HR Advisory Lead
Salary: £38,000 per annum
Location: Kendal (on site)
Working Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:00 pm
About us:
We are a rapid-growth scale-up disrupting the infant nutrition space through our award-winning brand Kendamil – the only infant milk made in Britain, proudly used by the British Royal Family and uniquely crafted locally using British organic full cream milk, without the nasties.
Our company, Kendal Nutricare, is a 200 person team passionate about giving children a better start to life. We're proud to be a Queens' Award winning business and to be ranked by the Financial Times as one of Europe's 1000 Fastest Growing Companies in 2020.
We're on an exciting path – join us
The role:
We are seeking an experienced and proactive HR Advisory Lead to join our team. Acting as the first point of contact for managers across the organisation, this role will coordinate the HR Advisory function, ensuring consistent and high-quality advice is delivered globally. The HR Advisory Lead will also mentor HR Advisors, manage their own portfolio of employee relations cases, and support the Head of Human Resources in embedding best practice HR standards and processes.
This is a full-time role based at our headquarters in Kendal.
What you'll be doing:
* Act as the primary HR contact for managers on-site and internationally, handling queries with professionalism, consistency, and sound judgement.
* Build collaborative relationships with managers to provide a proactive, solution-focused HR service.
* Guide and support HR Advisors with complex employee relations cases, escalating high-risk matters when required.
* Oversee allocation and monitoring of advisory workloads to ensure fairness and efficiency.
* Review and approve HR letters, documentation, and case notes to maintain quality standards.
* Mentor, coach, and develop HR Advisors to strengthen their knowledge and confidence.
* Manage a personal caseload, including disciplinary, grievance, and absence management cases.
* Work closely with the Factory Manager and Head of HR to report on employee relations activity.
* Liaise with Occupational Health providers, managers, and employees for effective sickness absence management.
* Support the Head of HR in embedding consistent policies, practices, and service standards.
* Deliver training on company policies and procedures in-person, online, and via workshops.
* Review and update job descriptions to align with departmental and organisational changes.
* Partner with managers to refine organisational structures, ensuring clear roles and reporting lines.
* Contribute to the design and continuous improvement of HR processes, toolkits, and knowledge resources.
* Administer employee benefits, ensuring compliance and best practice.
* Regularly review and enhance the benefits package in line with market standards and organisational needs.
What you will need:
* Strong HR advisory experience in a UK manufacturing background, ideally with complex casework exposure.
* Excellent understanding of UK employment law and HR best practice.
* Minimum CIPD Level 5
* Confident communicator with the ability to influence and support colleagues at all levels.
* Organised, with the ability to manage priorities for both self and others.
* Experience coaching or mentoring colleagues is desirable.
* Strong relationship management skills, with the ability to build trust with stakeholders.
What you'll get from us:
The opportunity to work for the fastest growing infant milk brand in Europe, alongside a young talented team ..
We offer to all our employees:
* 33 days holiday (incl. bank holidays), pro rata to start date and FTE.
* Pension Scheme by Aegon, the Employer will match contributions up to a maximum of 5%
* Free health cash plan
* Free Gym Membership*
* Life Assurance at 2 x basic salary
* EAP Programme
* Enhanced Maternity leave policy
* New parents enjoy up to £350 worth of Kendamil products (excluding Stage 1 formula)*
* Employee Referral Scheme*
*Further details are available from the HR department.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £38,000.00-£40,000.00 per year
Ability to commute/relocate:
* Kendal LA9 6NL: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Experience:
* HR Advisor: 4 years (required)
* HR policies and procedures: 3 years (required)
Work authorisation:
* United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person