Head of People Advisory and Employee Relations (12 Month Fixed Term Contract)

Starling; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Birthday day off

Volunteer time

Pension scheme

Private Medical Insurance

Life insurance 4x salary

Perkbox membership

Cycle to Work

Gym partnerships

Job summary

Starling Bank is hiring a Head of People Advisory and Employee Relations (12 month FTC) to shape the ER framework across the Group. You’ll drive expert leadership on complex ER issues and ensure policies align with UK employment law and financial regulations.

You will build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and lead a team focused on inclusion, accountability, and psychological safety while balancing commercial needs.

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of UK employment law and case law.
• Experience leading ER/People Advisory in financial services or regulated environments.
• Ability to align HR strategy with commercial goals and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the ER and People Advisory teams across the Group.
• Develop and implement people policies in line with UK law and FCA/PRA/SMCR.
• Partner with legal, compliance and risk to support complex ER matters.

Skills

UK employment law

Regulatory knowledge

People management

Leadership

Stakeholder influence

HR systems (Workday)

Education

CIPD qualification or equivalent

Tools

Workday

Job description

Hello, we’re Starling.

Banking was broken – so we decided to fix it. The vision? Fast technology, fair service and honest values. All at the tap of a phone, all the time. We built Britain’s first digital bank. One hard-won banking licence later, we set about giving people a new way to spend, save and manage their money (and take better care of the planet, too). We’re changing banking for good. Back then, we were obsessed with unravelling the knotty world of finance and solving people’s problems rather than selling them stuff. We still are.

Since then, we’ve grown. A lot. Over four million accounts (and four account types!). A team of thousands. Headquartered in London with offices in Cardiff, Dublin, Manchester and Southampton. Five years voted Which? Recommended Provider and Britain's Best Banking Brand. Still zero branches. Our culture is open, inclusive and focused on solving real customer problems, with an emphasis on doing the right thing, even when it’s not always the easy thing. From our approach to working together and sustainability to how we build our products, our decisions need to make the world – and Starling – a better place to be. Everyone at Starling is essential to our mission, which is really quite simple: to solve our customer’s problems – and build the best bank in the world!

And now we're providing Starling to other banks, via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) proposition through our subsidiary Engine, using the proprietary technology platform that it uses to power our own bank.

The Role:

At our core, we are dedicated to finding fantastic people and creating an environment where they can truly thrive. To support our continued growth, we are looking for a Head of People Advisory and Employee Relations (12 month FTC) to lead this critical function. Reporting to the Director of People Solutions, you will be the strategic architect of our Employee Relations framework across the Group. This isn't just about managing cases; it’s about setting the gold standard for how we support our people. You will provide expert leadership on complex ER matters, shape our people policies, and ensure we remain fully aligned with UK employment law and financial regulations (FCA/PRA and SMCR).

Your mission is to ensure our People Advisory team is seen as a trusted, proactive partner - one that balances commercial needs with a culture of inclusion, accountability, and psychological safety.

Requirements

Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of UK employment law, case law, and employee relations best practice.
• Strong understanding of financial services regulation, including FCA, PRA, and SMCR requirements as they relate to people management.
• Knowledge of people policies, procedures, and frameworks in a banking context.
• Awareness of HR strategy, organisational design, and cultural change within a regulated banking context.
• Familiar with HR systems and case management tools, ideally Workday.

Experience

• Proven experience of leading ER and People Advisory teams within financial services or a highly regulated environment.
• Proven track record of handling complex, high-risk ER cases, including tribunal preparation and negotiation with external stakeholders.
• Experience of building senior stakeholder relationships and influencing at executive/board level.
• Experience in developing and applying people policies and procedures.
• Experience of working collaboratively with legal, compliance, and risk teams.

Skills

• Excellent leadership, people management, influencing, and negotiation skills to constructively guide and challenge senior leaders.
• Advanced problem-solving and analytical skills, balancing legal, commercial, and cultural factors, and applying employment law practically.
• Highly organised with attention to detail, governance, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Agile, adaptable, resilient, and composed under pressure.
• Proficiency in HR systems and case management tools.
• CIPD qualification or working towards is desirable.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work and Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships

About Us

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.

We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

By submitting your application, you agree that Starling Bank may collect your personal data for recruiting and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we may process, where we may process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over our use of your personal information.