People Advisor

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 hub and country leadership by providing culturally and legally compliant HR guidance across all People function activities. They coach managers to handle people-related issues confidently and resolve conflicts early. The role ensures People Function services align with global policies, reflect local frameworks, and are delivered consistently, efficiently, and to a high standard. Accountabilities: Subject expertise * Support and advise managers across the full employee lifecycle to ensure consistent delivery of the EVP and a positive employee experience. * Apply professional HR knowledge, best‑practice methods, and prior experience to resolve complex, non‑standard people issues effectively. * Guide managers on addressing conduct and disciplinary cases, including dismissals, ensuring compliance with policy, legislation, and collaboration with ER teams for higher‑risk cases. * Support early and constructive resolution of workplace conflict, including handling grievances to prevent escalation. * Use analytical methodologies and multiple data sources to deliver evidence‑based insights and high‑quality procedural HR recommendations. * Assist in executing restructures aligned with policy and legal requirements, including consultations and redundancies, while staying updated on external HR developments and strengthening manager confidence in decision-making. Internal customer focus * Consult closely with internal customers and other stakeholder to understand current and future business needs and plans work activities accordingly to ensure the services and advice provided meet those demands. Service improvement * Provide expert HR advice informed by local labour laws and other relevant regulations, support and challenge to internal customers and other stakeholders to support the development of high quality, effective and continuously improving business practices within their area of expertise, ensuring high quality service is delivered to maximise performance and minimise risks and costs. * Make professional recommendations to resolve specific or localised People function issues and offer ideas which contribute to the development of wider solutions to broader business challenges and problems. * Participate as part of a team to support implementation the people component of corporate or regional change projects. Role specific knowledge and experience: Essential: * Demonstrable experience in a generalist or specialist People function Advisory role across a number of 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. Role Specific Skills: * Data Literacy | Data-driven - Grasps & uses data to make decisions and inform practice. * Business Acumen |Customer understanding - Understands customer needs & applies user-centric principles. * People Advocacy |Risk mitigation & ethics - Ensures ethical conduct and compliance, and mitigates people risks. * Execution excellence | Action orientation – Implements actionable and adaptive plans to achieve results. Interpersonal skills - Achieves shared goals using effective interpersonal skills. Education: Graduate Professional Qualification and Certification Desirable * HR qualification (MA/MSC or CIPD or equivalent) Closing Date: Applications will close at 23:59 IST on Sunday, 28 Jun 2026 You must have the legal right to work in India at the time of application. Important Information: Department: Advisory and Operations Pay Band: 7 Country/Location: Noida, India Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract (1 year) Requirements: Please note that candidates must have the pre-existing, legal right to work in India. Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided. British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview. 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