Average Salary (UK): £19,000 - £34,000+*
CIPD Qualification: CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate
If you're new to the people profession, becoming an HR Assistant is perfect if you're looking for your first official role. As a relatively broad, generalist-type role, HR Assistants are usually responsible for supporting with administrative and clerical tasks under the human resources umbrella. These include:
- Assisting with payroll and benefits
- Supporting with onboarding new employees
- Setting up business meetings and training events
- Acting as the first point of contact for employee questions and concerns
As an HR Assistant, you'll learn a lot about the basics of HR, offering you a great set of skills and knowledge that you can use to progress into more intermediate and senior roles.
Employers usually ask that HR Assistants hold at least a CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate.
Similar Roles at CIPD Level 3:
- HR Administrator
- Onboarding Specialist
- HR Coordinator
2. HR Advisor
Average Salary (UK): £30,000 - £38,000+*
CIPD Qualification: CIPD Level 3 or CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in HR
The HR Advisor is one of the most important intermediate job roles in human resources. As the backbone of an HR department, they're often in charge of offering HR guidance to managers and employees to keep things running smoothly. This means juggling essential HR tasks to keep businesses functioning, including:
- Payroll management
- Recruitment and retention strategies
- Performance management
- Policy and compliance
- Data and reporting
- Process improvements
To stand a chance of getting this role, you’ll usually need a CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate and prior work experience or a CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma to stand a chance of getting this role.
3. L&D Manager
Average Salary (UK): £38,000 - £60,000+*
CIPD Qualification: CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in L&D
A mid-level L&D role, an L&D Manager is focused on shaping how employees learn and develop within an organisation. This position plays a key part in building skills, improving performance, and supporting long-term employee retention by:
- Designing and delivering bespoke training programmes
- Overseeing company-wide learning and development initiatives
- Supporting employee career development and progression
- Managing relationships with external training providers
While this role is fulfilling in its own right, the L&D manager can also be a great springboard to more senior positions like L&D Director or Head of L&D.
To stand a chance of being selected for this exciting management position, you’ll need at least a CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma and some significant work experience behind you.
Similar Roles at CIPD Level 5:
4. L&D Director
Average Salary (UK): £55,000 - £90,000+*
CIPD Qualification: CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in L&D
The L&D Director is one of the most senior roles in the learning and development profession. This position has strategic responsibility for all aspects of L&D across an organisation, ensuring learning initiatives align with business goals. Key responsibilities typically include:
- Setting the L&D strategy and long-term vision
- Managing budgets, resources, and policies
- Leading and developing L&D teams
- Overseeing the design and delivery of learning programmes
- Working closely with senior leadership to support performance, growth, and retention
- Building partnerships with external training providers and stakeholders
As this role is crucial to shaping company culture and workforce capability, you’ll need to have significant work experience and achievements, along with evidence that you’ve completed a postgraduate L&D qualification, like the CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma, to be considered.
5. Head of Equality and Diversity
Average Salary (UK): £47,000 - 75,000+*
CIPD Qualification: CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in HR or L&D
The Head of Equality and Diversity is a senior, specialist HR role focused on creating fair and inclusive workplaces. As the name suggests, this position is ideal for HR professionals who are particularly motivated by equality, inclusion, and human rights, with key responsibilities including:
- Developing and leading equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) strategies
- Designing and overseeing programmes that support underrepresented groups
- Ensuring compliance with equality legislation and best practice
- Advising senior leaders on inclusive policies and organisational culture
- Monitoring and reporting on diversity metrics and progress
As a member of senior management, this role often reports directly to the CEO or Board. This means that you'll need strong experience in HR, EDI or organisational development to make the cut.
While a CIPD Level 5 qualification is the minimum for this position, a postgraduate-level qualification, like the CIPD Level 7 Diploma, is commonly preferred.
6. HR Director
Average Salary (UK): £90,000 - £150,000+*
CIPD Qualification: CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in HR
For many HR professionals, becoming an HR Director is the ultimate career goal, as it's the most senior role within the Human Resources function across many private and public sector organisations.
While HR Directors have overall strategic responsibility for the HR department, they're also focused on:
- Setting and leading the HR strategy
- Managing workforce planning and staffing structures
- Overseeing HR budgets and resource allocation
- Developing and implementing training and talent development programmes
- Managing employee and labour relations
- Advising the CEO and Board on people-related risks and opportunities
It goes without saying that becoming an HR Director usually takes significant industry experience, specialist knowledge and talent to rise up through the ranks.
Most employers will typically ask for evidence of a postgraduate-level qualification.
Similar Roles at CIPD Level 7:
- Head of Human Resources
- HR Business Partner
- HR Consultant
Career Progression with CIPD
