Advisor, HR​/Recruitment, HR Generalist ​/ Talent Management

Location: Southbourne Hub, Bournemouth
Hours: Monday–Friday, 08:30–17:00
Working pattern: Office-based, Monday–Friday, with the option to work from home on Mondays and Fridays. You can also work from the office five days a week if you prefer. The option to work a compressed 9-day fortnight is also available.

Reports to
:
People Manager
Salary: £32,000–£37,000 depending on experience and qualifications

Love solving people problems? Enjoy variety and being the person managers turn to for advice?

At Tops, our people, culture and values come first. We're looking for a People Advisor who enjoys working closely with managers, building trusted relationships and providing practical, confident advice that makes a real difference.

• A Certified B Corp – committed to social, environmental and ethical business practices
• A former Queen's Award recipient for Sustainability – recognising our commitment to sustainable operations
• Recognised as one of the World's Happiest Workplaces 2025 – creating an environment where our people can thrive and feel valued

• Each Person Recognition Scheme – celebrate and reward achievements
• Flexible Working – with the option to work from home on Mondays and Fridays and compressed working arrangement options
• Quarterly Engagement Surveys & eNPS – giving our people a voice and helping us shape our culture
• Career Development – including CIPD support, training and opportunities to grow
• A Focus on Wellbeing – an inclusive, ethical and people-focused working environment

As a People Advisor, you'll be at the heart of our People Team, supporting managers and colleagues across our nurseries and support functions.

This is a hands‑on, advice‑led role, with Employee Relations (ER) at its heart. You'll manage a varied caseload covering areas such as absence, performance, disciplinary, grievance and capability, helping managers navigate challenging situations with confidence, consistency and care.

It can be a fast‑paced role, but that's part of what makes it interesting. You'll work across a wide range of employee relations situations, and you'll have the opportunity to use your HR knowledge, judgement and communication skills every day. You'll build strong relationships with managers, become someone they trust to pick up the phone to, and see the difference that good People advice can make.

While ER and day‑to‑day People advice will be your main focus, you'll also have opportunities to get involved in wider People projects, manager development and initiatives that improve the colleague experience.

You’ll:

• Provide practical, confident People and ER advice to managers, helping them navigate employee relations matters fairly, consistently and in line with employment legislation and company policies
• Manage a varied ER caseload, from day‑to‑day advisory queries through to more complex employee relations matters
• Coach and support managers through the different stages of ER processes, helping them understand their responsibilities and make confident decisions
• Support and, where appropriate, take an active role in investigations, hearings, meetings and appeals
• Provide advice on employment legislation, ACAS guidance and People policies, turning technical information into practical advice that managers can understand and apply
• Build strong relationships with managers and colleagues, becoming a trusted and approachable source of People advice
• Identify themes and trends from casework and use these insights to help improve People processes, manager capability and colleague experience
• Contribute to wider People projects, initiatives and manager development activity alongside your core advisory work
• Work collaboratively with the wider People Team to…