National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
People Adviser (x2) - (Fixed Term Contract 12 months)

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About the Role
This is an exciting time to join NPL as the organisation embraces the mission and opportunity to provide the measurement capability that underpins the UK's prosperity and quality of life. NPL's vision is to deliver extraordinary impact from excellent science and engineering as an exemplary national laboratory. This mission reaffirms the pivotal role the organisation plays in supporting the UK's national challenges as well as the needs of industry.
Our close knit, supportive and experienced People Team are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced and customer focussed People Adviser to join them. No two days will be the same from supporting managers to resolve employee relations situations to delivering annual people programmes. Ultimately, you'll support the kind of positive experience that retains the best.
We work in a hybrid way, with a mix of remote and office working (minimum two days onsite in Teddington).
Role focus
As a People Adviser, you'll be part of the team that's advising, guiding and coaching managers across the business to help us deliver our vision and mission. As we continue to grow, you'll:
- Be at the forefront in providing expert advice and support to our management population to navigate the full remit of employee relations (ER) cases from start to resolution, including confidently supporting managers to make risk-informed decisions.
- Coach managers in best practice in all aspects of the people management cycle from providing advice on contractual matters, effective communication to address team issues, to motivation and development of high performing teams and supporting wellbeing and welfare.
- Support with development and continuous improvement of our people procedures, using your expertise and knowledge of legislation and proven effective people practice ensuring they are fit for purpose and right for our population.
- Take on a portfolio of projects and initiatives of varying complexity to provide the right tools, data and guidance and improve the employee experience.
In everything you do, we'll expect you to ensure all interactions with our employees are fair, in line with agreed processes and legally compliant across all interactions.
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About You
You should have a deep knowledge of, and interest in, all aspects of employment relations, including proven experience in supporting wellbeing and Occupational Health matters end to end. You will use sound judgment to assess risk and case plan accordingly to ensure the right path for the issue at hand. In addition, you will be:
- A great communicator with the ability to listen, break down complexity.
- Comfortable working independently in managing and prioritising a diverse portfolio and delivering results and solutions, knowing how to find a path forward.
- Tech savvy and have confidence with systems and data; experience creating and editing content with MS SharePoint and Power BI or equivalents are a bonus.
- Aligned with our values in your approach to customers, stakeholders, your team and colleagues and the quality of what you'll deliver in your role.
Beyond that, we're looking for someone who'll thrive in an environment like ours. At NPL we learn from and respect each other and work together to do better. And while we're always looking to stretch beyond what we know, we don't make things more complicated when there's no need.
If you have experience in a similar role and an objective, customer-focused approach, we want to hear from you.
We strive to offer a great work life balance - if you are looking for full time, part time or flexible options, we will try to make this work where business possible.
Applications will be reviewed, and interviews will be conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical.
We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance.


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About Us
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world-leading centre of excellence that provides cutting-edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK. Find out more about what it is like working here - The measure of us - Overview
NPL and DSIT have strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria. Applications from women, disabled and black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in particular are encouraged. All disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.
At NPL, we believe our success is a result of the diversity and talent of our people. We strive to nurture and respect individuals to ensure everyone feels valued by treating everyone on the basis of their own individual merits and abilities regardless of their own or perceived identity, as part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we ensure we’re creating an environment where all our colleagues feel supported and welcome. More about this on our Diversity & Inclusion page.
We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees. Flexible working and social activities are embedded in our culture to create a positive work-life balance, along with a broad range of rewards, benefits and recognition. Our values are at the heart of what we do, and they shape the way we interact, develop our people and celebrate success. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we’re always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss, please contact us.
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