Employee Relations Specialist

Honing a safe place. Lending a helping hand. Making a difference.

£32,000 - £39,000 per annum + benefits

Reports to:

Employee Relations Manager

Directorate:
Chief Operating Office

Contract:

12 month fixed-term contract

Hours:

Full time 35 hours per week

Location:

Stratford, London.

Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)

Visa sponsorship:
You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

Closing date: 6 September 2026, 23:55 This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment.

Recruitment process:
One competency-based interview and one task-based assessment

Interview date: 17th September 2026

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we’re looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you.

This is an opportunity to join Cancer Research UK’s Employee Relations (ER) Team of 8.

The ER team (and wider HR department) play an essential role in engaging and inspiring Cancer Research UK’s large and dynamic workforce of hundreds of shops and 2,500+ office staff across the UK by delivering operational transformation, governance, and an employee experience that enables us to be an inclusive, sustainable, and agile organisation.

As an Employee Relations Specialist, you will manage and advise on a diverse range and high volume of ER cases across Cancer Research UK (such as performance management, conflict resolution, ill health, grievance, and disciplinary).

This will involve supporting and developing line managers in creating an environment where employee concerns and conflicts are resolved compliantly, while fostering effective communication channels to promote a culture of openness, trust, and mutual respect.

Your legacy by the end of this contract will be to have positively impacted Cancer Research UK’s employee experience, ultimately creating an environment where our people feel they belong and are better enabled to deliver the charity’s lifesaving work.

If you are an experienced Employee Relations and/ or Human Resources Advisor with a background in medium to large-sized organisations, while managing a high volume of ER cases, we would love for you to join our mission.

• Providing expert advice, coaching, and development to managers across the organisation to resolve all ER cases (such as performance management, conflict resolution, ill health, grievance, and disciplinary) effectively and in line with legislative requirements and Cancer Research UK’s policies and procedures.
• o You will be managing a caseload of c.30-40 cases at a time.
• Supporting case managers to make sound unbiased decisions ensuring colleagues are treated in a human way through robust, credible ER advice and support.
• Collaborating with colleague representatives and case managers to ensure that all cases are resolved efficiently to mitigate organisational risks in everything we do.
• Mediating and facilitating conflict resolution between parties by promoting open communication, mutual understanding, and constructive dialogue to resolve informally and amicably wherever possible.
• Accurately recording and maintaining case information ensuring that all case-associated paperwork is of a professional standard and meets GDPR and data protection regulations.
• Identifying opportunities to improve business processes and approaches and collaborating with colleagues across HR and the wider organisation to implement these.

• Experienced Employee Relations and/ or Human Resources Advisor (or equivalent) with a background in medium to large-sized organisations.
• Proven success managing 30+ employee relations cases at any one time involving senior stakeholders, end-to-end with strong attention to detail, organisation, and prioritisation.
• Thorough knowledge of employment law, regulations, and best practices related to employee relations.
• Str…