People Advisor -Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan or Serbia

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

The Role

The People Advisor supports the Lead People Advisor, Cluster Leads, Country Directors, SBU leads, and line managers by delivering legally and culturally compliant HR advice across the full spectrum of People function activities. The role focuses on enabling effective business operations and enhancing the employee experience through high-quality, consistent service aligned with global HR policies and adapted to local frameworks. By providing coaching and practical guidance, the People Advisor strengthens managers’ capability to handle people-related matters confidently and supports early resolution of workplace conflicts.

Within the context of the British Council’s Professional Services transformation, the People Advisor plays a critical role in evolving People function service delivery. Working as part of the People Services and Solutions (PS&S) team, the role ensures compliance with local legislation, effective interpretation of global policies in local contexts, and efficient delivery of core HR administration in partnership with the managed service provider. Collaborating closely with regional leaders, People Business Partners, Employee Relations, and People Experience teams, the People Advisor contributes to organisational capability building and continuous improvement in people management practices.

Accountabilities

The role requires strong subject matter expertise to guide managers across the full employee lifecycle, ensuring the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is consistently delivered and experienced. This includes advising on complex and non-standard HR matters by applying technical knowledge, best practice, and relevant experience. The People Advisor manages discipline and conduct cases up to dismissal, supports early resolution of grievances and workplace conflicts, and collaborates with Employee Relations teams on higher-risk cases. The role also contributes to organisational restructures by ensuring compliance with British Council policies and local legislation, supporting consultation processes, managing redundancies, and liaising with legal advisers and union bodies where required. Evidence-based analysis, use of professional networks, and continuous knowledge updating underpin high-quality procedural recommendations and strengthen line managers’ confidence in people-related decision-making.

With a strong internal customer focus, the People Advisor works closely with stakeholders to understand business priorities and align HR services accordingly. By providing expert advice grounded in local labour law and regulatory frameworks, the role both supports and constructively challenges leaders to promote effective, compliant, and continuously improving people practices. The Advisor makes targeted professional recommendations to resolve local HR issues while contributing insights toward broader organisational solutions. As part of cross-functional teams, they support the people aspects of corporate or regional change initiatives, ensuring service quality, risk mitigation, cost efficiency, and enhanced organisational performance.

Role specific skills

There are three proficiency levels for HR skills, novice, developing and exemplary. The relevant proficiency level for this role is listed against each skill.

Data Literacy

• Data-driven - Grasps & uses data to make decisions and inform practice (novice/developing).

Business Acumen

• Customer understanding - Understands customer needs & applies user-centric principles (novice/developing).

People Advocacy

• Risk mitigation & ethics - Ensures ethical conduct and compliance, and mitigates people risks (developing).

Execution excellence

• Action orientation – Implements actionable and adaptive plans to achieve results (novice).
• Interpersonal skills - Achieves shared goals using effective interpersonal skills (novice).

Role specific knowledge and experience

Minimum/essential

• Demonstrable experience in a generalist or specialist People function Advisory role across several countries in the (Hub); and/or a large complex country and well versed in all areas of the People function life cycle.
• Track record of building effective relationships with business leadership teams and managing a range of complex internal and external stakeholders in the delivery of high quality and effective professional People function services.
• Working knowledge of employment and labour law including working knowledge of social security and tax regulations for private sector organizations in the (Hub) and leading on employee relations cases.

Professional Qualification and Certification

Desirable - HR qualification (MA/MSC or CIPD or equivalent)

Language Requirement

• The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency (CEF C1) in English is required
• Local language  desirable

Important Information

Department: People Function
Contract type: Fixed Term Contract
Pay band: Grade 7
Location: Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan or Serbia (applications invited from candidates based in these regions).

Applicants must already have the legal right to work in the country you are applying from (Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan or Serbia) Visa sponsorship or relocation support is not available. Flexible and hybrid working is supported, subject to operational requirements and line manager approval.

Closing Date

Applications will close by Sunday, 08th March 2026 (11:59 PM local time)
Interviews are expected to take place in the following weeks.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org