Employee Relations Advisor

JD Sports Fashion; Kingsway; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff discount on JD Group

Personal development opportunities

Job summary

JD Sports Fashion is seeking an experienced Employee Relations Advisor to deliver proactive ER support across Retail, Gyms, Supply Chain and Head Office. You will provide generalist advice to line managers, drive best practice, and ensure compliance with employment legislation while maintaining GDPR-compliant HR records.

CIPD Level 5 is preferred; familiarity with Dayforce and Office365 is advantageous. The role may require working outside standard hours to support a 24/7 operation.

Qualifications

• HR/People Advisor experience in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation and ER policies.
• Experience providing advice and minute taking in formal meetings.
• Proficient in Office365 and HR systems (Dayforce advantageous).

Responsibilities

• Provide first line employee relations advice across Retail, Gyms, Supply Chain and Head Office.
• Manage disciplinary, grievance, absence management and family friendly policies.
• Coach Line Managers to effectively manage ER matters to appropriate conclusions.
• Support Line Managers and People team during meetings.
• Maintain GDPR-compliant audit trails for HR records.
• Ensure critical monthly and annual People processes are executed on time.
• Keep up-to-date with employment legislation and best practice.

Skills

Employee relations

Disciplinary & grievance handling

Employment legislation knowledge

Communication skills

Minute taking

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Education

CIPD Level 5

Tools

Dayforce

Office365

Job description

This is JD. Born in 1981. Built for Now. At JD, we don’t just sell sneakers and outdoor gear, we set trends, break boundaries, and build communities. Whether you’re on the shop floor, behind the scenes, or driving innovation, every role here plays a part in shaping the future of our industry. We’re fast-paced, fearless, and unapologetically ambitious. We celebrate authenticity, thrive on collaboration, and never stop pushing forward, if you’re ready to bring your energy, ideas, and personality to a team that values them. This is your moment. This is JD. Are you in?

Employee Relations Advisor Responsible to:

Employee Relations Senior Advisor Department:

Employee Relations Location:

Kingsway and other Head Office locations

Role Overview:

Deliver a professional, proactive and flexible Employee Relations service by providing appropriate generalist advice and support to all colleagues. Driving best practice and ensuring compliance with all Company policies and procedures in line with employment legislation.

Key Duties/

Responsibilities

• To provide practical and effective first line employee relations advice across the Group to Line Managers and colleagues covering Retail, Gyms, Supply Chain and Head Office. This includes (but is not limited to) providing timely and accurate advice with regards to disciplinary, grievance, absence management and family friendly policies.
• Able to manage queries empathetically and in turn communicate outcomes clearly and articulately with the aim of minimising appeals.
• Act as a team player with the wider People team by sharing knowledge and expertise.
• Support and coach Line Managers to effectively manage and resolve employee relations matters through to appropriate conclusions.
• Provide support to Line Managers and the wider People team during meetings.
• Have an excellent working knowledge of up to date employment legislation, best practice and case law.
• Able to work autonomously and prioritise accordingly (with guidance and support from the People Leadership team where required).
• Be able to use Occupational Health appropriately within employee relations casework and write referrals to OH Advisors.
• Communicate with and support the People Leadership team to ensure employee relations policies and procedures are fairly and proportionately applied, whilst identifying opportunities for improvement to current practices.
• Understand the Groups’ responsibilities to statutory regulations.
• Maintain clear audit trails for all People records in accordance with GDPR regulations.
• Support in ensuring that critical monthly and annual cycle People processes are executed within the relevant timescales.
• Assist with project work when required.
• CIPD qualified to a minimum of Level 5.

Level 3 may be considered if the candidate is able to demonstrate substantial relevant HR generalist based work experience, with a desire to gain Level 5 qualification.

Skills/Knowledge Needed

• Previous HR/People Advisor related experience is essential, preferably in a retail environment or another fast-paced, constantly changing People environment, with responsibility for managing high volume complex caseloads.
• Excellent knowledge of employment legislation and Employee Relations policies and procedures.
• Be comfortable offering advice and minute taking in formal meetings to ensure all interactions are documented accurately and conducted appropriately.
• Good communication skills with the ability to guide and influence and the confidence to challenge current practices appropriately where required.
• Able to communicate clearly and articulately with all stakeholders throughout the business.
• Proficient knowledge of Office365 and HR Systems (Previous experience of Dayforce would be advantageous)
• Accurate typing skills recognising the need for attention to detail.
• Proven experience of working within a constantly changing environment.
• Flexible to work outside of standard office hours if required to support a 24/7 operation. We know our colleagues work tirelessly to make JD Sports the success it is today and in turn, we offer them some amazing benefits including staff Discount On JD Group and other brands within the organisation and personal development opportunities to learn and develop at work. Thank you for your time #JD