Employee Relations Consultant

About the role

The Employee Relations Consultant will support managers across Children’s Services and the wider organisation, helping them navigate complex people matters with confidence and consistency. This is a key HR position that requires a resilient professional who thrives in a fast‑paced, highly regulated environment.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and manage a broad range of employee relations cases, including absence management, disciplinaries, grievances, capability and performance issues.
• Provide expert, pragmatic HR advice to managers, investigating officers and panel members.
• Support organisational change initiatives such as restructures and consultation processes.
• Coach and up‑skill managers to apply policies confidently and handle people issues effectively.
• Deliver training and contribute to learning initiatives to improve ER knowledge and consistency.
• Analyse absence and ER data, identify trends and recommend actions to reduce risk and improve performance.
• Contribute to continuous review and improvement of HR policies, processes and frameworks.
• Maintain robust governance, ensuring accurate documentation and adherence to employment legislation.

Required profile

• Proven experience in an Employee Relations or HR role.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and its practical application.
• Experience managing complex and sensitive ER cases end‑to‑end.
• Confident advising and influencing managers at all levels, including senior stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and a busy caseload.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to use data to inform decisions and drive improvements.
• CIPD Level 3 or above (or equivalent experience) desirable.

Required skills