HR Advisor

College of Policing

Hybrid

Expires: Expiring in less than 2 weeks

Flexible

£30,164 per year

Job summary

This post is open to applicants who can meet the College’s nationality, UK residency and vetting requirements.

In order to work for the College of Policing you must have the Right to Work in the UK with indefinite leave to remain. You will also be required to provide an address history in the UK for the preceding 3 years.

About us

Our mission is: Leadership, Standards, Performance. This guides our work with individuals, forces, and policing partners towards our vision. We exist to support police officers, police staff and volunteers to deliver the best service to the public. Only through high quality leadership, consistent standards and continual performance improvement can everyone in policing reach their full potential. Our mission guides our work with individual, forces and partners towards our vision.

We are uniquely placed to work both with national policing organisations and local forces to support frontline officers, staff and volunteers in their day-to-day roles.

A new National Police Service (NPS), will bring together existing national policing bodies under a single organisation with a clear mandate. The Police Reform White Paper, published in January 2026, confirmed that the College will move into the NPS "in its entirety", ensuring that the leadership, standards and performance work the College has led since 2012 will continue within the NPS.

We offer a supportive and inclusive environment for people to thrive through our extensive flexible-working policy, employee wellbeing support, family friendly policies,, and status as a disability confident leader.

For further information visit our ‘Work for us’ page.

Additional Information

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The College embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we comply with the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and apply the minimum selection criteria at sift stage of the recruitment process. Where necessary, we may increase the minimum selection criteria to support the effective management of the recruitment process, while ensuring our approach remains fair, transparent and consistent with our Disability Confident commitments.

Job description

This role sits within the HR Business Partnering and Employee Relations Team and forms part of our wider HR function. As an HR Adviser, you will predominantly manage a varied employee relations caseload, providing professional advice and guidance to managers and employees on a range of people matters.

You will also support the management of occupational health referrals and workplace adjustments, ensuring a positive and supportive employee experience. In addition, you will play a key role in developing management capability by delivering a range of internal training programmes, including Skills for Managers, Sickness Absence Management, and Investigation Training. Development/update, management and research of HR policies is also a centralised function of the role ensuring that consistency, knowledge and experience is channelled into the review cycles. Working closely with HR Business Partners, line managers and key stakeholders across the organisation, you will provide pragmatic, solutions-focused advice that supports both organisational objectives and best practice in people management.

This is an excellent opportunity for an HR professional who enjoys building relationships, influencing outcomes and making a positive impact through high-quality people support.

Person specification

Some of your responsibilities will include:

Design, facilitate and evaluate learning and development activities that enhance managers’ and employees’ people management knowledge, skills and capability, using feedback and outcomes data to continuously improve learning effectiveness and support College objectives.

Partner with HR Business Partners to manage the timely resolution of employee relations casework, providing specialist support to managers and employees on matters including attendance, performance, disciplinary, grievance, equality, pay and contractual issues, ensuring fair, consistent and outcome-focused resolution.

Provide expert, solution-focused HR advice, coaching and guidance to managers and employees on employee relations/Employment Tribunal matters and the application of HR policies and procedures, building trusted relationships to identify practical solutions and promote fair, consistent and legally compliant people management practices aligned with college policy and best practice.

To be successful in this role you’ll need:

Level 3 qualification in Human Resources (e.g. HNC, Diploma, NVQ level 4) or equivalent qualification to ensure effective HR administrative management to achieve business objectives. Willingness to work towards Level 5 qualification.

Demonstrable experience in HR Employee relations with a track record of providing accurate advice, support and solutions to a consistently high standard.

Demonstrable experience of interpreting, developing and updating HR policies and procedures, devising and delivering training and coaching around these.

Proven experience of addressing sensitive, personal and confidential matters with a high degree of discretion, initiative, tact and diplomacy.

Qualifications

Level 3 CIPD or equivalent?

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Communicating and Influencing
Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

Employee Relations case management
Stakeholder engagement
Policy development, interpretation and review
In depth Knowledge of Employment law and legislation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,164, College of Policing contributes £8,738 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

College staff have Public Servant status. As a Public Servant, you are eligible to join the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.

