HR Support Advisor

Job summary

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime and migration.

The HR Advisory Hub sits within the People and Places Directorate (PPD). The PPD provides a range of services across the organisation to include HR business partners, Organisation Design & Development (OD&D), Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing, People Capability and Property Services. They help to make the ONS a great place to work. To be inclusive, flexible, modern and connected, sitting at the heart of a wider public service.

PPD enable the UK Statistics Authority and ONS to deliver their business strategy by putting the PPD function at the forefront of implementing industry-leading, game-changing people practices.

Job description

The HR Advisory Hub plays a pivotal role in delivering centralised HR support services to all ONS staff, including field interviewers and contingent labour. This role demands a dynamic and detail-oriented individual who is curious, forward-thinking, and committed to continuous improvement. The successful candidate will be instrumental in enhancing service delivery, streamlining processes, and contributing to a culture of excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Customer Service & Query Handling
  • Respond to a high volume of HR queries via ONS systems, email, and telephone.
  • Provide accurate advice on topics such as flexible working, attendance, wellbeing, parental leave, pay, retirement, and HR policies.
  • Maintain clear and concise records of all interactions and ensure customer satisfaction throughout.
• Process Management
  • Support and update HR processes including contract changes, role transitions and leave.
  • Act as a secondary processor following line manager actions in ONS systems.
  • Ensure all requests are updated with appropriate status notes for transparency and team awareness.
• Continuous Improvement
  • Contribute to the automation and streamlining of HR processes to reduce manual intervention.
  • Review systems to identify and implement efficiency gains.
  • Drive improvements.
• Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing
  • Mentor and coach team members to support cross-skilling and knowledge transfer.
  • Promote respectful and fair treatment of all staff and colleagues.
  • Review and maintain guidance materials for the team and wider ONS staff.
• Professional Conduct
  • Uphold confidentiality and integrity in all aspects of the role.
  • Use initiative to prioritise workload and escalate issues to managers when necessary.
  • Demonstrate a can-do attitude and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to delivering a high-quality service.
• Dynamic and adaptable, with a proactive mindset.
• Curious and open to exploring new technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage expectations and agree delivery timelines with customers.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £25,501, Office for National Statistics contributes £7,387 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements 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, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Security Clearance

For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.

At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:

• Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
• Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
• Security Services records

ONS is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants must have a valid right to work in the UK when employment commences. If you are currently in the UK on a time-limited visa, it must have at least 18 months remaining at the point of application.

To work at ONS, applicants must meet the Civil Service nationality requirements, satisfy UK right to work requiremen