Employee Relations Specialist, UK and EMEA

Herbert Smith Freehills; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, London, is seeking an experienced Employee Relations professional to provide expert advice on disciplinary, grievance and performance matters, and to lead end-to-end ER case management.

You will partner with HR Business Partners and People Managers, develop ER policies, conduct investigations, and contribute to risk management and strategic reporting.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in employee relations, HR advisory, or employment law environment.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment legislation and HR best practice.
• CIPD qualification or equivalent with autonomy and sound judgement.
• Experience handling complex, high-risk ER cases with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice on disciplinary, grievance, performance, absence, and redundancy cases.
• Oversee complex ER cases end-to-end with legally compliant outcomes.
• Triage ER queries with HR BP teams and escalate high-risk matters to ER lawyers.
• Lead settlement processes, checklists, references, and outplacement arrangements.
• Develop and maintain ER policies, procedures, and guidance materials.
• Support investigations including fact-finding and hearings.
• Deliver ER training for managers and report on case data trends.
• Support cross-border ER projects and regional People teams.

Skills

UK Employment Law

Advisory & Facilitation

Stakeholder Management

Policy Development

ER Case Management

Education

CIPD Level 5 or above

HR/Legal qualification

Tools

ServiceNow

Workday

Job description

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is a world-leading global law firm, where our ambition is to help you achieve your goals.

Exceptional client service and the pursuit of excellence are at our core. We invest in and care about our client relationships, which is why so many are longstanding. We enjoy breaking new ground, as we have for over 170 years.

As a fully integrated transatlantic and transpacific firm, we are where you need us to be. Our footprint is extensive and committed across the world’s largest markets, key financial centres and major growth hubs.

At our best tackling complexity and navigating change, we work alongside you on demanding litigation, exacting regulatory work and complex public and private market transactions. We are recognised as leading in these areas.

We are immersed in the sectors and challenges that impact you. We are recognised as standing apart in energy, infrastructure and resources. And we’re focused on areas of growth that affect every business across the world.

All of this is achieved by supporting the growth of our people, who help us deliver on our ambition – which is to help you achieve yours.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer: Your goals. Our ambition

The Opportunity

Key internal relationships:

• Employee Relations Team
• HR Business Partners
• Reward & Benefits Team
• Diversity& Inclusion (Wellbeing) Team
• Learning & Development Team
• Early Careers & Recruitment Team
• Resource Management Team
• Partner Matters Team
• People Systems & Data Analytics Team
• People Operations Team
• Senior Business Services Leaders
• Partners and Practice Group Leaders
• Payroll Team

Key external relationships:

• External Employment Law Counsel
• ACAS
• Trade Unions / Employee Representatives
• Relevant Professional bodies and regulators

Primary responsibilities:

• Provide expert advice and guidance to leaders on all employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, performance management, absence management, and redundancy processes.
• Manage and oversee complex ER cases end-to-end, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes in accordance with firm policies and applicable employment legislation.
• Assist HR Business Partners and People Managers in the appropriate triage of ER queries, facilitating the resolution of lower-risk matters within the BP function where suitable, and ensuring the timely escalation of complex, contentious, or high-risk matters to the legally qualified members of the ER team.
• Responsible for completion of the operational aspects of settlement processes, including ensuring accurate completion of settlement checklists, liaising with relevant stakeholders, tracking and monitoring progress with agreed references, outplacement arrangements, and reconfirmation.
• Proactively develop, implement, maintain, and document ER policies, procedures, and guidance materials, ensuring they remain current and fit for purpose.
• Conduct and support internal investigations where required, including fact-finding, preparation of investigation reports, and attendance at formal hearings.
• Where necessary, support DSAR workflows, including coordinating with legal, People Operations, and relevant stakeholders, and assisting with document review processes.
• Facilitate and coordinate training programmes for managers on ER-related topics to build capability and awareness across the firm.
• Monitor ER case data and trends, providing regular management information and reporting to the Head of Employee Relations to inform strategic decision-making.
• Support risk owners to effectively manage psychosocial risk.
• Promote collaboration and ensure a system of communication between key stakeholders on WHS/respect matters with particular focus on legislative updates/changes that affect the SMS and WHS landscape.
• Meet ER data reporting requirements and prepare reports for senior leadership teams and others to meet internal and compliance requirements.
• Support the firm through organisational change processes, including restructuring and redundancy programmes, ensuring compliance with consultation obligations.
• Lead and support continuous improvement processes and the implementation of new policies and procedures including AI enabled process improvement.
• Support regional and cross-border ER process projects, including policy harmonisation, local handbook updates, global playbooks, and coordination with regional People teams, escalating jurisdiction-specific legal advice to appropriate legal or external counsel as required.
• Back-up support to other HR Business Partners and regional ER leads as required.
• Comply with WHS obligations and responsibilities in accordance with the requirements for this role and, for leaders at any level, this includes adequately supervising and supporting team members to promote a safe and respectful workplace.

Key performance indicators:

• Delivers on the strategic objectives and agreed goals for the Employee Relations function.
• Successfully provide timely, commercially sound, and legally compliant advice and support across the firm.
• ER cases are managed and resolved within agreed timeframes and to a high standard.
• Training and documentation are current, as measured annually.
• Feedback from managers, stakeholders, and the Head of Employee Relations is positive.
• Meets set deadlines and is responsive to urgent ER matters.
• Overall contribution to the ER team is positive – approachable, flexible, and reliable.
• High quality of information captured in case management systems and written communications.
• Firm adherence to ER policies, procedures, and employment legislation.
• Reduction in ER case escalations and Employment Tribunal claims over time.

Qualifications, skills, and experience:

• 5 years+ experience in an employee relations, HR advisory, or employment law environment, preferably within a professional services firm.
• Experience of working in a professional services firm (legal, accountancy, management consultancy) seen as an advantage. CIPD qualified (Level 5 or above) or equivalent demonstrated experience.
• Strong and up-to‑date knowledge of UK employment legislation and HR best practice.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to draft clear and concise policies, letters, and reports.
• Self‑starter with the ability to work with a great degree of autonomy and sound judgement.
• Experienced in managing complex, sensitive, and high‑risk ER cases with minimal supervision.
• Strong advisory and facilitation skills, with experience coaching and upskilling managers.
• Demonstrated ability to independently coordinate multiple cases and workstreams simultaneously.
• Strong influencing and relationship‑building skills; able to influence a diverse group of stakeholders at all levels without the need for direct authority.
• Proven capability to work to deadlines and manage competing priorities effectively.
• Works collaboratively with various departments to ensure a cohesive and consistent approach to employee relations.
• Pays close attention to detail in case management, documentation, and policy development.
• Proactively identifies people risk and proposes pragmatic mitigations to minimise the impact on business operations and culture.
• Experience with HR case management systems (e.g., ServiceNow, Workday, or equivalent) desirable.

Team

People

Working Pattern

Full time

Location

London

Contract type

Permanent Contract

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values—Human, Bold, and Outstanding.