People & Culture Advisor

At The Cardinal Partnership, we're not just a company; we're a partnership in both name and nature. As the world's largest employee-owned logistics organisation, we proudly house two beloved brands, Cardinal Global Logistics and Far Logistics. When you join our team, you become a partner in our collective success.

People have always been at the heart of what we do and we have an unwavering entrepreneurial spirit that has transformed a modest £15,000 investment into an industry-leading enterprise. We tailor these services to meet the precise needs of our 6000+ customers.

Join us in providing exceptional service and shaping the next chapter of our partnership journey. In return, you'll enjoy a competitive salary and enhanced benefits.

The People & Culture Advisor plays a key role in delivering a proactive, professional and commercially focused People & Culture service across the organisation. Acting as a trusted advisor to managers and employees, the role provides first-line guidance on employee relations matters, supports the delivery of people initiatives, and ensures policies, processes and practices are applied consistently, compliantly and in line with organisational values.

The role takes ownership of a broad range of operational People & Culture activities across the employee lifecycle, while also contributing to continuous improvement and strategic people initiatives.

• Act as the first point of contact for managers and employees on a wide range of employee relations matters, including absence management, performance management, disciplinary, grievance, capability and probation issues.
• Provide clear, practical and legally compliant advice, escalating complex or high-risk cases to the People & Culture Manager where appropriate.
• Support and, where appropriate, lead employee relations processes, including preparing documentation, attending meetings, and ensuring outcomes are implemented effectively.

• Manage end-to-end recruitment processes for designated roles, working with hiring managers to ensure effective workforce planning, selection and decision-making.
• Advise managers on recruitment best practice, fair selection, and inclusive hiring.
• Oversee onboarding processes to ensure a positive and consistent employee experience, including the delivery or coordination of inductions.

• Ensure accurate administration of employee lifecycle changes including contracts, variations, promotions, and leavers, ensuring changes are actioned in line with payroll deadlines.
• Maintain oversight of employee records, ensuring data accuracy, confidentiality and compliance with GDPR and employment legislation.
• Ensure all pre-employment checks (right to work, DBS, references, background checks) are completed correctly and in a timely manner.
• Support the development, review and implementation of People & Culture policies, procedures and SOPs, ensuring they reflect best practice and legislative requirements.
• Provide guidance and training to managers on policy application and people processes.
• Promote consistent application of policies across the organisation.

• Support the coordination and delivery of People & Culture initiatives including training programmes, engagement activities and wellbeing initiatives.
• Analyse people data and feedback to identify trends and areas for improvement.

• Assisting with processing payroll and with the documentation of employee compensation and benefits.
• Respond to employee queries relating to pay, benefits and contractual terms.
• Produce People & Culture reports and insights to support decision-making.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, systems and the overall employee experience.
• Keep up to date with employment law developments and People & Culture best practice.

• CIPD Level 5 qualified (or working towards), or equivalent practical experience.
• Proven experience in a People & Culture / HR Advisory or Officer-level role.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice.
• Confident communicator with the ability to influence and build trusted relationships at all levels.
• Able to manage multiple priorities and handle sensitive matters with professionalism and discretion.
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail and excellent IT skills (including HR systems and Excel).
• Proactive, solutions-focused and comfortable working with a high degree of autonomy.
• Committed to delivering a positive employee experience and upholding compliance and organisational values.

We hire individuals not just based on their experience and skills, but also on their character. Our team members are enthusiastic, passionate, and dedicated to finding solutions for our clients. We believe in fostering a fun and supportive work environment, but above all, we are committed to exceeding expectations.

At The Cardinal Partnership, every…