At Oxford Brookes University, we are guided by an inspiring ambition: our Roadmap to 2035. We are on a journey to become a first choice institution, known for world class education and an exceptional, inclusive staff experience.
Our People Directorate is a passionate, collaborative, and highly engaging team. Inclusion is woven into our culture; we proudly hold the Athena Swan Bronze award and the Race Equality Chartermark. As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee to interview any disabled applicant who meets the essential selection criteria.
The Role
This is not a light generalist role; we need a resilient professional with a deep, proven background in complex Employee Relations (ER).
Reporting to the Senior People Manager, you will act as a trusted partner and advisor to a designated portfolio of faculties and directorates. You will step into a busy, supportive environment where your primary focus is guiding leaders through critical case management, policy interpretation, and structural change. While you will collaborate with our specialist Resourcing and L&D partners on wider initiatives, robust ER and case management expertise is the non‑negotiable core of this role.
What your week will look like
As a HR Manager, your days will be varied and deeply collaborative. You will work closely with your assigned faculties and directorates, building strong relationships so that managers naturally turn to you as their first point of contact for local HR and employment law advice.
The critical core of your role will see you leading on complex case management. You will be the steady hand coaching line managers through intricate disciplinary, grievance, and performance cases, expertly balancing empathy for the individual with institutional risk management. Alongside this, you will champion staff wellbeing, working proactively with managers to design supportive pathways back to work, coordinate Occupational Health referrals, and lead on practical stress risk assessments.
Your influence will also extend into the future design of the university. You will partner with senior leaders to navigate organisational change, guiding them through restructures and formal consultations, whilst utilising the HERA framework for job evaluations. You will also look at the bigger picture, collaborating with our Policy Manager to research and draft progressive new HR policies that align with our 2035 vision. Finally, you will upskill your managers through practical briefings on HR processes, and work side by side with our Resourcing Partner to offer localised advice on recruitment strategies when required.
What skills do I need?
* Qualifications: CIPD Level 7, or CIPD Level 5 backed by equivalent extensive knowledge and practical experience.
* Core ER & Casework Expertise: A proven track record of managing substantial, complex Employee Relations issues (disciplinaries, grievances, and performance) within a large, multi‑layered organisation.
* Trade Union Relations: Proven experience of building, developing, and maintaining effective working relationships with Trade Unions within a formal framework.
* Structural & Recruitment Advisory: Experience of advising line managers on staff structures, or collaborating on localised recruitment and selection procedures.
* Stakeholder Management: Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to quickly build trust, coach line managers, and influence Senior Leadership teams.
* Training Delivery: Practical experience in delivering clear, engaging briefings or training sessions on HR policies and processes.
* Experience with job evaluation processes and frameworks, such as HERA.
* Experience operating within a Higher Education environment.
Flexibility & Benefits
We believe in true flexibility. Our hybrid model is designed around genuine balance: you will typically spend one day per week connecting with the team on our vibrant Headington Campus and four days working from home, though occasional additional campus attendance may be required depending on workload.
* Generous Leave: Minimum of 25 days holiday, plus 8 Bank Holidays and university concessionary days.
* Excellent Pension: Competitive Local Government pension scheme with a 19.2% employer contribution rate.
* Perks: Access to a student discount scheme (TOTUM), employee assistance programmes, discounted gym facilities, and a variety of staff diversity networks.
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