Location: Leeds (Hybrid) - minimum 2 days per week in the office
Salary: £40,000 - £45,000
About us
At Arbor, we’re on a mission to transform the way schools work for the better.
We believe in a future of work in schools where being challenged doesn’t mean being burnt out and overworked. Where data guides progress without overwhelming staff. And where everyone working in a school is reminded why they got into education every day.
Our MIS and school management tools are already making a difference in over 13,000 schools and trusts. Giving time and power back to staff, turning data into clear, actionable insights, and supporting happier working days.
At the heart of our brand is a recognition that the challenges schools face today aren’t just about efficiency, outputs and productivity - but about creating happier working lives for the people who drive education everyday: the staff. We want to make schools more joyful places to work, as well as learn.
About the role
The People Operations Team at Arbor sit at the heart of the business and are passionate about creating an environment and culture for people to do their best work. In line with our values we believe in creating space for people to “own it with openness” and drive a culture where “everyday is a school day”.
We are looking for a collaborative and engaging Senior HR Advisor to join our People team and help us create a world class experience for our UK team at all stages of their employee journey. The remit and focus of the role is to work closely with, and support, our People Business Partners to deliver on our people strategy as well contributing to some of our larger strategic projects that enable us to continue our growth. It’s a broad and exciting role, so we’re looking for someone up for a challenge - if you’re a communicative and passionate person, this is the role for you.
Core responsibilities
Employee relations: Coach managers through investigations, disciplinaries, grievances, performance management, flexible working and sickness cases. Own your caseload and escalate to the People Business Partners as needed.
Manager coaching: Act as the first point of contact for managers, helping them handle difficult conversations and apply policy with confidence.
Policy and process: Keep UK policies current and compliant, and build new processes where gaps appear.
People data: Track ER and absence data, spot trends and share clear insights with the People Business Partners.
M&A and TUPE: Support integration projects as the business grows, including TUPE transfers.
Requirements
About you
We're seeking someone with a solid foundation in HR who’s confident managing the day-to-day while also comfortable getting into the detail of broader HR projects. You may already be in an HR Advisor role and looking to gain wider generalist exposure. A CIPD qualification at Level 5 (or equivalent experience) is preferred. Beyond that, we’d love to see:
Prior experience in a generalist HR role – with good exposure to ER and policies.
A good knowledge of UK employment law
Experience with processes improvement and taking ownership of these including creating new ones should the need arise
The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
Great attention to detail, especially when it comes to documentation and data
A proactive, people-first mindset. We want someone who spots what needs doing and jumps in
Confidence using HRIS systems and Excel/Google Sheets for reporting
Clear communication skills, whether you’re writing a policy update, interpreting HR data, or chatting through a flexible working request
A caring but professional demeanour with the ability to earn people’s trust and handle sensitive situations
Strong organisation and prioritisation skills. You’ll be working on a lot of different things at any one time and it’s important you know what to prioritise and when
Experience in a fast-paced, commercial environment such as tech or agency would be a real plus
Benefits
What we offer
The…