Advisory Services Manager (Recruitment and HR Operations)

We are looking for an experienced and strategically minded HR leader to join UWE Bristol as an Advisory Services Manager with a specialist focus on Recruitment and HR Operations.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys improving systems and processes, building strong stakeholder relationships, and ensuring a seamless and consistently high‑quality employee experience across the entire employment lifecycle.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the Staff Success Centre (SSC), ensuring high‑quality first‑line HR support, smooth onboarding/offboarding, contract administration and operational casework.
• Oversee the University’s recruitment coordination service, ensuring an efficient, customer‑focused and inclusive recruitment experience for candidates and hiring managers.
• Work closely with Payroll, Finance, the Learning & Development Centre, faculties and Professional Services to maintain joined‑up, reliable and well‑governed operational delivery.
• Lead continuous improvement activity across HR operations—identifying opportunities to streamline workflows, strengthen governance, reduce failure demand and enhance the employee journey.
• Contribute to People Services and University‑wide projects, providing operational insight and ensuring service effectiveness during periods of change.
• Use data, MI and service metrics to inform decisions, track performance, identify root causes and drive operational excellence.
• Work with People Services Senior Leadership and the University’s Talent team to help shape the future recruitment and talent acquisition strategy, ensuring operational readiness and embedding consistent, inclusive processes.
  
  
  

About You

You will bring:

• Significant experience leading HR operations and/or recruitment in a large, complex organisation.
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to translate operational challenges into clear improvement priorities.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to operate collaboratively across organisational boundaries.
• A passion for service excellence, continuous improvement and organisational agility.
• Confidence working with data, metrics and systems to drive insight‑led decision making.
  
  
  

Where you will be working

UWE Bristol is a campus-based University, with vibrant campus communities that are central to student life.

In this role, you’ll be based at our modern Frenchay Campus where we’ve invested in state-of-the-art facilities designed to help both staff and students succeed.

You’ll spend most of your time on campus, typically three days per week, with the opportunity to work from home on the remaining days.

Why UWE Bristol?

We are one of the largest providers of Higher Education in the South West with 38,000 students and 4,000 staff from right across the globe. Based in vibrant Bristol , our ambitions are to make a positive difference to our planet, transforming futures through actions and solving real world challenges.

We offer a wide range of employee benefits including progressive pay rates, very generous annual leave and career average pension schemes as well as retail savings, onsite nursery and opportunities for training and personal development.

Add your individuality to ours

UWE Bristol recognises the power of a truly diverse university community .

We’re part of a vibrant, multicultural city and welcome talented people from all backgrounds. Diversity is our strength, enhancing creativity, decision‑making, and problem‑solving. Join our supportive community and thrive.

We particularly encourage applications from global majority candidates as we are currently under-represented in this area, however all appointments are made strictly on individual merit.

As a Disability Confident employer we welcome applications from those who identify as having a disability.

Further information

If you would like to speak to us to find out more about this role, please contact Sam Pond on email: sam.pond@uwe.ac.uk

Interviews are scheduled to take place at our Frenchay Campus on Thursday 16 th April 2026

This is a full-time, permanent post.

This post is available on a job share basis for applicants wishing to work part time

Salary offers are made in line with the University’s salary assessment guidelines, reflecting your relevant skills and experience in parity with colleagues.

Right to Work in the UK

If offered a role, you will need to provide valid documentation confirming your right to work in the UK before employment begins. Guidance on acceptable documents is available via the Home Office Right to Work Checklist .

We may be able to sponsor eligible candidates for this role under the Skilled Worker visa route; however, visa sponsorship eligibility is assessed only at offer stage, being invited to interview does not indicate an offer of sponsorship.

Please review our Skilled Worker Guidance and UK Government website to assess your eligibility. If you do not qualify you may wish to explore other visa options .

Please note that UWE Bristol does not cover any visa or health surcharge costs.

Next Steps

We’d love to hear from you - if this role excites you, please complete our application form as soon as possible and tell us how your skills and experience meet the criteria listed in the Person Specification, using clear and relevant examples wherever possible.

We’ll keep you informed of the outcome by email once shortlisting is complete.