HR jobs in Oxford

Smaller businesses may have an HR generalist at assistant, manager or director level to support them or they may choose to outsource all or part of the HR function to an external consultant.  A large company or third sector organisation on the other hand, may have a whole team in place with individual specialists responsible for specific areas, such as careers, resourcing and recruitment, onboarding, internal communications, employee relations, mentoring and coaching, appraisals and promotions, reward, workplace culture etc.

HR and people jobs

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the nature of the work, there is a growing call to rebrand HR jobs as People jobs so you may see both reflected in the job titles advertised. For example, HR managers are often now referred to as people managers.

To work in HR, you must be interested in people and enjoy working with them in a way that promotes equality, diversity and inclusion.

In addition to really caring about people, you will also need to be an advocate of the business or organisation that you work for. This passion will be instrumental in helping your employer to “sell” their vision to their employees and to build a workplace to be proud of. You will have a vital role to play in helping to shape the workforce and culture they are striving for.

HR professionals usually work closely with colleagues across all support functions, including marketing and communications, IT, finance and operations – often collaborating on internal projects to ensure they are successfully communicated and embedded in everyday working practices. These might range from employee incentive schemes and wellbeing programmes to the launch of a new career framework or appraisal scheme.

The other important role that HR professionals fulfil is around good governance and compliance. To work in HR, you will need a good grasp of employment regulations and to keep up to date with legal changes and employment tribunal rulings so that you understand how they may impact your employer. You will need to regularly update your employment policies and ensure that all people-related activities are compliant and in line with best practice.

The more experienced you are, the more often you will be consulted on all manner of employment and people management issues. When more complex matters arise, it is not unusual for HR managers and HR directors to turn to an employment lawyer or HR consultancy for specialist advice.

Below are some of the roles that we specialise in at Allen Associates and that you may encounter on your HR job search:

• HR assistant, HR administrator, HR co-ordinator and HR officer

Entry-level HR positions often include assistant, administrator, co-ordinator or officer in the job title. The requirements of the role vary depending on the employer and the size of the HR team it supports, but duties usually centre on administrating and supporting the HR function. Tasks might include payroll, maintaining accurate employee records including holiday and sickness absence, and acting as a first point of contact for staff queries and requests. This role provides a great introduction to HR and will be regarded as an invaluable one by your team who will rely on you to keep the department well organised and running smoothly. You’ll need to be a highly efficient and dependable team player with good communication and IT skills and a can-do, helpful attitude.

If you’re embarking on a career in HR, you will want to sign up to the CIPD if you haven’t done so already.

• HR advisor

An HR advisor usually has several years’ experience under their belt and is responsible for advising on staff recruitment and retention as well as general HR duties, including helping to develop and promote a positive working environment. Tasks often include helping others with their interviewing skills and evaluation techniques, preparing job descriptions, benchmarking salaries, developing recruitment policies and devising new strategies. To be an effective HR advisor, you will need to be comfortable advising people at all levels and have excellent communication, IT and administrative skills.

• HR manager

The HR manager role is hands on and operational as well as strategic. Reporting to an HR director, head of HR, senior management team or board of directors, the HR manager will advise on a wide range of issues including performance, reward, grievances and best practice. You will undoubtedly also be actively involved in developing people strategies to support business goals, ranging from performance objectives to improving wellbeing. To be considered for an HR manager role, you will typically need three to five years HR generalist experience or similar as well as relevant qualifications. You will be an excellent communicator, equally comfortable working independently and as part of a team. You will also be IT literate, comfortable with data and have proven analytical skills. You will be level headed, professional discrete and inspire confidence and respect.

• HR Director or Head of HR

As HR director or head of HR, you will have reached the top of your profession and will be an influential and highly-regarded member of the senior management team or board. This is an important leadership role with responsibility for setting and leading the people agenda. You will have significant experience and the qualifications required to deal with the most complex employment matters, drawing on your knowledge of employment law, dispute resolution and psychology to help  others to navigate personal or management challenges. You will oversee strategies, policies, governance and best practice to achieve the desired outcomes, using data and insights to inform your decisions and next steps. HR directors and heads of HR usually have a minimum of 10 years’ HR experience and often significantly more.

HR jobs in Oxfordshire

At Allen Associates, we recruit talented people for permanent and temporary HR roles at all levels in Oxford and across Oxfordshire. Job titles vary enormously depending on the employer and the sector they operate in, but here is a selection of the roles that we are asked to fill:

• HR Advisor
• HR Assistant
• HR Administrator
• HR Manager
• HR Officer
• HR Consultant
• HR Specialist
• HR Director
• Head of HR
• Benefits Specialist
• Candidate Experience Coordinator
• Coach or Mentor
• Director of People Operations
• Wellness Health and Safety Manager
• Early Careers Recruitment Co-Ordinator
• Early Careers Specialist
• Early Talent Partner
• Employee Relations Advisor
• Global Reward Director
• Head of People and Talent
• Head of People and Culture
• HR and Recruitment Coordinator
• HR Business Partner
• HR Operations Manager
• HR Partner
• HR Program Manager
• Recruitment Co-Ordinator
• L&D Partner
• L&D Manager
• Learning & Development Specialist
• Learning and Development Partner
• People Development Generalist
• People Development Partner
• People Operations Partner
• People Partner
• Recruitment Administrator
• Recruitment Assistant
• Recruitment Consultant
• Recruitment Coordinator
• Recruitment Manager
• Talent Acquisition Associate
• Talent Acquisition Coordinator
• Talent Acquisition Manager
• Talent Acquisition Specialist
• Talent Manager
• Talent Partner

Apply for HR roles in Oxfordshire

We have been recruiting HR professionals for small businesses, large corporates, the education sector, charities and many other organisations based in Oxford and throughout Oxfordshire since 1998. The clients that we deal with tend to be HR professionals themselves – and many of them go from being clients to candidates, and visa versa, at various stages of their careers. As recruiters, we have a natural affinity with the HR community that we serve, working closely alongside them to deliver a highly professional and effective service.

We are continually looking for new ways to add value to our client and candidate relationships, whether that’s through our Knowledge Centre which provides in-depth, quarterly overviews of the Oxfordshire recruitment market and employment law updates or by running monthly Zoom HR Hubs with engaging guest speakers who are all experts in their fields.

If you are looking to make your next HR move in Oxford or Oxfordshire – or are looking to embark on an HR career – please check out our ever-changing array of HR jobs at all levels or get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

Browse our latest HR jobs

Apply to us