Employee Relations Advisor

CDW; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

CDW is seeking an Employee Relations Advisor to provide legally robust ER support across the UK business. You will work with HR partners, payroll, and legal to resolve complex casework, ensuring compliant outcomes and positive employee experiences.

Key responsibilities include case management, disciplinary and grievance support, TUPE and restructuring assistance, and producing insightful ER reporting. Strong communication and analytical skills are essential.

Qualifications

• CIPD Level 5 qualification (or equivalent experience) is required
• CIPD Level 7 is desirable
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Active listening
• Legally sound judgement
• Analytical thinking
• Case prioritisation
• High attention to detail
• Stakeholder management and influencing
• Resilience
• Ability to balance commercial needs with employee wellbeing using ER knowledge and interpersonal skills
• Technology Proficiency: Familiarity with HRIS systems and tools, including case management platforms, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office Suite. Workday experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide consistent, timely, and legally robust employee relations support across the business
• Manage cases with policy and legal timeframes, ensuring accurate documentation
• Support in change management processes such as TUPE, redundancy and restructures
• Deliver against ER priorities including reducing repeat ER issues and coaching managers
• Produce risk-based recommendations with legally compliant outcomes
• Contribute to ER reporting and trend analysis
• Maintain strong relationships with managers, HR partners, Payroll, Legal, and ER colleagues
• Assist investigations and prepare outcome letters and appeal documentation
• Offer guidance on policy application and update case management systems
• Mentor less experienced colleagues and model best practice

Skills

CIPD Level 5

Communication

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

UK employment law

Change management

Education

CIPD Level 5 qualification

Tools

Workday

HRIS systems

MS Office

Job description

At CDW, we make it happen, together. Trust, connection, and commitment are at the heart of how we work together to deliver for our customers. It's why we're coworkers, not just employees. Coworkers who genuinely believe in supporting our customers and one another. We collectively forge our path forward with a level of commitment that speaks to who we are and where we're headed. We're proud to share our story and Make Amazing Happen at CDW.

Job summary

The Employee Relations Advisor role exists to provide consistent, timely, and legally robust employee relations support across the business, ensuring fair treatment of coworkers, compliance with employment legislation, and protection of organisational risk. The role supports business objectives by enabling confident people management, reducing employee relations risk, minimising disruption, and promoting a positive and productive employee experience. The role works closely with the Employee Relations Partner, HR Business Partners, HR Shared Services, Payroll, Legal, and other HR centres of expertise to deliver pragmatic advice, manage cases effectively, and ensure ER activity is aligned with business priorities, policies, and values.

What you will do

Success in this role is demonstrated through the timely, consistent, and high-quality management of employee relations matters, with strong outcomes for coworkers and the business. This includes:

• Meeting agreed SLAs such as responding to ER queries within one working day,
• Progressing cases in line with policy and legal timeframes, and maintaining accurate case documentation.
• Supporting in change management processes such as TUPE, redundancy and restructures.
• Success also means delivering against strategic ER priorities including reducing repeat ER issues, improving manager capability through coaching and guidance, and supporting organisational change initiatives.
• Key deliverables include effective case management for discipline, grievance, absence, performance, and appeals with clear, risk-based recommendations, legally compliant outcomes and insightful data and reporting along with contributing to continuous improvement of ER processes, procedures, templates and toolkits, and guidance.
• Provide end to end advice and support on employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance, absence management, performance management, probation, capability, misconduct, redundancy, TUPE, flexible working, and familyleave.
• Act as a trusted advisor to managers, stakeholders and CWS ensuring decisions are fair, consistent, and legally compliant. Manage typical daily tasks such as responding to ER tickets and queries, drafting correspondence, attending hearings, advising on policy application, and updating case management systems.
• Build strong working relationships with managers, HR Business Partners, HRSS team, Payroll, and Legal to ensure coordinated case handling. Support investigations, prepare outcome letters and appeal documentation, and contribute to ER reporting and trend analysis.
• No direct line management responsibility, but expected to demonstrate professional leadership, role modelling best practice, and mentoring less experienced colleagues where required.

What we expect of you

Required experience includes proven hands‑on management of complex employee relations cases within a fast‑paced environment and strong working knowledge of UK employment law.

• CIPD Level 5 qualification (or equivalent experience) is required, CIPD Level7 is desirable.
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Active listening
• Legally sound judgement
• Analytical thinking
• Case prioritisation
• High attention to detail.
• Stakeholder management and influencing
• Resilience
• Ability to balance commercial needs with employee wellbeing by combining ER knowledge, practical experience, and strong interpersonal skills.
• Technology Proficiency: Familiarity with HRIS systems and tools, including case management platforms, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office Suite. Workday experience preferred.

AI and technology

CDW is committed to being an AI‑fluent organization. We're looking for people who bring curiosity, a learner's mindset, and a willingness to engage with ever‑evolving technology and tools. We value adopting AI as a partner, openness to experimentation, and a shared interest in learning together on AI. Our goal is to create a culture where AI enhances‑not replaces‑human creativity and decision‑making. You don't need to be an expert today; what matters is your readiness to explore, adapt, and grow with us as we integrate AI responsibly and effectively into our work.

Additionally, CDW is committed to fostering an equitable, transparent, and respectful hiring process for all applicants. During our application process, our goal is to understand your experience, strengths, skills, and qualifications. As an AI forward company, we see AI not just as a tool, but as a catalyst for new ways of thinking, creating, and communicating. We encourage candidates to