The College is a great place to work. We're passionate about our people and offer a wide range of benefits, including (but not limited to):

Defined benefit pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 28.97%*

Up to 31.5 days holiday (this is in addition to 8 public holidays and 1 privilege day)*

Role-specific learning and development, with continued professional development to help you progress your career

Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave*

Flexi-time (for certain grades)

MyLifestyle platform which offers a wide range of shopping discounts with major retailers and includes access to discounted gym memberships, National Dental Plan, AXA Healthcare and the Cycle to Work scheme*

Free employee support line

Interest free season ticket loans*

Rewards and recognition scheme

An environment with flexible working options

A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

* Please note benefits marked with an asterisk are available to College employees only. If you join us on a secondment, you will retain the terms and conditions of your substantive employer and will be eligible for all other benefits listed.

We also have a number of thriving staff networks that provide the opportunity for advice, support and to drive change. A place to get your voice heard, share experiences and challenge our working practices to ensure equality of opportunity for all.

For more information about our benefits and staff networks, visit What we offer as an employer , College of Policing

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Vacancy reference: 7330

Anticipated interview dates: Week commencing 30th November

Interview Location: Teams

This role is available for 12 months as a fixed term appointment or as a secondment opportunity to:

colleagues employed directly by the College or the Civil Service. Please note you will be required to obtain the written support of your line manager prior to submitting your application.

serving police officers substantive in the rank of Constable or Sergeant, or those officers suitably qualified for temporary promotion in the rank of Constable or Sergeant. All applicants must have the support of their Chief Officer which must be of NPCC rank, i.e., CC, ACC or DCC and this must accompany an application.

serving police staff at the equivalent rank of Constable or Sergeant who have their chief officer's approval. Chief Officer’s approval must be of NPCC rank, i.e., CC, ACC or DCC. Approval for a secondment must accompany an application.

Police Staff and Officers may qualify for a non-pensionable Central Service Allowance (CSA). (only delete if advert is not open to Police secondees)

Please ensure you return the attached secondment approval form via email to recruitment@college.police.uk quoting the internal reference number 7330. Please note, without this your application will not progress beyond sift, even if your application is successful.

For further information on applying for a secondment please visit the “Secondments into the College” page.

For fixed Term contracts

This fixed term contract is offered for a set period. However, it could be extended or made permanent should the circumstances allow.

Internal College applicants who are at risk of redundancy or in need of redeployment and pass the recruitment process, will be given priority over other applicants.

Sifting

An initial sift based on the lead CV may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The initial sift will be assessed against a minimum benchmark score of 4. Where necessary, we may increase the minimum selection criteria to support the effective management of the recruitment process. In such circumstances, only candidates achieving the increased benchmark score at the initial sift stage will progress to a full sift assessment.

Our vetting

If you are successful at interview, you will be required to undertake pre-employment security checks. You will be sent a security questionnaire which must be accessed within 24 hours.

Please note, these checks can take up to 10 weeks. You will only be offered a start date after the checks have been completed. If the outcome of these checks is not satisfactory, your recommendation for employment will be withdrawn.

Contact details and further information

If you would like to discuss the role in more detail please contact Ash Reilly, HR Business Partner, Ash.Reilly@college.police.uk

Due to our status as Public Servants, we are not eligible to participate in the Civil Service transfer process. Therefore, while successful candidates can transfer into the organisation on their existing terms and conditions, any move back to the Civil Service may mean that continuity of service is not automatically recognised by the receiving department, and new starter or modernised terms and conditions may apply, subject to the receiving department's policies and arrangements. However, employees who move directly to a Civil Service department without a break in service may retain continuity of service for redundancy and pension purposes.

Any previous service with local government or other external Modification Order bodies will not be carried forward or count when calculating redundancy entitlement.

The College is committed to supporting the Greening Government Commitment and reducing our environmental impact. Through our Environmental Management Plan, we promote sustainable ways of working and provide electric vehicle charging points to support greener travel choices. We also encourage employees to become Environment Champions and support our One Step Greener approach, helping to create a better future for everyone.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Salary range

£30,164 per year