Employee Relations Manager

NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL; Nottingham; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

Join Nottingham City Council as an Employee Relations Manager, where you will shape and lead the employee relations strategy. This role offers the opportunity to champion fair and effective HR policies, manage complex people issues, and foster strong trade union relationships within a collaborative and inclusive work culture.

Benefits

26 days annual leave

Defined benefit pension scheme

Health and wellbeing benefits

Discounted local memberships

Smart Working for work-life balance

Qualifications

• Experienced in complex employee relations matters.
• Confident collaborator across all levels of the organization.
• Deep knowledge of employment law and statutory frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead employee relations strategy across the Council.
• Champion fair and effective HR policies.
• Foster strong trade union relationships.

Skills

Communication

Collaboration

Leadership

HR Policy Development

Education

Degree in HR or related field

Job description

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Job Description

Join Us as Our Employee Relations Manager

Hybrid working based at Loxley House, Nottingham, NG2 3NG
Grade K | Salary: £54,971 - £58,261 per annum (pro-rata for part-time)
Full-time | Permanent

Are you a skilled relationship-builder who knows how to balance fairness, policy and people? Can you lead with empathy while navigating complexity with confidence? If yes, you could be our next Employee Relations Manager at Nottingham City Council!

We're looking for a champion of collaboration, inclusion and strong people practice leading our employee relations approach, working closely with our recognised trade unions and stakeholders across the Council to foster a culture of trust, respect and positive working relationships

What You'll Do:

• Shape and lead our employee relations strategy across the Council
• Champion fair, inclusive and effective HR policies and practices
• Foster strong and constructive trade union relationships
• Lead on complex ER and people issues with confidence, care and compliance
• Oversee pay policy, casework frameworks and rewards strategy
• Support managers to build capability and confidence through clear, practical guidance and resources
• Be a key voice in shaping a progressive people-first culture at the heart of a public service organisation

What We're Looking For:

• An experienced HR or ER leader with a strong track record in complex employee relations matters
• A confident collaborator who can work with influence and political acumen across all levels
• Someone with experience of shaping and delivering policies, frameworks and cultural change in the context of national and local collective bargaining arrangements
• Deep knowledge of employment law, equal pay, and statutory frameworks
• A natural communicator with a calm, diplomatic approach to dispute and conflict resolution

Who You'll Lead:

You'll manage a passionate and professional team (Grades I, H and F) committed to supporting and improving the employee experience across the Council.

Why Nottingham City Council?

We're a values-led organisation focused on making a difference for Nottingham's communities. As an employer, we're serious about inclusion, wellbeing and growth- for our city and for our people

You'll get:

• Hybrid working and flexibility
• A collaborative and supportive HR & EDI directorate
• Opportunities to shape real change and impact policy at a city-wide level
• A progressive workplace culture with people at its heart

Ready to be the voice of fairness and the face of change? Apply now and join us in leading positive people practice for Nottingham!

You can find the job description for this post here

At Nottingham City Council, we believe that work is what you do, not where you do it. We offer different working arrangements, depending on the role, including hybrid working. Further information on Worker Types and what these mean in terms of how and where you work can be found on the additional information for applicants page.

For informal enquiries, please contact Kirsty Spencer, at [e-mail]

Closing Date: 5th August 2025

Please note that there may be occasions when we close the advert before the closing date, and we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Interviews will be held: TBC

If you have any technical issues when completing your application, please contact our Employee Service Centre: https://emss.org.uk/support

By applying to this job, you agree to our Terms & Conditions.

About Us

Thank you for your interest in working for Nottingham City Council. As one of the largest employers in Nottingham we offer a wide range of roles across a range of services. In return for your skill, drive and commitment to serving the people of Nottingham, we can help you to develop an exciting and rewarding career, with access to the following benefits.

In addition to working within a great team and a competitive salary you will have access to:

• 26 days annual leave (rising to 33 days after 5 years' service) + bank holidays with the ability to buy additional leave annually
• Access to a generous, defined benefit pension scheme offering 17.9%
• Smart Working - to support your work life balance
• Health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres, cinema, shopping and much more!

Nottingham City Council is committed to recruiting a talented workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We are a fair and inclusive employer and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and with different abilities. We recruit for diversity and value difference.

We particularly want to hear from you if you are from Minority Ethnic communities, identify within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer+ community (LGBTQ+) and if you are Disabled - these groups of people are underrepresented in our workforce, and we'd like to reflect our local population more through our recruitment processes.

We are supportive of flexible working arrangements wherever possible and we would encourage you to discuss this with us during the selection process, should this be something you are interested in.