Senior HR Advisor

Location: London

Senior HR Advisor | dentsu | London | Fixed Term (12 Months) | Hybrid

Make an impact as a Senior HR Advisor at dentsu, leading complex employee relations and strategic people initiatives across our CXM (Merkle) business.

Purpose of the Role

The Senior HR Advisor will partner closely with People Leaders across the CXM (Merkle) Practice Area, providing trusted expertise throughout the employee lifecycle, leading on complex employee relations (ER) cases, and driving the delivery of HR projects.

This role is a key strategic enabler and will have a significant impact on the delivery of the UK CXM People Plan. Reporting to the Senior HR Business Partner, the Senior HR Advisor will take ownership of key HR initiatives, lead cyclical people processes, and act as a senior point of guidance within the service line.

This role will report to our Senior HR Business Partner, the contract is 12 months.

What you’ll do

• Act as a senior point of expertise for People Leaders, providing timely, professional second‑line guidance across the full spectrum of people matters.
• Partner collaboratively with all areas of the HR function to deliver a seamless, high‑quality HR service
• Support the Practice Area and Senior HR Business Partner by leading and contributing to key projects, implementing new HR initiatives, and addressing strategic people challenges.
• Leverage data insights and people metrics to diagnose trends, shape recommendations, and inform decision‑making in partnership with the CXM HR Team.
• Lead on complex Employee Relations cases and provide expert advice to People Leaders across performance management, disciplinaries, grievances, and capability issues.
• Build trusted, influential relationships across the business, using data such as performance, engagement, absence, and retention to drive improved people and business outcomes.
• Own the delivery of HR projects, ensuring outputs are delivered on time, within scope and budget, and contribute positively to colleague engagement.
• Create and deliver training for business stakeholders, this will be a combination of in-person and online facilitation
• Provide second‑line support for escalated HR queries from the HR Operations team, ensuring clarity, consistency, and appropriate escalation to the HR Business Partner or HR Director where required.
• Line management of HR Advisor within immediate team
• Champion a culture of positive change, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the Service Line, acting as a visible advocate for progressive people practices

What you’ll bring

• Significant experience in an HR Advisory/Senior HR Advisory role, including ownership of complex employee relations matters and coaching senior stakeholders.
• Solid understanding of key HR centre of excellence processes, including Talent Development, Engagement, Reward and Benefits. Demonstrates strong business acumen with the confidence and initiative to identify opportunities and drive positive change.
• Thrives in fast-paced environments, delivering proactive, timely and effective HR support.
• Applies sound judgement, intellectual agility and a collaborative approach to problem solving.
• Strong analytical capability, including advanced Excel skills and the ability to interpret and derive insights from data.
• Well-rounded HR generalist with experience across the full employee lifecycle.
• Passionate about people engagement, confident and pragmatic in building relationships
• CIPD Level qualified, working towards CIPD Level 7, or equivalent experience
• Previous People management experience or a demonstrable ability to coach and develop others

What success looks like

• Trusted HR partner to CXM (Merkle) leaders.
• Effective management of complex ER activity.
• Successful delivery of key People Plan initiatives.
• Positive stakeholder feedback and engagement outcomes.
• Development and support of the HR Advisor.

What we offer

This is a 12-month Maternity Cover role. The team is based from our London office on a hybrid working basis.

At dentsu, we’ve built a benefits package that supports every chapter of your life. From company‑funded Private Medical Insurance, a 24/7 Virtual GP and a generous sick‑pay policy, to wellbeing days,

volunteering time, flexible bank‑holiday swaps and great everyday perks like retail discounts, gym access and tech schemes - we make it easier to live well, not just work well.

Our employee‑led resource groups have helped shape policies that genuinely matter: enhanced maternity, paternity and carers leave, extended sick leave, menopause and baby‑loss support, plus 10 fertility treatment days. Combined with life assurance, income protection, financial education tools and flexible savings options, you’ll find a workplace that invests in you - your health, your family, your future.

About Dentsu

Dentsu is an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world’s leading organisations. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, Japan, and now operating in approximately 120 countries and regions, we bring together the power of a global network of leadership brands to deliver impactful, end-to-end growth solutions.

Through our client promise, Innovating to Impact, we drive growth through integrated services across Media, Customer Experience Management (CXM), and Creative. Our business transformation (BX) mindset, combined with a focus on experience transformation (EX), drives sustainable growth for brands, people, and society.

Our commitment to innovation, collaboration, and diversity enables us to continuously evolve, pushing boundaries while delivering measurable impact in a fast-changing world.

Inclusion and Diversity

At Dentsu, we embrace diversity and inclusion, valuing the unique perspectives and contributions of every individual. We believe that diversity fuels creativity and innovation, benefiting our employees, partners, and communities.

We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic.

Beyond recruitment, we strive to create an environment where everyone feels respected, supported, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work.

We recognize the importance of work-life balance and are open to discussing flexible working arrangements for all roles. If you need reasonable adjustments due to a disability or medical condition during our recruitment process, please contact us at [email protected], quoting the reference number of the role that you are applying for. Your needs will be handled with respect and confidentiality to ensure an inclusive and accessible experience.

We are a Disability Confident scheme user. If you consider yourself to have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, you will be guaranteed an interview.

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Location

London

Brand

Dentsu

Time Type

Full time

Contract Type

Fixed Term Contract (Fixed Term)