Investigations Manager

GEM Partnership; North East; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market-leading package

Job summary

GEM Partnership in Sunderland seeks an Investigations Manager to lead a growing team of investigators within a professional services environment. You will oversee workload, define scope with clients and act as the senior escalation point for complex cases, ensuring high-quality investigative delivery.

The role combines operational leadership with strategic oversight, reporting to senior leadership and supporting business development.

Qualifications

• Senior HR/IR/Investigations professional with experience leading large teams.
• Strong knowledge of misconduct, disciplinary, grievances and harassment investigations.
• Excellent communication and senior client engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of ~20 Investigators in a client-focused culture.
• Oversee workload allocation while maintaining service levels and quality.
• Act as senior SME and escalation point for complex matters.
• Define investigation scope with clients and report requirements.
• Review findings and reports before delivery to clients.
• Drive governance and best practice across investigations.
• Support business development with technical expertise and market insight.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and growth of the service.

Skills

People leadership

Investigations

Client engagement

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Job description

Investigations Manager

Package: Market-Leading Package

Location: Sunderland

My client is a successful and growing professional services organisation with an established reputation for delivering specialist advisory and support services globally to a diverse client base ranging from SMEs through to major international businesses.

Following continued business growth, including the trebling of revenues across the past three years, they are seeking to appoint an individual from a HR, Employee Relations, Investigations or Legal background to lead their Investigations function. Initially, the role will combine operational leadership with undertaking selected investigations, before evolving into a more strategic management and oversight position as their service continues to expand.

Reporting into senior leadership, this newly created role combines people leadership, technical expertise and client engagement. You will act as the senior authority across investigations, driving quality, consistency and service excellence whilst supporting the ongoing growth of the business.

The Role

• Lead, manage and develop a team of approximately 20 Investigators, fostering a high-performance and client-focused culture.
• Oversee the allocation and management of investigative workloads, ensuring service levels and quality standards are maintained.
• Act as the senior subject matter expert and escalation point for complex and sensitive matters.
• Liaise directly with clients to define investigation scope, objectives and reporting requirements.
• Review investigation findings and reports prior to client delivery, ensuring accuracy, quality and professional integrity.
• Drive consistency, governance and best practice across the investigations function.
• Support business development activity through technical expertise, market insight and subject matter leadership.
• Contribute to the ongoing growth and development of the service offering, helping to identify opportunities for innovation and expansion.

The Person

• A senior HR, Employee Relations, Investigations or Legal professional with significant experience leading complex investigations.
• Strong knowledge across areas such as misconduct, disciplinary matters, grievances, discrimination, bullying and harassment investigations.
• Proven leadership experience with the ability to motivate, develop and influence professional teams.
• Sound judgement and the credibility to advise on complex and sensitive cases.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including experience engaging with senior clients and decision-makers.
• Commercially aware, highly organised and comfortable managing multiple priorities within a fast-paced environment.
• Adaptable and motivated by the opportunity to help shape the future growth of a successful business.
• Experience within professional services, HR consultancy, legal, regulatory or investigative environments would be advantageous but is not essential.

Based at their Sunderland HQ, this newly created role is a rare opportunity to join a respected and growing organisation at a pivotal stage in its development. The successful candidate will inherit a well-established team and play a critical role in shaping the future direction of an increasingly important service line.

In return, my client offers a supportive and collaborative culture, genuine influence within the business and the opportunity to work with a broad range of clients on complex and meaningful assignments.

A highly competitive package is available, tailored to attract and retain the highest-calibre talent, comprising of a rewarding base salary, bonus and exceptional benefits package.

For ambitious investigation, employee relations, HR and legal professionals seeking a leadership role with significant impact and long-term career potential, this represents an outstanding opportunity.

Due to the volume of applications received, we regret that we may not be able to respond to every applicant. If you do not hear from us within 14 days, please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.