Employee Relations Adviser
Hours: Full-time (37 hours per week)
Reporting to: Senior HR Leader
Line Management: None

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping a positive and high-performing workplace. As an Employee Relations Adviser, you will be at the heart of delivering expert HR guidance, confidently handling complex casework and partnering with leaders to drive fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes.

You’ll act as a trusted advisor, influencing decisions, mitigating risk, and ensuring best practice across all employee relations activity.

What You’ll Be Doing

Leading Employee Relations Casework

You’ll take ownership of a diverse and often complex caseload, including:

• Performance and capability
• Disciplinary matters
• Grievances
• Short- and long-term absence

You’ll:

• Provide clear, confident advice to managers on both formal and informal matters
• Lead investigations, hearings, and appeals
• Ensure every case is handled fairly, consistently, and in line with policy and legislation
• Produce high-quality documentation and robust audit trails
• Support preparation for legal proceedings where required
• Identify and escalate high-risk or sensitive cases with sound judgement

Partnering with Leaders

You’ll build strong relationships across the organisation, becoming a go-to expert for managers and leaders.

You’ll:

• Coach and guide managers through complex people challenges
• Support difficult conversations with confidence and empathy
• Enable informed, proportionate decision-making
• Strengthen leadership capability through practical, hands-on support

Driving Best Practice & Policy Application

You’ll bring policies to life by applying them thoughtfully in real-world situations.

You’ll:

• Interpret HR policies within complex scenarios
• Ensure alignment with employment law and recognised best practice
• Balance organisational priorities with employee wellbeing
• Provide insights to continuously improve policies and processes

Contributing to a High-Performing HR Function

Beyond casework, you’ll play a key role in strengthening the wider HR service.

You’ll:

• Build positive relationships with employee representatives
• Contribute to HR reporting and insights for senior stakeholders
• Support wider HR initiatives and cross-team collaboration
• Champion a culture of inclusion, respect, and engagement

What Success Looks Like

• Confidently managing complex ER cases from start to finish
• Building trust with managers and stakeholders
• Delivering fair, consistent, and risk-aware outcomes
• Enhancing leadership capability across the organisation
• Contributing to a positive, inclusive workplace culture

Your Professional Approach

You’ll be someone who:

• Thrives in a fast-paced, people-focused environment
• Communicates with clarity, empathy, and confidence
• Brings sound judgement and integrity to every situation
• Stays up to date with employment law and HR best practice
• Handles sensitive information with discretion and professionalism

Additional Responsibilities

• Maintain compliance with data protection and confidentiality standards
• Uphold commitments to equality, diversity, inclusion, safeguarding, health & safety, and sustainability
• Continuously develop your professional knowledge and expertise
• Undertake additional responsibilities in line with the role