Employee Relations Specialist

Maersk Spain S.L.U.; Madrid; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Maersk is hiring an experienced Employee Relations Specialist in Spain to partner with business leaders and the People Function across the country. You will shape employee relations strategy, manage risk, support organizational change and ensure compliance with Spanish employment law in both operational and corporate settings.

You will lead complex ER matters, drive investigations, support social dialogue with works councils, and coach leaders on performance and conduct.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of experience in Employee Relations or Labour Relations.
• Experience with works councils, unions and employee representative bodies.
• Fluent English and Spanish with excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement employee and labour relations strategies aligned to business priorities and country people plans.
• Provide pragmatic, legally compliant ER advice to leaders and HR teams.
• Lead complex employee relations matters, including investigations, disciplinary cases and grievances.
• Manage whistleblowing, ethics and workplace conduct cases with fair investigations.
• Partner with works councils and unions to ensure compliant, constructive social dialogue.
• Support organizational transformations, restructurings and workforce planning activities.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Spanish labour law knowledge

Education

Law/HR/IR degree

Job description

Location

Spain

About Maersk

Help us create a positive, compliant and high-performing workplace At Maersk, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As we continue to transform global logistics, we are looking for an experienced Employee Relations Specialist to partner with our business leaders and People Function teams across Spain. This is a strategic and hands-on role for an Employee Relations professional who thrives in complex, fast-paced environments. You will play a critical role in shaping employee and labour relations strategies, managing workforce risks, supporting organizational change, and ensuring compliance with Spanish employment legislation while creating a positive employee experience. Working across operational and corporate environments, including labour-intensive logistics settings, you will be a trusted advisor to leaders, helping them navigate complex people challenges and deliver sustainable business outcomes.

What you'll be doing

• Develop and implement employee and labour relations strategies aligned to business priorities and country people plans.
• Partner with business leaders and HR teams to provide pragmatic, commercially balanced and legally compliant employee relations advice.
• Lead complex employee relations matters, including disciplinary cases, grievances, investigations and conflict resolution.
• Manage whistleblowing, ethics and workplace conduct cases, ensuring fair and thorough investigations.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with works councils, trade unions and employee representatives.
• Lead information and consultation processes, collective discussions and labour relations initiatives.
• Support organizational transformations, restructurings, workforce planning activities and business change programmes.
• Ensure employment policies and practices remain compliant with Spanish labour legislation and collective bargaining obligations.
• Identify and mitigate employment, labour relations and workforce risks across operational and corporate populations.
• Coach and develop leaders on employee relations matters, leadership accountability, performance management and workplace conduct.
• Promote a culture of inclusion, fairness, employee voice and responsible employment practices.
• Collaborate with regional and global stakeholders to ensure consistency of employee relations practices across the organisation.

What we're looking for

We are looking for an experienced Employee Relations professional who combines strong technical expertise with excellent stakeholder management skills.

Essential Requirements

• Degree in Law, Human Resources, Industrial Relations or a related discipline.
• Strong knowledge of Spanish employment and labour law.
• 7-10+ years of experience in Employee Relations, Labour Relations, Employment Law or Industrial Relations.
• Experience supporting both corporate and operational workforces within logistics, transportation, manufacturing, industrial or similarly complex environments.
• Proven experience working with works councils, trade unions and employee representative bodies.
• Experience leading consultation processes, collective negotiations and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Strong experience managing complex employee relations cases and workplace investigations.
• Exceptional communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work effectively within a matrixed, international organisation.
• Fluent English and Spanish, with excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting organisational transformations, restructurings, site expansions, acquisitions or workforce planning initiatives.
• Exposure to contract logistics or labour-intensive operational environments.
• Additional European language skills would be advantageous, especially French.

What success looks like

• Proactive management of employee and labour relations risk.
• Strong employee engagement and constructive social dialogue.
• Successful delivery of business transformation and people strategies.
• Positive relationships with works councils and trade unions.
• Legally compliant and commercially effective workforce solutions.
• Enhanced leadership capability in managing people matters.
• Sustainable workforce stability and operational continuity.

Why join us?

At Maersk, you'll have the opportunity to influence business decisions, shape employee relations strategy and support meaningful organisational transformation within one of the world's leading integrated logistics companies. You'll work alongside talented colleagues in a collaborative, international environment where your expertise will directly contribute to creating a fair, compliant and high-performing workplace.

Equal opportunities

Maersk is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants without regard to race, colour, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy or parental leave, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with all legal requirements.

We are happy to support your need for any adjustments during the application and hiring process. If you need special assistance or an accommodation to use our website, apply for a position, or to perform a job, please contact us by emailing [e-mail].

About Maersk

A.P. Moller - Maersk is an integrated container logistics company working to connect and simplify its customer's supply chains. As the global leader in shipping services, the company operates in 130 countries and employs roughly 100,000 people. With simple end-to-end offering of products and digital services, seamless customer engagement and a superior end-to-end delivery network, Maersk enables its customers to trade and grow by transporting goods anywhere - all over the world. For more information we remain open.