Employee Relations Specialist

About the role

We are partnering with a major manufacturing organisation to recruit an Employee Relations Specialist to support a large, complex operational site employing over 600 colleagues. This role will act as a trusted advisor to operational leaders, helping them manage people effectively while maintaining best‑practice employee relations standards across a 24/7 manufacturing environment.

Key responsibilities

• Manage a broad range of ER matters including absence, disciplinary, grievance, conduct and capability cases.
• Coach and support line managers through employee relations processes, building capability rather than creating dependency.
• Drive consistency and compliance across policies, procedures and people practices.
• Analyse ER trends and data to identify risks and recommend solutions.
• Support improvements in absence management and employee engagement.
• Facilitate regular ER reviews with operational leaders, using data and insights to drive performance.
• Partner with site leadership teams to navigate organisational change and workforce transformation activities.
• Contribute to wider ER and policy initiatives across the organisation where appropriate.

Required profile

• Significant employee relations experience within a fast‑paced environment.
• Experience supporting operational, manufacturing, logistics, distribution or similar sectors.
• Ability to combine strong technical ER expertise with confidence to challenge and influence at all levels.
• Proven capability to coach leaders and embed a culture of accountability and high performance.

Required skills

What we offer

• Competitive salary £45,000‑£50,000 per year.
• Additional benefits package.
• Fixed‑term contract until March 2027.
• Predominantly site‑based role in Merseyside.