The Scottish Government
HR Consultant
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Passionate about people? Bring your HR expertise to a role where you’ll coach leaders, resolve complex challenges and strengthen organisational capability.
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) administers pensions for Scottish Teachers, Police, Firefighters' and National Health Service employees on behalf of the Scottish Government. We’re responsible for protecting the financial futures of over half a million people - that’s around 1 in 10 people in Scotland. If you’re looking for meaningful work, a supportive environment and a career with purpose, you’ll find it at the SPPA. Our office is based in Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders, the train station is a short two-minute walk away and offers regular services to and from Edinburgh Waverley, making it a convenient and well-connected location for commuters. The surrounding area offers access to green space, walking routes and a strong sense of local community, supporting wellbeing both in and outside of work. Our modern office building is designed to support flexible and collaborative working, with spaces for teamwork, quiet focus and hybrid working. Colleagues benefit from a comfortable, welcoming environment that reflects our commitment to wellbeing and inclusion.
As an experienced HR Generalist, you will provide expert HR advice, coaching and consultancy to managers and employees across all aspects of HR policy, employee relations, wellbeing and the wider employee lifecycle. You will support the HR Manager to deliver high-quality, accessible HR services that meet current and future organisational needs. You will contribute to the delivery of the People Strategy through effective people management, resourcing and workforce planning.
This is a high-impact role operating across the full HR lifecycle, with responsibility for managing complex casework and supporting continuous improvement. You will also play a key part in building manager capability and ensuring organisational compliance with policy and legislation.
Responsibilities
- Manage a full range of complex employee relations casework and resourcing activity across the HR lifecycle, providing expert advice and escalating where appropriate.
- Provide professional HR guidance and coaching to managers and employees on policy, procedure, and employment legislation, supporting effective decision-making and risk management.
- Lead the investigation, management and resolution of casework, ensuring compliance with policy, legislation and best practice, and maintaining accurate records.
- Build strong relationships with key stakeholders (e.g. HR colleagues, Legal, Occupational Health, Trade Unions), seeking advice and sharing best practice to inform outcomes.
- Manage and support the development of HR Advisors, providing guidance, delegation and acting as an escalation point to ensure service continuity and quality.
- Work proactively with managers to support early intervention, workforce planning and resourcing activity, using data and insight to inform solutions.
- Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of HR processes, policies and people management practices, aligned to organisational needs.
- Analyse and utilise HR management information to support decision-making and design initiatives that build management capability (e.g. training on performance, wellbeing and employee relations).
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Qualifications
You must have a CIPD qualification at a minimum of foundation level.
Success Profile
Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.
Experience
(Lead Criteria) You must have experience of managing complex people focussed casework in an HR function. You must be digitally proficient with the ability to source, analyse and use data to provide advice and solutions.
Technical / Professional Skills
People policies and Employment Law - You must be knowledgeable about key HR policies, processes, and legislation, and how to research, interpret and apply these when providing advice to customers and managing casework and processes. You must be able to assess issues and risks and escalate when required.
You can find out more about the framework here - CIPD Profession Map
Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing - Level 3 Managing a Quality Service - Level 3 Working Together - Level 3
You can find out more about the behaviours here: Candidate Guide
How To Apply
Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1,000 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above.
Stage One (CV Review)
An initial review will be conducted using the CV and Supporting Statement on the below Lead Criteria:
Experience: You must have experience of managing complex people focussed casework in an HR function.
Candidates who pass the initial review will have their applications fully assessed against all remaining criteria in the Success Profile, including the behaviours detailed above.
Stage two (interview and assessment)
If successful at application review, you will be invited for assessment, which will consist of an in-person interview and presentation at the SPPA office in Tweedbank, where we will test all criteria listed above.
Sifting will commence from 24 August 2026
Assessments are scheduled for w/c 7 September 2026, however this may be subject to change.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.
Recruitment Principles
As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.
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About Us
At the SPPA, we are committed to The Fair Work Framework.
This Means Offering
- Security and stability
- Flexible and hybrid working options
- Opportunities to learn and develop
- A respectful and inclusive working environment
At the SPPA we want our workforce to be representative of Scottish society and we strive to be a workplace where people are welcomed and valued for the contribution they make.
We support flexible working and encourage applications from people from all backgrounds, including those starting their careers, changing careers, or returning to work.
We are committed to removing any barriers to applying for our jobs and aim to offer support and make reasonable adjustments to allow full participation in the recruitment process.
Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service observing the Civil Service Code and working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.
We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.
As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
You can also find out more about careers at the SPPA here - SPPA Careers | SPPA
Working Pattern
Our standard hours are 35 hours per week. We offer a range of flexible and hybrid working options, with two days minimum working on site at SPPA. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.
Security Checks
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).
You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.
Sponsorship
Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.
Equality Statement
We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.
Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.
Further Information
Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.
Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.
If you have any further questions, please contact Karolyn Gracie - HR Manager - at SPPARecruitment@gov.scot
We will hold a reserve list for this post for 12 months
Apply Before: 23 August 2026 (23:59)
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