 12-month fixed-term contract, providing maternity cover. This is a varied, multi-site role offering the opportunity to work closely with operational managers and HR Business Partners across a diverse and growing organisation.

You will independently manage a varied caseload of routine and moderately complex employee-relations matters. This will include absence, performance, capability, probation, disciplinary and grievance cases. You will apply company policy and UK employment law, assess available options and risk, recommend appropriate action and constructively challenge managers when required.

You will also support organisational change, workforce reporting, career-pathway and succession activity, and wider people initiatives. More complex, sensitive, senior or potentially precedent-setting matters will be managed in conjunction with the HR Business Partner.

Hybrid working may be available in accordance with company policy and operational requirements. Regular travel to SOCOTEC locations is an essential requirement of the role, including occasional overnight stays. A full UK driving licence is required because some locations are not reasonably accessible by public transport.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing routine and moderately complex employee-relations cases, including absence, performance, capability, disciplinary and grievance matters.
• Providing practical, legally informed advice, attending formal meetings and constructively challenging managers where appropriate.
• Preparing accurate case documentation and supporting occupational-health referrals, reasonable adjustments and organisational change.
• Coaching managers on HR policies and effective people-management practice.
• Reviewing workforce information, preparing monthly KPI reporting and supporting career-pathway and succession activity.
• Working collaboratively with HR Business Partners and specialist teams, escalating complex or higher-risk matters appropriately.

We are looking for someone with practical experience advising managers and independently managing employee-relations cases. General HR administration experience is valuable, but applicants must be able to demonstrate hands-on advisory case-management experience.

You should have:

• Practical experience managing employee-relations cases, including absence, performance, disciplinary and grievance matters.
• Sound working knowledge of UK employment law and the ability to provide clear, practical advice.
• Confidence to assess risk, exercise sound judgement and constructively challenge managers.
• Strong communication, organisation and case-management skills, including handling confidential information appropriately.
• The ability and willingness to travel regularly between SOCOTEC locations, with occasional overnight stays.
• A CIPD Level 5 qualification, or equivalent relevant professional knowledge and experience, is desirable.

Why SOCOTEC?

Join a diverse and growing organisation employing more than 2,500 people across technical, professional and operational environments. This role offers genuine ownership of a varied employee-relations caseload, exposure to organisational change and workforce initiatives, and the opportunity to work closely with experienced HR Business Partners and operational leaders.

Your Career, Your Way

Build a traditional career path or explore opportunities across multiple disciplines - all within SOCOTEC. Your choice, your direction.

Committed to Your Growth

You will have access to training, support and development opportunities throughout your time with SOCOTEC. We encourage colleagues to broaden their experience, strengthen their professional capability and take ownership of their development. #YouGrowWeGrow

Think you've got what it takes to add value to our success? We would love to hear from you and look forward to receiving your application.

Building a safer and more sustainable world is the core mission we set out to achieve at SOCOTEC, it is at the heart of everything that we do. We are committed to acting as a key player in society, investing in innovative solutions to ensure social and environmental concerns are at the forefront of all of our business operations.

Candidate identified already - role not to be advertised