Employee Relations Lead

0400 FBD USA LLP; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Freshfields is seeking an experienced Employee Relations Manager to join its global ER team, primarily across the UK with hybrid working from Manchester Centre. You will advise HR colleagues and business leaders on complex ER matters, lead investigations, and drive policy ownership and archiving on a global scale.

You will bring significant ER experience, solid knowledge of UK law, and a proactive, collaborative approach to improve employee relations and policy delivery across regions.

Qualifications

• Significant experience managing a broad range of employee relations matters independently.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and ER best practice.
• Confident use of AI tools and technology to optimise working practices.
• Experience advising managers and stakeholders on complex and sensitive employee issues.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist expert advice on complex employee relations matters, including conduct, complaints, conflict management, sickness absence and performance management.
• Lead and manage complex employee relations cases from initial consultation through to resolution.
• Conduct workplace investigations for any region across Freshfields’ global offices.
• Lead on a project to assign ownership, management and archiving of HR policies globally.
• Deliver practical and commercially focused advice that balances business needs with legal requirements.
• Deliver employee relations training and coaching to managers and HR teams.
• Keep abreast of developments in employment law and ER trends, ensuring advice remains current and effective.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the Employee Relations and wider HR function.

Skills

Employee relations management

UK employment law

ER best practices

AI tools usage

presentation skills

advising managers

interpersonal skills

commercial judgment

stakeholder management

Tools

AI tools

Job description

Freshfields is seeking an experienced Employee Relations Manager to join its global ER team, primarily across the UK with hybrid working from Manchester Centre. You will advise HR colleagues and business leaders on complex ER matters, lead investigations, and drive policy ownership and archiving on a global scale.

You will bring significant ER experience, solid knowledge of UK law, and a proactive, collaborative approach to improve employee relations and policy delivery across regions.