ER Service Manager

Artis Recruitment; West of England; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Artis Recruitment is seeking an experienced ER leader to oversee a team of five People Partners. You will act as an escalation point for complex employee relations cases and provide practical, commercially minded advice to managers.

You will help ensure fair, consistent handling of people matters while aligning with UK employment legislation and internal policies, and contribute to process improvements and organisational change initiatives.

Qualifications

• Significant ER experience with complex and sensitive casework.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law applied in a business setting.
• Experience leading or coaching HR professionals or People Partners.
• Confidence acting as an escalation point and advising stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of five People Partners, guiding on complex cases.
• Act as escalation point for sensitive employee relations matters, including investigations.
• Advise managers on employment law, policy application and handling approaches.
• Support restructuring, redundancy and organisational change activity.
• Maintain consistent ER case management standards and risk control.

Skills

Employee relations

People leadership

UK employment law

Investigations

Policy advice

Job description

The role

You'll oversee complex employee relations activity, acting as an escalation point for challenging cases and supporting managers with practical, commercially minded advice. You'll help ensure people matters are handled fairly and consistently, while maintaining compliance with UK employment legislation and internal policies. Alongside leading and coaching the team, you'll contribute to improvements in HR processes and support wider organisational change, including restructuring and transformation activity.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of five People Partners, providing guidance, coaching and support on complex people matters.
• Act as an escalation point for sensitive employee relations cases, including investigations, disciplinaries, grievances and performance management.
• Advise managers on employment law, policy application and appropriate approaches to challenging employee situations.
• Support restructuring, redundancy and other organisational change activity.
• Maintain consistent standards across ER case management, ensuring risks are identified and managed appropriately.
• Identify opportunities to improve ER processes, policies and ways of working.
• Work collaboratively with wider HR colleagues and senior stakeholders to deliver effective people support.

About you

• Significant experience in employee relations, including complex and sensitive casework.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and practical experience applying it in a business environment.
• Experience leading, coaching or managing HR professionals or People Partners.
• Confidence acting as an escalation point and advising stakeholders on challenging people matters.
• Experience working in a large, complex or matrix organisation.
• A pragmatic approach, with the ability to balance employee needs, business priorities and risk.

This is an 18-month opportunity for an experienced ER leader who can bring technical expertise, sound judgement and strong team leadership to a busy people function.