Senior Employee Relations Specialist

Senior Employee Relations Specialist

Salary: £75,000 + car allowance + 10% bonus

Location: North-East London with occasional travel to Cardiff (once a month)

Hybrid working model: 3 days onsite

Contract: Permanent, Full-Time

We are seeking an experienced Senior Employee Relations Specialist to join a large, operationally focused organisation undergoing continued growth and transformation.

This is a visible role where employee relations is at the heart of the people agenda. Working closely with senior leaders, operational management teams and recognised trade unions, you will provide expert guidance on complex ER matters while helping to foster positive employee and industrial relations across a diverse workforce.

If you are passionate about navigating complex workplace issues, building constructive union relationships, and influencing senior stakeholders, this role offers the opportunity to make a genuine impact.

As the Senior Employee Relations Specialist, you will act as the organisation’s subject matter expert for all employee and industrial relations matters. You will partner with leaders across multiple sites, ensuring people issues are managed effectively, fairly and in line with both legislation and organisational values.

This is not a role for someone who prefers to work behind a desk. We are looking for an individual who enjoys being embedded within the business, building credibility with stakeholders, supporting operational teams and proactively identifying opportunities to strengthen workplace relations.

You will play a key role in supporting organisational change, managing sensitive employee matters, and maintaining productive relationships with trade union representatives.

• Lead and manage complex employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, performance management and absence matters.
• Act as the primary advisor on industrial relations issues, providing expert guidance to senior leaders and operational managers.
• Build and maintain strong, credible relationships with recognised trade unions and employee representatives.
• Support collective consultation activity, negotiations and collective bargaining discussions.
• Provide strategic advice during organisational change programmes, restructures and workforce planning initiatives.
• Coach and develop managers to improve their confidence and capability in handling employee relations matters.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, company policies and best practice.
• Analyse ER trends and employee data to identify risks, themes and opportunities for improvement.
• Support the development and implementation of employee relations policies and frameworks.
• Contribute to initiatives aimed at improving employee engagement, retention and workplace culture.

You are an experienced ER professional who combines technical employment law expertise with excellent stakeholder management skills. You are comfortable influencing at senior level, managing sensitive situations and operating within complex, unionised environments. Ideally you will have worked within logistics, transportation, manufacturing, utilities, infrastructure, retail or other operational environments.

• Significant experience in a dedicated Employee Relations, Industrial Relations or Senior HR role.
• Proven success working within a heavily unionised environment
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• Strong experience of managing relationships with recognised trade unions.
• Demonstrable experience of collective bargaining, consultation and negotiations.
• Expert knowledge of UK employment law and employee relations best practice.
• Experience managing complex and high-risk ER cases from start to finish.
• Ability to build credibility quickly with both operational and senior leadership