Employee Relations Partner

At Dunelm, our People & Communications function is a high‑impact, commercially focused strategic engine, turning organisational goals into people and communication plans that unlock performance, engagement and long‑term success, with colleagues and customers at the heart.

We work collaboratively to shape the conditions for Dunelm to thrive — attracting and developing exceptional talent, strengthening leadership capability, building future skills and fostering a culture where every colleague can do their best work.

Our work is varied and meaningful: partnering with business teams on effective structures, driving high performance through our talent, performance and reward approaches, and anticipating future workforce needs. We combine business data and insight with external best practice to create fair, modern people policies and practices, champion wellbeing and inclusion, and align colleagues around our shared values.

The ER Partner provides expert employee relations partnering to allocated business areas (Central Support functions), helping leaders manage people matters fairly, consistently and in line with employment law and company policy.

Acting as a trusted advisor, the role supports leaders and People Partners with complex employee relations matters, builds management capability and accountability, creating confidence and reducing dependency on People Support and helping create positive colleague outcomes.

The ER Partner supports and improves the ER framework identifies and manages people risks, supports organisational change activity and uses insight to improve business performance and colleague experience.

The role is accountable for the effective delivery of employee relations support within its business areas, escalating high-risk, legally complex or precedent-setting matters where appropriate.

• Act as the primary employee relations partner for allocated business areas, providing timely, pragmatic and commercially focused advice to leaders and People Partners.
• Partner closely with People Partners totake ownership of, identify and manage people risks, provide specialist ER expertise and ensure commercially balanced people decisions.
• Proactively support managers in the effective handling of employee relations matters, including conduct, capability, grievance, absence and performance cases.
• Ensure people decisions are fair, consistent, legally compliant and aligned to company policy.

• Coach and develop leaders to build confidence and capability in managing people matters effectively and independently.
• Support the design and delivery of employee relations training, guidance and resources to improve management capability and consistency.
• Develop and maintain ER guidance, toolkits, manager resources and supporting materials to enable consistent and effective people management.
• Identify and manage employee relations risks within allocated business areas, providing advice and challenge to support effective decision-making.
• Escalate matters that are high-risk, legally complex, precedent-setting or have significant colleague, financial or reputational impact.
• Manage employee relations matters within agreed authority levels, escalating significant legal, reputational, financial or precedent-setting risks to the ER Specialist.
• Provide specialist support and oversight on employment tribunal and litigation matters, ensuring risks, deadlines and case preparation activities are effectively managed and escalated where appropriate.

• Support organisational change activity including restructures, consultation exercises, contractual change and TUPE activity.
• Lead lower-risk change programmes and partner with the ER Specialist…