The Conservation Volunteers connects people together to protect and restore nature.

About the role:

We’re looking for an experienced People Advisor to support the Green Skills John Muir Way traineeship programme. The programme is a 3-year initiative, with up to 24 paid trainees per year engaging in practical biodiversity tasks and projects along the route. The programme aims to bridge the skills gap and workforce challenges, increase connectivity and break down the disconnect with nature, working in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council, Falkirk Council, Scottish Canals and East Dunbartonshire Council, and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Green Skills initiative is designed for 16 – 24-year-olds facing barriers to employment. The 10-month traineeships involve a combination of practical work experience, and accredited training. This role is a hand on, people centred opportunity where your expertise will directly support young people to succeed. As a People Advisor, you’ll deliver a high quality, responsive HR advisory service to the Green Skills team. You’ll manage a varied caseload of employee relations matters including absence, wellbeing, performance, disciplinaries, and grievances, ensuring fair, lawful, and timely outcomes. A strong focus of the role is supporting leaders to confidently apply people processes, particularly around absence management and early intervention.

You’ll also play a central role in the end-to-end recruitment and onboarding of the trainees, ensuring processes are inclusive, well-coordinated, and aligned with safer recruitment principles. From shortlisting and interviews to pre-employment checks, contracts, and inductions, you’ll help create a smooth and positive journey for new starter trainees.

In addition, you will oversee compliance processes, including criminal record checks for trainees. You’ll manage the full process, from collating ID and checking applications to updating electronic records, monitoring due dates, and escalating issues where necessary. You will also maintain accurate HR records, track trainee absence and leave in the HR system, and ensure information flows efficiently for payroll processing.

About You

You’re an experienced HR professional with a strong grounding in employee relations and recruitment. You’re confident applying employment law in practical situations and enjoy coaching leaders to build their people management capability. Organised, adaptable, and detail oriented, you can manage competing priorities while maintaining high standards.

You’ll bring:

• Proven HR advisory experience across employee relations and recruitment
• CIPD Level 5 (or equivalent HR qualification)
• Experience interpreting employment law and HR best practice
• Strong organisational and data management skills
• The ability to analyse trends and present meaningful people insights
• A proactive, collaborative approach and a commitment to confidentiality

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any during your application. If you would like to discuss your requirements further please contact the People Team via recruitment@tcv.org.uk or by telephone on 01302 388883 . We also offer reasonable adjustments on the job.

* A full driving licence is required.

* This post is subject to a basic CRC check

* An application form

We are The Conservation Volunteers.

Our vision is Better Nature For All.

Our mission is to connect people together to protect and restore nature, delivering lasting benefits for both.

Since 1959, The Conservation Volunteers has been a charity creating opportunities for people to create, improve and care for nature in the green spaces around them across the UK.

Our variety of projects cover a bit of everything involving nature. Volunteers muddy their boots in parks, community gardens, woodland, sites of special scientific interest, nature reserves, schools and hospital grounds, helping create a glorious network of protected green space across the UK.

This work connects people with nature, and that connection delivers powerful results. Join in, feel good.