Human Resources Manager

Oxford | £50,000 - £55,000 + excellent benefits | Onsite (5 days) free parking

Hays are delighted to be partnering with a prestigious education institution in Oxford City Centre to hire an experienced HR Manager on a permanent basis.

Working closely with the Head of HR, you'll lead day-to-day HR operations, manage a small HR team and act as a key advisor to managers on a wide range of people matters. This role offers a genuine blend of operational leadership, strategic influence and hands‑on HR support.

You'll be comfortable managing complex ER casework including disciplinaries, grievances, absence management, performance concerns and sensitive workplace issues, while providing pragmatic, commercially balanced advice to stakeholders.

• Manage a broad range of Employee Relations casework, including complex and sensitive cases
• Lead on sickness and absence management, including long‑term cases
• Oversee the end‑to‑end recruitment process, working closely with hiring managers
• Ensure contracts and onboarding processes are delivered accurately and efficiently
• Provide day‑to‑day leadership and guidance to the HR team
• Monitor HR workflows, inboxes and response times to ensure strong service delivery
• Act as a key point of contact for managers and department heads
• Support the development of HR policies and procedures
• Contribute to HR projects, including the implementation of a new HRIS/recruitment system

Working within a complex and highly regarded organisation, this role offers the opportunity to lead the delivery of high‑quality HR services whilst supporting a diverse community of professional, academic and operational colleagues. The successful candidate will combine strong operational HR expertise with the confidence and credibility to build meaningful relationships across all levels of the organisation.

• Proven experience as a HR Manager OR A strong HR Generalist / Senior HR Advisor ready to step up into management
• Solid Employee Relations experience up to and including dissmisal
• Experience managing complex casework in a busy operational environment
• Strong generalist HR knowledge across the employee lifecycle
• Confidence working with stakeholders and influencing decision‑making
• A proactive, solutions‑focused approach
• The ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment

• Opportunity to step into a broad, visible HR leadership role
• Work closely with an experienced Head of HR
• Exposure to meaningful HR transformation projects
• Varied and impactful role within a collaborative environment

• £50,000 - £55,000
• 30 days holiday + bank holidays
• Generous pension scheme
• Cycle to work & electric car schemes
• Season ticket loans
• Free Onsite parking available - first come first serve basis

• Full‑time role (37.5 hours per week) flex start and finish times
• Based onsite in Oxford (5 days per week)