Employee Relations Advisor

UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH); Wallingford; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Life assurance

Income protection

Flexible and hybrid working

Job summary

UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) is seeking an experienced Employee Relations Advisor to provide specialist advice across the organisation. You will support managers and employees with expert guidance on cases, ensuring fair application of policies and compliant practices.

Working within the People team, you will design training, contribute to policy development, and help foster an inclusive culture through effective case management and collaboration.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of employee relations and employment legislation.
• Experience handling a broad range of HR casework and investigations.
• Ability to train managers on HR processes and policy implementation.
• Excellent organisational and admin skills with high attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice to managers on absence management, performance issues, disciplinary and grievance cases with fair policy application.
• Support complex casework, including investigations, hearings and appeals, with compliant solutions.
• Attend formal employee relations meetings as HR representative to ensure fairness and legal compliance.
• Advise on UKCEH HR policies, procedures and best practices in people management.
• Design and deliver training on HR processes, policies and people management.

Skills

Employee relations

HR case management

Employment law

Training

Education

CIPD Level 3 or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft 365

Job description

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.

We are seeking an experienced and collaborative Employee Relations Advisor to provide specialist advice and guidance on a wide range of employee relations matters across UKCEH.

Working as part of a collaborative People team, you will play a key role in supporting our managers and employees by providing expert guidance on employee relations cases, contributing to a positive and inclusive workplace culture, and helping ensure our people policies and practices are applied fairly, consistently, and in line with employment legislation. This is an excellent opportunity for a proactive HR professional who enjoys building relationships, solving problems, and making a meaningful impact on the employee experience.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Providing expert advice and guidance to managers on employee relations matters, including absence management, performance issues, and disciplinary and grievance cases ensuring the fair and consistent application of policies.
• Supporting managers in handling complex casework, including investigations, hearings and appeals, offering pragmatic and legally compliant solutions.
• Attending formal employee relations meetings as an HR representative to ensure procedural fairness and adherence to policy and employment legislation.
• Providing advice and support to managers and employees on UKCEH HR policies, procedures and best practice in people management.
• Designing and delivering training on HR processes, policies, and best practice in people management.
• Contribute to the development, review and implementation of HR policies and procedures in line with employment legislation and organisational needs.
• Assisting managers in resolving workplace conflicts and fostering a positive working environment.
• Monitor employee relations trends, analysing data such as absence patterns and exit interview feedback to identify themes and recommend improvements.
• Leading or contribute to HR projects focused on enhancing employee engagement, wellbeing, inclusion and organisational culture.

For the role of Employee Relations Advisor, we’re looking for somebody who has:

Knowledge & Qualifications:

• CIPD Level 3 or equivalent experience
• Strong understanding of employee relations, employment legislation and best practices in HR case management.
• Proven experience working with HR systems, processes and driving continuous improvement.
• Experience handling a broad range of employee relations cases, including sickness absence management, performance management, investigations, grievances, and disciplinary matters.
• Experience delivering training and coaching line managers on HR policies, processes and people management best practice.
• Ability to manage a varied workload and adapt to changing priorities to meet deadlines.
• Experience taking ownership of projects, initiatives, or key service areas and delivering successful outcomes.
• Strong administrative and organisational skills, with excellent attention to detail and accuracy.

Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels.
• Confidence in supporting and coaching managers through sensitive and challenging situation.
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities and balance routine activities, casework and project-based work.
• Proficient in Microsoft 365 applications, including SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, Word, and Excel.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism.

What we offer:

At UKCEH, we recognise your dedication and provide a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you both at work and at home. When you join us, you’ll benefit from:

• Generous annual leave - 27 days + 3 for Christmas closure
• Financial protection through life assurance and income protection
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Flexible and hybrid working options
• A commitment to wellbeing, supported by a range of internal initiatives
• Employee Assistance Programme and health benefits, including 24/7 support with remote GP access, mental health, physiotherapy and lifestyle services
• Peer recognition and rewards that celebrate your contribution
• Salary sacrifice agreement benefits including Electric & Plug-in Hybrid vehicle and Cycle2Work schemes
• Interest-free annual travel season ticket loans (terms apply)

Our Commitment to inclusion

At UKCEH, we believe everyone should feel welcome and able to be themselves at work. We warmly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and identities. As a Disability Confident employer, we’re happy to support you with any adjustments you may need throughout the recruitment process.

Please note: Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role, and this does not qualify for endorsement to support a Global Talent Visa application. If you are considering pursuing self‑sponsorship, please indicate this in your application so we can take it into account during the recruitment process.