The posting
Contract to start ASAP
Duration: 16 weeks with a possible extension.
Full job description
HR Consultant – Plymouth City Council
Hours: Full-time (37 hours per week)
Contract: 16-week temporary contract from 23 November 2026 to 14 March 2027
Provide Expert HR Advice and Support Across Plymouth City Council
We're recruiting an experienced HR Consultant to join Plymouth City Council, based at Ballard House, West Hoe Road, West Hoe, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 3BJ.
This is a senior HR advisory role providing professional support across a range of employee relations, organisational change and workforce matters. You'll work closely with managers, HR colleagues and other stakeholders to provide practical, balanced and legally sound advice.
The role requires strong HR consultancy experience, excellent case-management skills and the ability to support managers through complex and sensitive people issues.
About the Role
As an HR Consultant, you'll provide high-quality HR advice and consultancy support across Council services.
You'll manage a varied caseload, support complex employee relations matters and contribute to organisational change, policy implementation and workforce improvement initiatives.
What you'll be doing:
- Providing professional HR advice and consultancy support to managers and service areas
- Managing complex employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, capability and absence matters
- Advising managers on employment law, HR policy and best practice
- Supporting formal investigations, hearings and appeals
- Providing advice on restructures, organisational change and consultation processes
- Supporting workforce planning and service transformation activity
- Reviewing case documentation and recommending appropriate action
- Helping managers resolve workplace issues effectively and consistently
- Providing coaching and guidance to managers on people-management matters
- Preparing reports, correspondence and HR documentation
- Supporting policy development, review and implementation
- Maintaining accurate and confidential case records
- Working closely with HR Business Partners and wider HR teams
- Supporting consultation and engagement with employees and representatives
- Identifying workforce trends and recurring issues
- Contributing to service improvement and HR process development
- Ensuring HR advice is fair, consistent and compliant with relevant legislation
Requirements
We're looking for an experienced HR professional with strong advisory and consultancy skills.
You'll ideally have:
- Significant experience in an HR Consultant, HR Advisor or similar role
- Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice
- Experience managing complex employee relations cases
- Experience advising managers on disciplinary, grievance, capability and sickness absence
- Experience supporting organisational change and restructuring
- Strong case-management and organisational skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to provide clear, balanced and practical HR advice
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
- Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information appropriately
- Confidence working with managers at different levels of seniority
- Experience working in a unionised environment would be advantageous
- Previous local authority or public-sector HR experience would be highly desirable
- A CIPD qualification or equivalent HR experience would be desirable
- Eligibility to work in the UK
- Ability to provide relevant references/work history
- Ability to complete required pre-employment checks
Why Apply
- Opportunity to work with Plymouth City Council
- Competitive Umbrella rate of £27.56 per hour
- Full-time 37-hour working week
- 16-week temporary assignment
- Varied HR consultancy and employee relations caseload
- Opportunity to support organisational change and workforce improvement
- Chance to develop further public-sector HR experience
- Professional role working closely with managers and senior HR colleagues
Benefits
- Weekly Pay
- Company Pension
- Ongoing Agency Support
Additional Information
Client: Plymouth City Council
Job Title: HR Consultant
Location: Ballard House, West Hoe Road, West Hoe, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 3BJ
Positions Available: 1
Hours: 37 hours per week
Start Date: 23 November 2026
End Date: 14 March 2027
Contract Duration: 16 weeks
Contract Type: Temporary
Pay Rate: Umbrella: £27.56 per hour
Job Types: Full-time, Temporary contract
Pay: £27.56 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
Application question(s):
- Do you have significant experience working as an HR Consultant, HR Advisor or in a similar role?
- Do you have experience managing disciplinary, grievance, capability and sickness absence cases?
- Are you confident advising managers on employment law and complex employee relations matters?
- Have you supported restructures, organisational change or consultation processes?
- Do you have previous local authority or public-sector HR experience?
- Are you able to reliably travel to Ballard House, Plymouth, PL1 3BJ?
- Are you available to start from 23 November 2026?
Experience:
- HR Advisory / HR Consultancy: 3 years (required)
- Employee Relations Case Management: 2 years (required)
- Organisational Change / Restructuring: 1 year (preferred)
- Local Authority / Public Sector HR: 1 year (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- CIPD qualification or equivalent HR qualification (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Disclaimer: On applying for this vacancy, you agree that your personal details will be passed onto our client for their consideration of your suitability for the role. I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to notify iWork Recruitment Limited of any hirer who I do not want my details to be passed onto.
OR120969-11-26
