Job Description

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.

Lead People Advisor

Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Contract Type: Indefinite Contract

Pay Grade: 8

Remuneration: EUR 3,450

Closing date 30 July 2026 at 21:59 UK Time

Requirements: You must have the legal right to work in Serbia at the time of application. We are unable to support with visa sponsorship and relocation.

Role Purpose - The Job:

The Lead People Advisor will lead the delivery of Advisory services in the Hub, supporting delivery of our employee value proposition and delivering legally and culturally compliant advice and guidance across the People Function employee lifecycle.

This role will ensure the proactive management and mitigation of legal and operational risk relating to Human Resources including adherence and advice on policies and processes and coaching and guidance for line managers to enable early resolution of workplace conflict and grievances. This will require reviewing, analysing and driving the People Function Advisory model using a systematic, integrated approach with a focus on continuous improvement and conflict resolution as well as a service orientation that delivers a seamless employee experience in line with our EVP.

Role Context - About The Team:

The British Council Professional Services has undergone significant transformation. For the People Function, this has resulted in a new operating model for the delivery of People services to business leaders, line managers and employees.

The People Solutions (PS) team exists to enable business leaders to make good decisions within policy and process frameworks and to ensure that the fundamentals of people administration are delivered efficiently and effectively for all colleagues, in partnership with the Managed Service Provider (MSP).

The People Solutions Hubs ensure compliance with local legislation as well as meaningful interpretation of global policy to local context. The team has a key role to play in developing organisational capability in people management through advisory services and driving a continuous improvement approach to service delivery.

The Europe and Americas (EURAM) Hub provides People Solutions support across a diverse portfolio of countries spanning Europe and the Americas. Lead roles are assigned defined geographical portfolios while working collaboratively across the wider Hub to respond to business priorities and evolving organisational needs.

The Lead People Advisor is a member of the Hub leadership team and leads a team of People Advisors. The role will work closely with managers, country and regional leaders, the managed service provider, and the wider People function team across the Hub.

Main Accountabilities:

Leadership & management

• Provide People Solutions support to enable the implementation of business plans and organisational change initiatives across geographies. Work in partnership with People Business Partners to support local management to identify the people implications of strategic and business growth plans across defined organisational areas, providing local insight relating to market conditions, legal context, etc.
• Lead the team of geographically dispersed People Advisors responsible for providing expertise, advice and specialist support, building the capacity and capability required to deliver the agreed services.

Relationship & stakeholder management

• Build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders and develop an in-depth knowledge of the businesses by understanding their financial positions, short, medium and long-term plans and the culture being driven in order to advise on people implications of the business plans.
• Support Country Directors in managing relationships with trade unions, employee representatives and legal stakeholders, providing advice on local consultation requirements.
• Manage the relationship with People Solutions and People Experience colleagues across the Hub to ensure consistent use of frameworks and processes.

Subject Expertise

• Apply advanced HR functional knowledge to solve a range of complex business issues across geographies.
• Support understanding of complex problems and enable informed business-planning, decision-making and/or the development of new or improved policies and practice by providing local knowledge and insight.
• Manage low-risk ER cases within the hub, using standard methodologies and frameworks to drive consistency across the team, working with Employee Relations where necessary.
• Build management capability through the delivery of advisory services that build line managers´ confidence to address people-related challenges and encourage early resolution in the case of workplace conflict.

Service improvement

• Takes an employee-centric and service-focused approach to the delivery of Advisory Services, working closely with Operations & Payroll to review all aspects of the service provided to stakeholders.
• Drives continuous improvement across Advisory services by supporting the development of case management processes, governance, systems and ways of working to enhance service quality and operational efficiency.
• Actively champions organisational compliance with global policies and local legislation, identifying reasons for non-compliance and making recommendations to address them.

Strategy and Planning

• Feeds into the development of the hub People Plan for PS and leads on key People activities.

Requirements Of The Role:

Minimum/essential

• Experience of leading a geographically dispersed team delivering People function solutions across multiple geographies and time zones
• Demonstrable experience of working at a senior level with a People function team, and understanding of and ability to use, core HR policies and processes within a legal context
• Experience working across Europe, including significant experience supporting EU countries, within a complex matrixed organisation, with the ability to navigate different employment legislation and people practices
• Experience of working within external legal providers and internal CoEs, in particular, Employee Relations
• The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency (CEF C1) in English is required

Desirable:

• HR qualification (MA/MSC or CIPD or equivalent)

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