Lead Employee Relations Specialist

Anchor; Bradford; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

The Anchor is seeking an experienced Lead Employee Relations Specialist to deliver a coaching-led, legally compliant ER service. You will mentor a small team, guide managers through complex cases, and work with stakeholders to reduce risk while supporting organisational objectives.

Based in Bradford with hybrid working, this 9-month fixed-term contract offers 37.5 hours per week and a salary of £42,000 per annum.

Qualifications

• Senior HR Advisory or Employee Relations experience in a large organisation.
• Experience leading or supervising a small team with coaching and development.
• Experience handling complex, high-risk ER matters with compliant outcomes.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Proven ability to coach, influence and develop managers.

Responsibilities

• Lead on complex Employee Relations matters, end-to-end, ensuring fair, legally compliant outcomes.
• Provide expert ER guidance and coaching to managers across a wide range of issues.
• Escalation point for ER and People Admin queries with QA on high-profile cases.
• Develop manager capability through a coaching-led approach and effective conversations.
• Support People projects and organisational change while balancing case work.
• Identify ER risks and work with stakeholders to minimise exposure.
• Build trusted relationships and provide pragmatic, business-focused solutions.
• Use ER data to drive improvements and reduce future ER issues.
• Contribute to ER policies, processes and ways of working.

Skills

Senior HR Advisory

Team leadership

ER case management

UK employment law

Coach managers

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

HR systems

Multi-tasking

Customer focus

Job description

Location: Hybrid – 1-2 days per week in our Bradford office

Contract: Fixed Term Contract – 9 Months initially | 37.5 hrs per week

Salary: £42,000 per annum

We're looking for an experienced Lead Employee Relations Specialist to play a key role in delivering a high-quality, legally compliant and coaching-led Employee Relations service across our organisation. Reporting to a People Services Delivery Partner you will be a senior member of the People Services Delivery team, providing expert guidance on complex people matters, employment law and organisational risk, helping managers navigate challenging situations with confidence and consistency.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced ER professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys building strong relationships across the business. Combining deep Employee Relations expertise with a coaching and customer-focused approach, you'll support positive colleague experiences, develop manager capability and contribute to the continuous improvement of our People Services Delivery function.

Alongside managing a varied portfolio of complex employee relations matters, you'll also play an important role in supporting, coaching and developing a small team, helping to build confidence, capability and consistency across the service. You'll act as a senior role model, sharing knowledge, providing guidance on complex cases and fostering a collaborative, high-performing team culture focused on delivering exceptional support to colleagues and managers.

What You'll Do

• Manage and develop an Employee Relations Specialist and People Assistant, ensuring both operational excellence and a high-quality customer experience. You'll allocate and oversee workload, provide coaching and guidance, support professional development, be a point of escalation and ensure employee relations and HR administration activities are delivered accurately, efficiently and in line with agreed service standards.
• Lead on complex and high-risk Employee Relations matters, managing sensitive cases from end to end, including disciplinary, grievance, absence, capability, organisational change and other complex employee issues. You'll ensure outcomes are fair, legally compliant, commercially sound and aligned with organisational values.
• Provide expert Employee Relations advice, guidance and coaching to managers across the full range of people matters, helping them navigate challenging situations, assess risk, consider options and make confident, well-informed decisions.
• Act as an escalation point for the wider ER and People Admin queries, providing support, direction and quality assurance on complex or high-profile cases, while sharing expertise and best practice to build capability across the team.
• Develop manager confidence and capability through a coaching-led approach, encouraging early intervention, effective people management and consistent decision-making, whilst helping managers handle sensitive conversations with empathy, clarity and professionalism.
• Lead and support key People projects and organisational change activity, balancing project work alongside operational case management and contributing to the continuous development of the People Services function.
• Identify, assess and manage employee relations risks, proactively escalating concerns where appropriate and working with stakeholders to minimise legal, operational and reputational risk to the organisation.
• Build strong and credible relationships across the business, becoming a trusted advisor to managers and stakeholders by providing pragmatic, commercially focused and people-centred solutions that meet both business and colleague needs.
• Use ER data, case insights and emerging trends to drive improvement, identifying recurring themes, organisational risks and opportunities to strengthen manager capability, improve colleague experience and reduce future ER issues.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of ER policies, processes and ways of working, helping to create a consistent, efficient and high-quality People Services Delivery function that reflects best practice and supports organisational objectives.

You'll Bring:

• Experience operating within a senior HR Advisory or Employee Relations role, supporting managers and leaders in a large and complex organisation while balancing commercial priorities, colleague experience and organisational risk.
• Previous experience leading or supervising a small team, with the ability to provide coaching, guidance and support, allocate and prioritise workload, develop capability and foster a collaborative, high-performing and customer-focused team culture.
• Experience managing complex, sensitive and high-risk employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, absence, capability, organisational change and workplace conflict cases, with a strong track record of achieving fair, pragmatic and legally compliant outcomes.
• Strong and up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice, with the ability to interpret legislation, assess risk and provide clear, practical advice that supports effective decision-making and minimises organisational exposure.
• Proven ability to coach, challenge and influence managers at all levels, building confidence, capability and accountability while supporting them to navigate difficult people situations and make informed decisions.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to assess complex situations, identify risks and opportunities, evaluate options and apply sound professional judgement in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management and relationship-building skills, with the ability to establish credibility quickly, influence outcomes and build trusted partnerships across a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience using HR systems, people data and management information to identify trends, inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement, translating insight into practical actions that improve service delivery and organisational outcomes.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities and competing demands simultaneously, maintaining high levels of accuracy, responsiveness and professionalism while working across both operational and project-based activities.
• A customer-focused and solutions-driven mindset, committed to delivering an outstanding experience for managers and colleagues through responsive support, high-quality advice and a passion for continuous improvement.

Qualifications

We are unable to offer sponsorship for this position. Therefore, candidates must be able to demonstrate their legal right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.