HR Advisor - Talent Pool

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Do you want a role where no two days are the same, supporting colleagues and customers across a range of HR services?

Do you enjoy finding practical solutions, working collaboratively and providing an excellent customer experience?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as a HR Advisor and we'd love to hear from you! 

The People Capability & Change Directorate plays a critical role in delivering the department's people agenda and supporting colleagues throughout their employment journey. We are a collaborative, ambitious and people-focused function that is committed to continuous improvement, excellent customer service and creating a great place to work. 

This is an exciting time to be joining the HR Operations team within PC&C as we drive forward changes across the recruitment, on-boarding and HR transactional services teams. We operate as a single team, working flexibly across projects as required, to use our combined knowledge and expertise in the most effective and efficient way. 

You'll work with a wide range of stakeholders, solve complex problems, contribute to innovative projects and help shape how we deliver people services across MHCLG. No two days are quite the same, making this an ideal opportunity for individuals who enjoy variety, collaboration and continuous learning. 

We're building a talent pool at HR Advisor (EO) level and will offer roles from our reserve list as vacancies in our team arise. The roles will sit within HR Operations. This is a rolling campaign – we will sift and interview regularly. You do not need to wait until the closing date to apply. If you are unsuccessful at EO, you may be offered a "near miss" opportunity to join the talent pool at the lower grade if you meet the threshold for AO.

When you apply, you'll be asked to choose your preference of roles. We cannot promise that you'll be offered your preference, but we will take this under consideration. We will hold the talent pool for 12 months. You can turn down a role once before we take you off the talent pool. The terms of offer from the talent pool (permanent or time limited) will depend on the role available.

Job description

The HR advisor role is responsible for:  

• Providing high-quality support across a range of HR services, ensuring colleagues and customers receive an efficient, accurate and professional service.
• Acting as a subject matter expert within their area of work, providing advice, guidance and support to colleagues, customers and stakeholders.
• Supporting and coordinating the delivery of HR activities, ensuring work is completed accurately, on time and in line with relevant policies, procedures and service standards.
• Building and maintaining detailed knowledge of HR policies, processes and practices, identifying and keeping up to date with changes.
• Monitoring and managing workloads, priorities and risks within their area of responsibility, escalating issues where appropriate and contributing to solutions.
• Coaching and supporting colleagues, sharing knowledge and helping develop capability across the wider team.
• Ensuring HR activities are delivered in line with relevant legislation, policies, procedures and governance requirements, maintaining accurate records and using data to support decision-making, identify trends and minimise risk.
• Identifying opportunities to improve processes, systems and ways of working to enhance the customer experience and improve efficiency.
• Taking ownership of complex or sensitive cases, activities or enquiries, using sound judgement to deliver successful outcomes and minimise risk.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

 You will be able to demonstrate:

• Attention to detail, taking pride in the accuracy of information and administration.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise workloads effectively.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to build positive working relationships across different teams and stakeholders.
• The ability to handle sensitive information appropriately, maintain accurate records and work confidently with data while ensuring compliance with policies, procedures and service standards.
• A willingness to work in a fast-paced environment and adapt quickly to changing priorities
• The ability to develop expertise in their area of work, confidently share knowledge and provide support and guidance to colleagues and customers.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,150, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes

£8,734 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).

At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme, Childcare Vouchers, and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here .

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

Application and Selection

The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Behaviours , Strengths

Stage 1: Sift

• Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service (Lead)
• Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing

There is a 250-word limit per question.

When writing your application, remember:

• the assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially
• do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers
• if talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

If you run into any technical problems when applying through Be Applied (for example, trouble logging in or submitting your application), their support team can help. Please contact them at hello@beapplied.com .

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Changing and Improving, Working Together
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Sift and Interview Dates

This is a rolling campaign – we will sift and interview regularly. You do not need to wait until the closing date to apply.  

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 07/09/2026 and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)

We are a Disability Confident employer.

We apply a fair and proportionate interview process for all candidates. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to progress candidates who apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and meet the required minimum selection criteria.

However, where high application volumes are received, progression to interview may be limited to those who best meet the role criteria. In these circumstances, the benchmark required to proceed to interview may be raised for all candidates.

How We Recruit

Find out more about our recruitment processes here.

• Applying
• Sifting
• Interview
• Interview Results & Feedback
• Reserve List
• Near Miss
• Civil Service Grades
• We are a Disability Confident Scheme, Redeployment Interview scheme & Great Place to Work for Veterans employer
• Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

Find out everything you need to know before applying here.

You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.

• Security Clearance Requirements
• Civil Service Nationality Requirements
• Right to Work
• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles
• CV Declaration
• Sponsorships
• Salary and Grade
• Existing Civil Servants
• Conflict of Interest
• Location and Flexible Working
• Internal Fraud Database
• Appeals and Complaints
• Fixed Term Appointments for:
• External Candidates
• Existing Civil Servants (Including Loans)
• Secondments
• MHCLG employees

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office: BPSS + SC

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) .

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window) .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the

Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window)

and the

Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available.

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