Full job descriptionLocation: Ipswich
Salary: £40- £45k DOE plus bonuses


About the role
If your instinct is to reach for the policy handbook first and ask questions later, this probably isn’t the right fit. If you get a buzz from helping a business owner work through a tricky people situation and finding a practical way forward- read on.
Cottrell Moore is an 18-year-old UK-wide HR and recruitment consultancy. We work with SMEs across a wide range of sectors as their outsourced HR team, trusted recruitment partner, and people strategy advisor. Our clients, typically directors and business owners, come to us because we give them straight answers, not lengthy caveats.
We’re looking for an HR Consultant to join our small, high-performing team. You’ll take on your own client accounts, handle a varied caseload of ER, recruitment, and HR advisory work, and help us continue to deliver the kind of commercially grounded, genuinely useful HR support that our clients have relied on for nearly two decades.


What we offer
*Performance bonus linked to client satisfaction scores - rewarding the quality of relationships you build, not just the hours you put in
*Office-based in Ipswich for your first couple of months so you can learn how we work - then a genuinely flexible hybrid arrangement
*A small, expert team where your work is visible and valued
*Varied, interesting work - no two client days are the same
*The opportunity to develop across the full people agenda: HR, recruitment, and L&D
*Direct access to the founder and the chance to grow with the business


What you’ll be doing
*Managing your own portfolio of SME clients as their day-to-day HR contact
*Advising directly on employee relations, performance, absence, and employment law
*Working closely with the recruitment team - with the opportunity to develop assessment skills
*Drafting and reviewing contracts, policies, letters, and HR documentation
*Handling complex or sensitive casework (disciplinaries, grievances, TUPE, restructures) with confidence
*Working closely with the Director and the wider team to share knowledge and develop your skills
*Occasionally attending client sites across Suffolk and the UK


Requirements
Essential
*A proven generalist with experience advising business owners or Directors directly - not just internal HR departments
*Commercially minded: you understand that HR decisions have a real business cost and you advise accordingly
*Confident communicator who can deliver difficult messages clearly and without hiding behind jargon
*Solutions-first mindset - your instinct is to find a way through, not a reason to stop
*Warm, personable, and trusted by clients - relationships matter as much as expertise
*Comfortable with ambiguity and capable of making sound judgments with incomplete information


Desirable
*CIPD qualified (Level 5 or above) or equivalent - valued, but not a deal-breaker if commercial mindset and experience are strong
*Background in consultancy or SME HR rather than large corporate environments
*Experience across a range of sectors
*Familiarity with psychometric assessment tools
*Own transport - you’ll occasionally need to visit clients


We’re advertising across multiple channels and reviewing applications on a rolling basis. If this sounds like you, please don’t wait.