Employee Relations Manager

Kainos; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Kainos seeks an experienced Employee Relations leader to guide and develop the ER team, ensuring a modern, consistent service across the organisation. You will manage complex cases, advise senior stakeholders, and drive improvements in processes, policy, and tooling.

Join a people-focused culture that values growth, collaboration, and delivering fair outcomes for employees and managers alike.

Qualifications

• Significant hands-on Employee Relations experience with complex casework.
• Proven experience leading and developing an ER/People team.
• Experience advising senior leaders including Executives and C-suite with balanced judgement.
• Strong employment law knowledge with practical application.
• Experience as ER Manager, ER Lead or similar with substantial ER responsibility.
• Confidence in building relationships with managers and senior stakeholders, with clear recommendations.
• Experience leading continuous improvement projects using technology/data.
• Structured, evidence-led approach to case management and reporting.
• Experience handling ER matters across more than one jurisdiction.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Employee Relations team, setting priorities and growing capability.
• Oversee delivery of a consistent, high-quality ER service across Kainos.
• Provide guidance on complex or sensitive ER matters in line with law and policies.
• Partner with managers and People Partners to offer practical, balanced advice.
• Support managers to address workplace issues with early, constructive resolution.
• Drive continuous improvement across ER services and processes.
• Lead projects to strengthen ER capability, policy, reporting and service delivery.
• Champion use of technology and data to simplify processes and increase insight.
• Identify themes from ER activity to improve guidance and processes.
• Ensure alignment with employment law and best practice.

Skills

Employee Relations

Leadership

Senior stakeholder advising

Employment law knowledge

Case management

Multi-jurisdiction experience

People leadership

Continuous improvement

Change management

Data/automation in HR

Education

CIPD Level 7

Employment law qualification

Tools

Workday

Jira

Microsoft 365

Job description

Join Kainos and Shape the Future

At Kainos, we’re problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators - driven by a shared mission to create real impact. Whether we’re transforming digital services for millions, delivering cutting-edge Workday solutions, or pushing the boundaries of technology, we do it together.

We believe in a people-first culture, where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your contributions truly make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of a diverse, ambitious team that celebrates creativity and collaboration.

Ready to make your mark? Join us and be part of something bigger.

Why This Role Matters

You will lead and develop Kainos’ Employee Relations team, helping to deliver a modern, consistent and employee-focused ER service. This is a manager-level role with responsibility for team capability, complex casework, service standards and continuous improvement.

Working closely with Senior Stakeholders and colleagues across the People Team, you will provide clear, practical guidance and help build confidence in addressing workplace issues fairly and effectively.

What You Will Be Doing

• Lead, manage and develop the Employee Relations team, creating clarity on priorities and supporting colleagues to grow their capability and confidence.
• Oversee the delivery of a consistent, responsive and high-quality Employee Relations service across Kainos.
• Provide guidance and oversight on complex or sensitive employee relations matters, ensuring they are handled fairly, consistently and in line with relevant legislation and Kainos policies.
• Partner with managers, People Partners and colleagues across the People Team to provide clear, practical and balanced advice.
• Support managers to address workplace matters confidently, encouraging early and constructive resolution where appropriate.
• Drive continuous improvement across Employee Relations services, identifying opportunities to enhance processes, ways of working and the overall employee and manager experience.
• Lead and manage continuous improvement projects that strengthen Employee Relations capability, policy, reporting and service effectiveness.
• Champion the use of technology, data and automation to simplify processes, improve insight and create a more scalable and efficient Employee Relations service.
• Identify and implement innovative solutions that enhance employee and manager self-service.
• Identify themes and learning from employee relations activity, using these insights to improve guidance, policies, processes and support.

Key Responsibilities

• Create a collaborative and supportive team environment with clear expectations, regular feedback and meaningful development opportunities.
• Ensure complex casework is allocated and managed effectively, taking account of risk, complexity, colleague capability and team capacity.
• Build trusted relationships with managers, People Partners and key stakeholders across the organisation.
• Maintain consistent standards across case advice, investigations, documentation, outcomes and follow-up actions.
• Lead Employee Relations projects and service improvements that strengthen employee experience and manager capability.
• Keep up to date with relevant employment law and good practice, seeking specialist legal advice when appropriate.
• Work collaboratively across the People Team, supporting wider team priorities where required.

Minimum (essential Skills) Requirements

• Significant hands-on Employee Relations experience, including complex and sensitive casework.
• Proven experience leading, managing and developing an Employee Relations, HR advisory or People team.
• Experience advising senior leaders, including Executive and C-Suite stakeholders, using a balanced approach that combines sound judgement, risk assessment, commercial awareness, and a strong focus on employee experience
• Litigation experience, coupled with strong employment law knowledge and the ability to apply it in a clear, practical and balanced way.
• Experience operating as an Employee Relations Manager, ER Lead, People Partner or in a comparable role with substantial ER responsibility.
• Confidence building relationships with managers and senior stakeholders, providing constructive challenge and clear recommendations.
• Experience leading continuous improvement projects and using technology, data or automation to improve People services.
• A structured and evidence-led approach to case management, documentation, reporting and decision making.
• Experience supporting Employee Relations matters across more than one jurisdiction, with the judgement to seek specialist advice where needed.
• Excellent people leadership, coaching, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven experience advising on complex organisational change initiatives

Desired Experience

• CIPD Level 7, an employment law qualification or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Experience working in a global, technology, professional services or matrix organisation.
• Experience using Workday, Jira, Microsoft 365 or comparable HR and case-management systems.

Who You Are

• You are a confident and approachable people manager who remains calm, balanced and considered under pressure.
• You care about creating a fair and positive employee experience while applying sound judgement to complex situations.
• You create clarity, set high standards and help others grow through coaching, feedback and support.
• You are curious, comfortable with change and motivated by using technology and new ideas to improve services.
• You build strong relationships, value different perspectives and role-model inclusive and respectful practice.

Embracing our differences

At Kainos, we believe in the power of diversity, equity and inclusion. We are committed to building a team that is as diverse as the world we live in, where everyone is valued, respected, and given an equal chance to thrive. We actively seek out talented people from all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other characteristic that makes them who they are. We also believe every candidate deserves a level playing field.

Our friendly talent acquisition team is here to support you every step of the way, so if you require any accommodations or adjustments, we encourage you to reach out.

We understand that everyone's journey is different, and by having a private conversation we can ensure that our recruitment process is tailored to your needs.