Employee Relations Specialist

Solutions Driven; Leicester; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Solutions Driven in Leicester is seeking an experienced Employee Relations Specialist to join our Infrastructure Division on a 12-month fixed-term contract. You will drive absence management, reduce employment risk, and support managers through ER matters.

Working with divisional leadership, you will lead on a varied ER caseload, deliver training and practical tools, and produce reporting that demonstrates measurable business impact across our UK operations.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a dedicated Employee Relations role.
• Strong track record managing complex ER cases end-to-end.
• Experience with both blue-collar and professional populations.
• Excellent knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practices.
• Experience using HR metrics to demonstrate business impact.
• Ability to influence and coach managers.

Responsibilities

• Manage a broad range of ER cases across operating companies.
• Provide expert advice on absence management, disciplinary matters, grievances, appeals, and performance issues.
• Lead initiatives to reduce absence and improve attendance.
• Build management capability through training, guidance, and practical tools.
• Maintain ER data, track KPIs, and produce divisional reports.

Skills

Employee relations

ER case management

Absence management

UK employment law

Stakeholder management

Coaching managers

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Employee Relations Specialist to join our Infrastructure Division on a 12-month fixed-term contract.

This is a highly visible, commercially focused role responsible for driving improvements in absence management, reducing employment-related risk, and supporting managers in the effective resolution of employee relations matters.

Working closely with divisional leadership and HR stakeholders, you will lead on a varied ER caseload while delivering measurable improvements in absence rates, manager capability, and case resolution outcomes.

This role offers the opportunity to make a significant commercial impact within a friendly, pragmatic, and down-to-earth HR team, supported by dedicated HR administration resources.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations Case Management

• Manage a broad range of employee relations cases across multiple operating companies.
• Provide expert advice and guidance on:
• Absence management
• Disciplinary matters
• Grievances
• Appeals
• Performance-related issues
• Ensure cases are managed consistently, fairly, and in line with company policies and employment legislation.
• Support managers through formal employee relations processes, hearings, and investigations.

Absence Reduction & Performance Improvement

• Lead initiatives aimed at reducing absence levels across the division.
• Analyse absence trends and identify opportunities for intervention and improvement.
• Partner with operational leaders to implement practical absence management strategies.
• Deliver measurable cost savings through improved attendance management.

Manager Capability Development

• Build management capability across employee relations and attendance management processes.
• Coach and support managers to confidently handle first-stage absence meetings and other ER processes.
• Develop and deliver training, guidance materials, and practical tools.
• Establish and track capability metrics to demonstrate improvements in manager effectiveness.

Reporting & Commercial Impact

• Maintain accurate ER case records and management information.
• Track case volumes, closure rates, outcomes, and key performance metrics.
• Produce regular reporting for divisional leadership.
• Demonstrate clear return on investment and business impact through measurable outcomes.

About You

• Proven experience in a dedicated Employee Relations role.
• Strong track record of managing complex ER cases from start to finish.
• Experience supporting both blue-collar and professional employee populations.
• Strong absence management expertise with evidence of delivering measurable improvements.
• Excellent knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Experience using HR metrics and data to demonstrate business impact.
• Ability to influence, challenge, and coach managers at varying levels of experience.
• Strong organisational and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working across multi-site or decentralised organisations.
• Experience within industrial, infrastructure, engineering, manufacturing, services, or similarly operational environments.

Why Join Us?

• Opportunity to make a genuine commercial impact within the Group's largest UK division.
• Exposure to a broad and varied ER remit.
• Collaborative and supportive HR team environment.
• Hybrid working model based in Leicester.
• Access to HR administration support, allowing focus on value-added ER activity.