Employee Relations Specialist

Are you ready to chart your own career path? With our refreshed strategy, we’re building on our rich heritage and transforming our business to be more scalable and efficient, unlocking the capabilities needed for future success. This includes significantly investing in technology, streamlining the way we work and creating an environment where colleagues feel engaged, empowered and accountable; where they can show up, speak up and perform - because we believe in the difference our work makes.

At a glance:

Location: Cirencester Office

Workplace Type: Hybrid

Employment Type: 6 month Fixed-Term Contract 

Seniority: Mid-Senior Level

About the role:

We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Employee Relations Specialist to join our People Division on a 6-month fixed-term contract. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering expert ER support across the business, partnering with leaders and stakeholders to manage complex employee relations matters while ensuring compliance with employment legislation and best practice.

As part of a collaborative Employee Relations team, you will work closely with People Business Partners, the People Hub and business leaders, providing pragmatic advice and guidance that supports both our people and organisational objectives

What you'll be doing:

• Managing a varied and complex employee relations caseload, including investigations, disciplinary matters, grievances, performance concerns, appeals and conduct issues.
• Providing expert ER advice and coaching to managers, leaders and People teams.
• Applying employment law knowledge and HR best practice to deliver balanced, commercially focused outcomes.
• Ensuring consistency of approach across ER case management and supporting the delivery of key service level agreements.
• Supporting policy development, process improvement and the creation of guidance materials and templates.
• Contributing to leader capability by supporting ER-related training and coaching initiatives.
• Maintaining accurate case records and providing meaningful reporting and insights.

About you:

You will be an experienced Employee Relations professional with a strong track record of handling complex and sensitive cases in a fast-paced environment. You'll be confident influencing senior stakeholders, balancing risk with commerciality, and building positive relationships across the business.

Essential Criteria:

• Extensive employee relations experience and strong employment law knowledge.
• Experience managing complex investigations, grievances, disciplinary and performance cases.
• Excellent stakeholder management, coaching and influencing skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• The ability to remain resilient, professional and solution-focused when dealing with challenging situations.
• Ideally, a CIPD Level 7 qualification (or equivalent), or be working towards it.
• Previous experience within a regulated environment or financial services would be advantageous.

Special Requirements:

Some travel, typically within the UK, may be required.

What's in it for you?

We reward you for the work you do, whether that’s through our discretionary annual bonus scheme that reflects both personal and company performance, competitive annual leave allowance (28 days plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase an additional 5 days), or online rewards platform with a variety of discounts.
We also have benefits to support whatever stage of life you are in, including:

• Competitive parental leave (26 weeks full pay)
• Private medical insurance (optional taxable benefit)
• 10% non-contributory pension (increasing with length of service)

Reasonable Adjustments
We're an equal opportunities employer and want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive for all, if you require reasonable adjustment(s) at any stage please let us know by emailing us at careers@sjp.co.uk
Research tells us that applicants (especially those from underrepresented groups) can be put off from applying for a role if they do not meet all the criteria or have been on an extended career-break. If you think you would be a good match for this role and can demonstrate some transferable experience please apply, regardless of whether you tick every box.

What's next?

If you're excited about this role and believe you have the skills and experience we're looking for, we'd love to hear from you! Please submit an application by clicking ‘apply’ below and our team will be in touch.
As a business regulated by the FCA we would advise you to familiarise yourself with the conduct regulations and in particular consumer duty obligations prior to an interview with SJP.