Senior Policy Consultant

Senior Policy Consultant – Phoenix Group

Job Description

We have an incredible opportunity to join Phoenix Group as an Senior Policy Consultant on the Employee Relations and Colleague Wellbeing team.

Job Type: FTC – 12 months
Location: Hybrid with travel to our core offices as needed, mainly Edinburgh and Telford, possibly Birmingham
Flexible working: All roles are open to part‑time, job‑share and other types of flexibility. We will discuss what is important to you and balance this with business requirements during the recruitment process. You can read more about Phoenix Flex here.
Closing Date: 05/01/2026
Salary and benefits: Up to £55,000 DOE plus an indicative bonus range of 16‑32%, private medical cover, 38 days annual leave, excellent pension, 12x salary life assurance, career breaks, income protection, 3x volunteering days and much more

We want to be the best place that any of our 6,600 colleagues have ever worked. We’re Phoenix Group, a long‑term savings and retirement business that offers a range of products across our market‑leading brands, Standard Life, Sun Life, Phoenix Life and ReAssure. Around 1 in 5 people in the UK has a pension with us. We’re a FTSE 100 organisation tackling key issues such as transitioning our portfolio to net zero by 2050, and we’re not done yet.

The Senior Policy Consultant provides expert employment knowledge alongside a pragmatic and commercial approach to policy development. They are a trusted adviser, accountable for all aspects of employment policies and for providing a governance role across policies that sit within other SME areas such as talent and reward. You’ll partner closely with People Leaders, HRDs & HRBPs and People LT.

• Manage and enhance our suite of employment policies and employment contracts, ensuring they remain legally compliant, align to regulatory requirements (SMCR, employment legislation, FCA/PRA guidance) and adopt a business lens that positions us as the best workplace.
• Ensure external employment law and policy knowledge is kept up‑to‑date so our policies benchmark well externally.
• Anticipate key changes in legislation that may impact our policies, people practices and the business, lobbying government where appropriate to influence outcomes.
• Engage with relevant HR SMEs to support and implement change, communicating any updates to stakeholders in clear, easy‑to‑understand terms.
• Collaborate on HR developments, ensuring they meet high standards of policy development and governance.
• Provide expert technical employment, contract and policy advice and guidance to frontline HR colleagues and at a strategic level.
• Advise on the operation of regulatory rules in conduct cases.
• Design targeted upskilling to ensure sufficient technical policy knowledge across the function.
• Foster collaboration with key stakeholders, including HR Directors, HR Business Partners and colleagues across the business.
• Lead projects or initiatives that impact the ER agenda, such as corporate projects or supporting company responses to public affairs issues.
• Use data and analytics to understand trends in employee populations and make recommendations based on insights.

• Experience working in businesses with a mature Employee Relations and policy agenda.
• Proven track record of developing and enhancing an HR policy proposition.
• Track record of monitoring legislative and political landscapes to evolve offerings, working with wider business SMEs and updating key stakeholders.
• Experience in policy and employment contract management and in providing technical and strategic advice to HR colleagues and the business.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and its practical application in a commercial and regulatory environment.

We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels accepted and welcome. Applicants from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. If your experience looks different from what we’ve advertised and you believe you can bring value to the role, we’d love to hear from you. If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know so we can help you to be at your best.

We’re reviewing applications as they come in, so apply early to avoid missing out.

• Guide for Candidates:
• Colleague contact:

Many of our colleagues will be taking a well‑earned break over the festive period. We’re still advertising our open roles and, as part of our commitment to providing the best candidate experience, we want to let you know that there may be a delay in responding to applications received between 19th December and 5th January. Please bear with us and we’ll be in touch as soon as we can.