Employee Relations Lead

Indestructible Dog; City Of London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking an Employee Relations Lead to oversee their ER function. This pivotal role involves strategic planning, managing a team of ER professionals, and providing high-quality guidance on complex ER issues. You will collaborate with senior leadership and stakeholders to ensure compliance and foster a positive workplace culture. Your expertise in employment law and ability to build strong relationships will be critical in driving the ER strategy forward. Join a passionate team dedicated to supporting each other and achieving collective success in a dynamic work environment.

Benefits

Agile working opportunities

Professional development resources

Supportive team culture

Qualifications

• Experience managing complex Employee Relations cases at a senior level.
• Strong knowledge of employment law and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the ER function, ensuring high-quality services across the firm.
• Lead a team of 13 ER professionals and provide strategic guidance.

Skills

Employee Relations Management

Employment Law Knowledge

Team Leadership

Data Analysis

Stakeholder Management

Risk Management

Coaching and Development

Education

Degree in Human Resources or related field

Professional HR qualifications (CIPD or equivalent)

Tools

Navex (Ethics point)

Job description

Ideas | People | Trust

We’re BDO, an accountancy and business advisory firm, providing the advice and solutions entrepreneurial organisations need to navigate today’s changing world.

We work with companies that are Britain’s economic engine - ambitious, entrepreneurially-spirited and high growth businesses that fuel the economy - and directly advise the owners and management teams that lead them.

We’ll broaden your horizons

Our greatest asset is our people, so our HR team focuses on ensuring we are all reaching our potential. They use their specialist expertise to help us attract great talent, enable our employees to succeed and inspire a unified culture of development across our firm. Join a driven and passionate team where you can be yourself while helping your colleagues to achieve their ambitions.

We’ll help you succeed

Leading organisations trust us because of the quality of our advice. That quality grows from a thorough understanding of their business, which comes from working closely with them and building long-lasting relationships.

As the Employee Relations (ER) Lead, you will oversee the entire ER function at BDO, ensuring the delivery of high-quality ER services across the firm. You will lead a team of 13 ER professionals, including the Senior ER Manager, and work closely with senior leadership and Partners to support the business effectively. Your role will involve strategic planning, providing commercial guidance and support to the firm on risk mitigation, compliance, and thought leadership on ER policy implementation.

You’ll also:

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and implement the ER strategy in alignment with the firm's overall HR and business objectives.
• Lead the ER team, providing direction, support, and development opportunities to ensure high performance.
• Oversee complex case management/risk decisions and provide commercial guidance on high-risk ER issues.
• Ensure the ER team delivers timely and pragmatic advice and guidance to the business, ensuring realistic KPI’s are set and objectives are clear.
• Ensure the team clearly understands their roles and responsibilities and takes ownership of their actions.

Legislation, Policy and Compliance:

• Take full ownership of compliance with the firm’s ER allocated ISQM risks and processes.
• Oversee the team’s development and maintenance of ER policies and procedures, ensuring they are legally compliant and reflect best practices.
• Provide support and guidance to the Senior ER Manager in their responsibility for ensuring high-quality governance of ER processes and procedures.
• Ensure the team provides timely and quality responses to all Tribunal claims and ACAS Early Conciliation.
• Act as the final escalation point for ER team complex queries and risk-based decisions.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Management:

• Build strong, credible relationships with stakeholders, acting as a trusted advisor on complex ER matters.
• Work closely with senior members of internal Ethics, Risk, and Legal on improving the firm’s culture and governance implementation.
• Collaborate with the HR team and other departments to support firmwide and HR strategic projects.
• Take ownership of external relationships including external legal advisors to ensure strong commercial relationships.

Data and Analytics:

• Regularly review key themes and trends identified by the ER Senior Manager and produce data and analytics.
• Maintain key metrics to measure the effectiveness of the ER team and provide reports to key stakeholders.
• Support the Senior ER Manager and ER Managers to ensure accurate data capture in the case management system.

Training and Development:

• Coach and develop the ER Senior Manager and ER team, fostering a supportive and developmental culture.
• Identify ER team training needs and facilitate workshops or training sessions.
• Develop and deliver training to business stakeholders on ER matters where relevant.

You’ll be someone with:

• Substantial experience of managing complex Employee Relations cases at a senior level.
• Strong technical and current knowledge of employment law and best practice trends.
• Proven experience in building, developing, and leading a team.
• High emotional intelligence and a natural leader.
• Confident in creating and interpreting ER-related data.
• Experience in developing continuous process improvement and encouraging new ways of working.
• Fully accountable for risk-based decision-making in complex ER case management.
• Gravitas to influence all seniority stakeholders.
• Experience in a professional services and/or regulated environment is advantageous.
• Experience using Navex (Ethics point) as a case management system would be desirable.

At BDO, you’ll have access to the people and resources you need to do your best work. We’re committed to agile working, and we offer every colleague the opportunity to work in ways that suit you, your teams, and the task at hand.