Employee Relations Specialist

COM1000 Office of Communications; Manchester; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Ofcom is seeking an Employee Relations professional to provide empathetic, factual, high‑quality support on ER matters for colleagues, managers and directors. You will lead cases through full lifecycles with a strong customer service approach while partnering with leaders to develop capability in performance and career management.

Reporting to the Employee Relations Manager, you will maintain and develop progressive policies, ensure legal compliance, and collaborate with unions and networks to

Qualifications

• Expert knowledge of employment law and HR policy frameworks.
• Experience leading employee relations cases from start to finish.
• Strong stakeholder management across levels including unions and networks.
• Ability to develop and adapt people policies to changing law and practice.
• Experience working in a unionised environment is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Provide proactive, consistent case management across employee relations areas.
• Lead ER cases across lifecycle including investigation, disciplinary, grievance, redundancy, appeal and litigation.
• Collaborate with People Services to deliver a One P&C customer experience.
• Support engagement work and transformation projects with ER leadership.
• Draft and maintain people policies in line with law and Ofcom objectives.
• Manage policy administration and ensure GDPR-compliant record-keeping.

Skills

Employment law

Case management

Stakeholder management

Policy development

Union relations

Tools

HR systems

Job description

Closing Date: 25/09/2026 Group: Corporate Group Management Level: Associate Job Type: Permanent Job Description: Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Friday 25 September, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Thursday 24 September.

About Ofcom

As the UK’s communications regulator, we’re delivering vital work to make communications work for everyone.

Our work covers everything from phones and broadband, through to online safety, TV and radio, the postal service, and wireless devices.

We need people of all backgrounds, skill sets, and experiences to help us achieve our ambitions on behalf of the British public.

About the team you’ll be part of

Ofcom has a large, complex, and centrally driven programme of work which the People, Culture and Workplace Team are at the heart of, supporting colleagues through their journey at Ofcom.

The Employee Relations team sits within the wider People Services team and focuses on supporting colleagues, their line managers and directors through all employee relations matters, to help foster positive and productive working relationships, making Ofcom a great place to work and empowering our leaders.

The purpose and scope of the role

Reporting to the Employee Relations Manager, this role is responsible for providing empathetic, factual, high-quality and risk focused expert support to all Ofcom colleagues, their line managers and directors on all employee relations matters, including but not limited to:

Delivering with a strong customer service approach to all work, role modelling Ofcom’s values.

Supporting, coaching, and partnering with leaders of all levels to build their capability to provide all colleagues with career and performance management of the highest quality.

Maintaining and developing of our suite of progressive people policies, reviewing and amending in line with Ofcom’s brand, changing employment legislation, and industry best practice.

Consulting, engaging, and collaborating in a positive manner with multiple stakeholders, including Prospect Union, Colleague Forum, Colleague Networks, and other PC&W teams, to make Ofcom a Great Place to Work.

The role is required on a full-time, permanent basis.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Provide proactive, consistent case management support across all employee relations policy areas, examining relevant facts, current employment law, Ofcom policies and/or the Procedural Agreement with Prospect.
• Independently lead employee relations cases across the whole life cycle, including investigation, disciplinary, grievance, redundancy, appeal and employment litigation, ensuring a proactive and respectful colleague experience for all.
• Work collaboratively with other People Services teams to deliver a true One P&C customer experience for all Ofcom colleagues, resolving queries in an efficient and accurate manner via our case management and wider systems.
• Partner with the Employee Relations Manager to deliver wider engagement work, complex case management and ad hoc transformation projects when required.
• Act as a trusted partner working with stakeholders to deliver people projects, including leaders across the organisation, and other PC&W teams, such as People Business Partners, L&D, and ED&I.
• Lead any employment law strands of people projects, such as restructuring, TUPE, or culture change initiatives, to ensure legality and accessible documentation.
• Have and maintain a deep working knowledge of employment law, including the ability to understand nuances and where the law doesn’t provide clarity.
• Support on any other activities that drive our Organisational and/or Group and/or PC&W objectives and change management, including developing training materials and comms plans.
• Contribute to the review, development and creation of People Policies across multiple subject areas in line with employment law and Ofcom objectives to enable strong management support to colleagues, escalating issues to the Employee Relations Manager.
• Own people policy administration and housekeeping to support the colleague experience, ensuring policies are stored in the right place with supporting toolkits, amending when required.
• Support engagements with the union and/or Colleague Forum and/or Networks to facilitate people policy delivery.
• Store, process and use all documentation in line with GDPR regulations, keeping records accurate and up to date to deliver compliance.

The skills, knowledge and experience you’ll need for success

• Executing Plans Ability to work at pace, with flexibility and an ability to combine both proactive planning of work and the need to, at times, be reactive.
• Experience of an environment with structured governance processes and protocols.
• Harmonising Work Experience of working with and influencing multiple stakeholders.
• Understand how to respond when conflict arises, adopting an early resolution mindset while making sure lessons are learned.
• Embracing Change Attitude of continuous improvement, supportive and welcoming of change.
• Owning Accountabilities Exceptional organisation, communication, stakeholder management, and customer service skills.
• Ability to work seamlessly and effectively with your immediate team and internal and external stakeholders.
• Drive for high quality delivery
• Job Based Skills and Experience Experience of advising and coaching colleagues, line managers, and senior stakeholders in all aspects of Employment Law.
• Experience of complex ER case management across all policy areas within a process & risk focused environment that requires precision, pace, and a solution orientated approach.
• Desirable, but not essential Experience of people policy drafting and maintenance.
• Experience of working in a unionised organisation.
• CIPD membership advantageous although not required.

Inclusive hiring at Ofcom

At Ofcom, our mission is clear: to make communications work for everyone.

To achieve that, our people must reflect the diversity of the UK, in background, identity and experience.

We believe innovation thrives when difference is valued and everyone feels empowered to contribute their ideas and perspectives.

That’s why we welcome colleagues of all ethnicities and races, sexes, genders and gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, faiths and beliefs, and those with apparent and non‑apparent disabilities.

We value socio‑economic diversity, life experience and neurodiversity too.

Whether you’re a carer, a parent, a veteran, or re‑entering work after time away, your voice and perspective matter here.

Flexibility is at the heart of how we work because we want you to thrive in a way that suits you best.

Most roles can therefore be adapted for part‑time hours, job shares, or other flexible arrangements.

Learn more about our Rewards, Benefits and Wellbeing on our careers page.

Our recruitment process is intentionally designed to be open and accessible. If you need adjustments, information in a different format or an alternative way to apply, contact us at [e-mail] or 0330 912 1378.

As a proud Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee interviews for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a role. You can read more about this commitment here.

Whoever you are, whatever your story, you belong at Ofcom. We make communications work for everyone.

As the UK’s communications regulator, we’re delivering vital work that helps keep the UK connected and shapes the future of how we’ll stay connected with each other.

Our work covers everything from phones and broadband, through to TV, radio, the postal service, and wireless devices.

And we need people of all backgrounds, skill sets, and experiences to help us achieve our goal of making communications work for everyone.

Ofcom’s remit is huge – we keep UK citizens and consumers safe from harm and ensure they receive the best possible service from their communications providers.

Find out more about Ofcom, where we operate, and the different types of work we do to keep the country connected.

At Ofcom we are determined to do all we can to promote diversity and equality inside our organisation and in the wider sectors we regulate.

Diversity and equality are fundamental to achieving our purpose to make communications work for everyone.

We need to make the best decisions for all UK consumers and citizens.

To do this, it is essential that all levels of our organisation are diverse and foster an inclusive culture.