Whilst the HR service is a core part of North Yorkshire Council, we are the trusted partner for hundreds of clients that choose us to be their HR partner. The core sectors we deliver to are public sector; local government, education: this includes academies and schools beyond the borders of Yorkshire. As a large authority, working in partnership and offering our economy of scale to partners for mutual benefit is part of our DNA and our history. In more recent years and in response to changing markets we have more proactively and commercially grown our HR solutions.
We are proud of the service’s growth and ability to respond to changing demands. We are honoured that our clients trust us with their workforce solutions; this is crucial to their most valuable asset and nurturing their success and growth.
The time is now right to invest further in our service, this is where you come in.
As a service with approximately 150 HR professionals, whether you are at the beginning of your HR journey or have acutely developed your craft, we have opportunities for you.
Our roles are challenging but varied, giving you the opportunity to learn different disciplines, adding to your portfolio. We have HR generalist teams and also specialist teams, set-up as centres of excellence. There are clear career pathways with plenty of opportunity to develop and progress.
There is something special about working in HR here; the support and challenge from talented colleagues keeps us fresh, ahead of the latest thinking and we always make a difference. We combine the best of public and private sector approaches. As a result we are recognised nationally for our work; however whilst we are multi-award winners we are never complacent, always driving to identify improvements and deliver greater impact.
Public sector accounts for a significant section of the UK workforce – a huge 5.4 million employees strong, little wonder HR professionals are attracted to the strength, complexity and rewarding career in this great sector, even more so given the COVID pandemic as we quite literally save lives. The goal is to provide a service to all and, as the name suggests, acts in the public interest. In an environment which is driven by quality of service rather than profit; our residents, communities and visitors are the benefactor of the impact we deliver.
The HR service is constantly adapting; implementing changes driven from new legislation, market forces or customer requirements. Our teams understand, deliver and embed these changes accurately and with strong quality assurance and governance and drive outcome-focused approaches, providing the platform to enable further growth and our clients’ success. Our work is complex and interesting including organisation redesign, driving business performance through workforce development, supporting managers with their staff leadership approaches and interventions particularly when they face the complexities of performance, attendance and resolving conflict. Challengingly and supporting in equal measure, enabling people to thrive.
We understand the key issues our clients face and how HR Solutions deliver solutions with specific value to their sector.
We build strong collaborative partnerships across the wider HR solutions services, suppliers and other key stakeholders. Through these partnerships we influence others to aid growth and service delivery whilst ensuring that our service is having a positive impact for others.
Team North Yorkshire
As an organisation we have risen to a variety of challenges including weathering significant changes such as public sector austerity, COVID and more recently Local Government Review.
Unlike most, we have grown rather than diminished as a result. Constantly adapting we have remained a stable business continuing to deliver our first class service to our partners but most importantly to the residents of North Yorkshire. We are extremely proud of our team at North Yorkshire and proud to boast job security for our employees, no feast or famine or uncertainty in our HR service.
The Role
HR Manager (HR Advisory Team Leader and Policy Lead)
This role is ideal for a senior HR leader, experienced in operational HR case work and leading a team of HR case workers to swiftly and robustly resolve workforce complexities and challenges..
The role has three core accountabilities:
- HR Advisory Team Management: Perhaps the largest part of the role; you will line manage a team of HR case workers, providing them with the coaching, development and expert advice to deliver an efficient HR advisory service. With over 10,500 employees in over 1,000 different job roles case work and providing professional HR advice is complex, diverse and never boring! We operate at pace, scale and breadth, supporting service managers with their workforce challenges.
- Policy Lead: Employment Law together with the additional legislative frameworks Local Government operate within is ever changing. We predict a very busy year ahead with Employment Rights Bill, Fair Pay Agreements, Immigration changes a plenty; you will horizon scan and ensure that we are aware of the up and coming changes, you will translate these into what it means for us and you will work across HR services to implement changes to ensure we are compliant, yet remain entirely focused on driving business value as a core enabling service.
- Data Informed Practice: this is a new and emerging part of the role. As a service we have an ambition to improve our use of business intelligence to drive data informed practice, to improve efficiency and also impact that we have: achieving more with less through intelligent business decisions. You will work with other leaders in our suite of HR services to further develop our HR workforce dashboard with a particular focus on the implications and impact of our HR Advisory service.
You will report to the HR Advisory Team Manager, as a senior HR professional in our HR services. You will collaborate with HR colleagues keen to support the wider collection of HR services and ensuring cross service working and connection. Ideally you will have experience of working in large complex organisations, have strong working relationships with stakeholders including employee reps/unions and working in a regulated environment and all the rich complexities this brings. We are a large service and can support people’s development into the role and support you to thrive in your new career with us.
Key dates
Closing date is 18 January 2026
How to apply
Application tips: Find advice on making your application
It is important that your written application fully addresses the experience criteria as detailed in the person specification.
We believe in the importance of inclusion, which is why we are always working towards being a more diverse, equitable and inclusive employer. You can find out more about our equality, diversity and inclusion work on our working for us page.
Why work for us
We are a strong performing authority, with supportive political leadership and talented teams providing the platform to have a fulfilling, challenging and successful career in a truly stunning place.
We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice, offering a range of training and development opportunities and career progression allowing you to manage your own development journey and empowering you to control your career.
Our values, behaviours and ambitions underpin everything we do.
In addition to your salary, we offer a range of great benefits to help you financially make life a bit easier. These include:
- a local government, career average employer contribution pension scheme
- family friendly leave
- salary sacrifice schemes
- career advancement opportunities
- employee discount benefits including shopping and gym discounts
- green car and cycle schemes
- travel loans
You can find more information on the range of benefits we offer on our total rewards page.
Watch this video to find out about our employee networks:
Living and working in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a thriving county that adapts to a changing world and remains a special place to live and work.
North Yorkshire's natural beauty is captured in its three areas of outstanding natural parks, national nature reserves, stunning coastlines, scenic rural villages, vibrant cities and market towns. North Yorkshire really is a beautiful, thriving and special place to live and work, rich in heritage and culture.
North Yorkshire features significantly in the best places to live in the UK across all quality-of-life indicators and is the safest place in England with extremely low crime rates.
In addition, the county benefits from excellent road and rail links, with easy access via the east coast mainline, the A1(M) and A19. Leeds, York, Newcastle, Durham and Teesside are all easily commutable and London and Edinburgh are just two hours away by train.
From its lively cities to pretty villages, rolling countryside and grand coastline, Yorkshire has so much to offer including great employment opportunities for your family members, along with a higher proportion of schools which are good or outstanding compared to national figures.
You can find out more about what North Yorkshire has to offer on the No place like North Yorkshire website.
Watch this video to see more of what North Yorkshire has to offer.
Join us
Contact us and apply
If you feel you have the skills, passion and drive that we are seeking, we want to hear from you.
For an informal conversation about this opportunity, please contact Sophie Hills at sophie.hills@northyorks.gov.uk.
We will not accept applications from agencies.