HR Consultant
* Salary: £29,700 - £38,550
* Location: Cambridge, minimum 2 days a week in the office
* Contract: Fixed Term or Secondment 1 year
* Hours: Full time 35 hours per week
As a HR Consultant, you will support and deliver operational people partnering activities. You will work closely with managers and employees to assist them in delivering effective people leadership and practices.
We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.
About the role
You're a proactive HR professional who thrives on making a real difference. You have hands-on experience in HR advisory work, with the confidence to guide managers and employees through complex people matters. Your approach combines expert knowledge of employment law and HR best practice with a practical, solutions-focused mindset.
To succeed in this role, you will:
* Work closely with managers and employees to promote effective leadership and inclusive practices.
* Working with colleagues across People & Culture to deliver people products and services that align with the organisation's strategic goals.
* Provide clear, confident advice on policies and employment practices, supporting managers to become self-sufficient.
* Use data and insights to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement.
* Embrace collaboration, innovation, and accountability while fostering a sense of belonging across the workforce.
This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40-60% of their time collaborating and connecting face-to-face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long-term health condition.
About You
You're an approachable, dependable team player who brings expert knowledge of employment law and HR best practice. You have a proven ability to deliver professional, pragmatic HR advice and build strong, trusted relationships across the organisation. Your communication skills and problem-solving mindset enable you to navigate complex people challenges with confidence.
To succeed in this role, you will demonstrate:
* HR advisory experience, supporting managers to manage employee relations issues such as absence and performance.
* The ability to assess manager capability and identify skill gaps, providing targeted support.
* A continuous improvement mindset, using innovative approaches to solve problems.
* Confidence in interpreting and presenting qualitative and quantitative data to inform decisions.
* Discretion and diplomacy when handling sensitive or confidential matters.
* A commitment to ongoing professional development.
If you meet these requirements, we'd love to hear from you. Your application will stand out even more if you can also show:
* Experience working in a large, complex, or matrixed organisation.
* Exposure to global or multi-country environments.
* Familiarity with HR information systems (e.g., Workday).
* Understanding of project and change management principles.
For a detailed job description, please refer to the link at the bottom of the advert on our careers site.
We are a Disability Confident (DC) employer that is committed to equality and inclusion ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The DC scheme's Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in, and disclose a disability or a long-term health condition, and best meet the minimum criteria for the role. In instances where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practicable, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long-term health condition.
Please note that Cambridge University Press & Assessment will not ordinarily be able to provide sponsorship for vacancies of less than 12-months in duration. Applicants must therefore have an existing right to work in the UK to be eligible for this position.
Rewards and benefits
We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package, featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including:
* 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
* Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
* Discretionary annual bonus
* Group personal pension scheme
* Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
* Green travel schemes
Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now.
We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for all applications will be Friday 9th January 2026. We will review applications on an ongoing basis.
We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent.
If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect
* A 20-minute screening call.
* Final stage interview: in-person at our offices in Cambridge.
If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long-term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.
We are committed to an equitable recruitment process. As such, applications must be submitted via our official online application procedure. Please refrain from sending your CV directly to our recruiters. If you experience technical difficulties or require additional support with submitting your online application, contact the Recruiter