Employee Relations and Business Change Manager

AG Barr; Cumbernauld; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading beverage company is seeking an Employee Relations & Business Change Manager to oversee organisational transformations and manage employee casework. This role requires expertise in UK employment law and considerable experience in both redundancy and acquisitions processes. The ideal candidate will lead a team, contribute to policy development, and ensure alignment with legal mandates. The position offers a competitive salary and robust benefits including uncapped bonuses and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Uncapped bonus linked to business performance

Defined contribution Pension

Up to 34 days holiday

Flexible holiday trading

Healthcare Cash Plan

Annual salary review

Ongoing professional development

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in executing People workstream activities for restructures.
• Experience managing high-risk Employee Relations casework up to Employment Tribunal.
• Familiarity with TUPE and merger-related People aspects.

Responsibilities

• Lead People workstream for major business change projects.
• Design and execute redundancy programmes and consultations.
• Manage sensitive Employee Relations cases and tribunal preparations.

Skills

Deep Expertise

ER Mastery

Acquisitions Experience

Legal Acumen

Consultancy Skills

People Leadership Experience

Job description

Job Title: Employee Relations & Business Change Manager

Location: Any HUB

Contract and working pattern: Permanent

We are all about Being Your Best and having a career with real Moments that Matter!

Employing around 850 people across the UK, we are proud to be a responsible business that takes care of our people, values diversity, gives something back to our communities and works to minimise our environmental impact.

For 150 years AG Barr has been building great brands and is home to some of the nations favourite flavours.

At our core is IRN-BRU, launched in 1901 and still going strong today, the vibrant RUBICON fruit based brand, Boost making every moment better with a caffeine kick, hydration hit or tasty treat, and FUNKIN where real fruit means authentic taste.

We also have a number of exciting owned brands within our portfolio including MOMA, which crafts quality oats into great tasting oat drinks and porridges.

There's never been a better time to join us!

What we’re looking for…

We’re looking to recruit an Employee Relations & Business Change Manager to lead two critical areas for AG Barr: the execution of organisational transformation projects and the management of employee relations casework. You will act as a trusted employment law advisor to the wider People team (and business) and maintain oversight, evolution and development of our policy suite. This role will lead the execution for activities such as organisational model changes, People integration following M&A activity, and changes. You’ll report directly to the Director of People Operations and will manage a team of People Advisors, providing expert employment law guidance, assurance, and developmental case management support and coaching. The role also works closely with the People Performance team to realise the strategic objectives of Commercial, Supply Chain and Central business units and identify areas where upskilling may be required to address capability gaps to ensure positive employee relations.

As our Employee Relations and Business change manager you will…

• Planning & Delivery: Lead the execution of the People workstream for major business change projects, supporting the Director of People Operations with planning work including organisational redesigns and restructures, ensuring alignment with commercial objectives and legal compliance.
• Redundancy Management: Design, plan, and execute all stages of collective and individual redundancy programmes, including consultation processes, communication strategies, selection criteria development, and documentation.
• Acquisition & Integration: Act as a People specialist during acquisition activities supporting the design and executing the integration planning process (e.g., TUPE transfers, post-merger integration), ensuring seamless and compliant transfer of employees and harmonisation of terms and conditions.
• Stakeholder Management: Develop and maintain strong working relationships with senior leaders, external legal counsel, and union/employee representatives, managing expectations and securing buy-in for change initiatives.
• Policy Development: Review and update relevant People policies (e.g., Maternity, Disciplinary, Redundancy etc) to ensure they are fit for purpose, legally sound, and reflect best practice.
• Complex Case Management: Personally manage the most sensitive, high-risk, and complex ER cases (e.g., senior misconduct, complex discrimination claims, large-scale disciplinary matters, executive exits).
• Employment Tribunal (ET) Support: Act as the internal lead on all potential and actual Employment Tribunal claims, collaborating closely with external legal counsel, preparing documentation, and managing witness preparation.
• Risk Mitigation: Provide expert guidance to Performance Partners and senior leaders on ER matters to proactively identify and mitigate legal and reputational risks associated with employee disputes.
• People Leadership: Lead and develop a team of People Advisors.
• Coaching & Mentoring: Provide hands‑on coaching and technical mentorship to the team, developing their expertise in complex casework and risk assessment.

What you’ll bring…

• Deep Expertise: Demonstrable, in-depth experience executing the People workstream activities for significant organisational restructures and managing complex redundancy processes (both collective and individual).
• ER Mastery: Proven experience managing a high volume of complex and high‑risk Employee Relations casework up to and including Employment Tribunal preparation.
• Acquisitions Experience: Practical experience in the People aspects of mergers, acquisitions, or divestitures, including familiarity with relevant legislation (e.g., TUPE).
• Legal Acumen: Expert knowledge of UK/relevant employment law and an ability to translate legal requirements into practical, commercially‑focused People solutions.
• Consultancy Skills: Exceptional influencing, negotiation, and consultation skills, with the ability to engage confidently with senior executive stakeholders and employee representatives/unions.
• People Leadership Experience: Prior experience in managing, mentoring, or coaching a team.
• Experience working in a fast‑paced change environment.
• Experience in policy drafting and delivery of training on ER/Change topics.

You will also demonstrate our AG Barr behaviours of Being Honest, Accountable, Connected and Brave.

What we offer…

We believe in creating a diverse and inclusive culture where your voice can be heard. Our skilled, loyal and committed people are critical to the future success of AG Barr which is why we are continually investing in our employees to develop their talent.

We look after our employees by offering a competitive salary and benefits package which includes;

• Uncapped bonus linked to business performance
• Defined contribution Pension
• Up to 34 days holiday (depending on shift pattern)
• Flexible holiday trading
• Flexible cash pot to spend on benefits
• Healthcare Cash Plan
• Flexible benefits e.g. discounts & cashbacks, gym memberships, technology purchases etc
• Life assurance
• Save as you earn scheme
• Staff sales discount
• Free AG Barr products throughout your working day and staff sales
• Annual salary review
• Ongoing professional development and access to Learning and Development programmes and content

And much more!

To find out more about what it is like to work for AG Barr, please visit our careers platform here.

We are an equal opportunities employer and happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be needed for successful candidates with a disability, health or mental health condition.

While we have highlighted our ideal requirements for this role, we are realistic that the successful candidate probably won't meet every single requirement in this advert, but we are big advocates of people growing in role. So even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to submit an application - you may be just what we are looking for! Apply now!

Speculative CVs from agencies will not be accepted.

Latest closing date for applications is 19th January

Please note, we may close vacancies early where we receive significant numbers of applications, so apply now!