Lead ER Specialist

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

Job summary

Anchor Hanover Group in Bradford is seeking a Lead Employee Relations Specialist to deliver a high-quality, legally compliant ER service across the organisation. Reporting to a People Services Delivery Partner you will provide expert guidance on complex people matters, employment law and risk, helping managers navigate situations with confidence.

This senior ER role also involves coaching a small team, developing manager capability and continuously improving People Services.

Qualifications

• Experience operating within a senior HR Advisory or Employee Relations role in a large organisation.
• Proven ability to coach and develop managers and teams.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law with practical application.
• Experience handling high-risk and complex ER cases end-to-end.
• Ability to interpret data to drive improvements in ER service.

Responsibilities

• Lead on complex and high-risk ER matters end-to-end with fair, compliant outcomes.
• Coach and develop a small ER team and People Assistant to deliver high standards.
• Provide guidance to managers on governance, risk and decision-making.
• Act as escalation point for ER and People Admin queries with quality assurance.
• Drive continuous improvement of People Services delivery and processes.

Skills

Senior ER experience

Coaching and mentoring

UK employment law knowledge

Stakeholder management

HR data interpretation

Education

CIPD Level5 qualification (or equivalent)

Tools

HRIS

Job description

Lead Employee Relations Specialist

Location: Hybrid – 1-2 days per week in our Bradford officewith flexibility to attend asrequired.

Contract: Permanent | Full Time (37.5 hrs)

Salary: £42,000 perannum

We'relooking for an experienced Lead Employee Relations Specialist to play a key role in delivering a high-quality, legallycompliantand coaching-led Employee Relations service across our organisation.Reporting to aPeople Services Delivery Partner you will bea senior member of the People ServicesDeliveryteam,providingexpert 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 Relationsexpertisewith a coaching and customer-focused approach,you'llsupport positive colleague experiences, develop managercapabilityand contribute to the continuous improvement of our People ServicesDeliveryfunction.

Alongside managing a varied portfolio of complex employee relations matters,you'llalso playan important rolein supporting,coachingand developing a small team, helping to build confidence,capabilityand consistency across the service.You'llact as a senior role model, sharing knowledge, providing guidance on complexcasesand 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'llallocateand oversee workload, provide coaching and guidance, support professional development,be a point of escalationand 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, organisationalchangeand other complex employee issues.You'llensure outcomes are fair, legally compliant, commercially sound and aligned with organisational values.
• Provideexpert Employee Relations advice,guidanceand coachingto managers across the full range of people matters, helping them navigate challenging situations, assess risk, consideroptionsand make confident, well-informed decisions.
• Act as anescalation point for the wider ERand People Admin queries, providing support,directionand quality assurance on complex or high-profile cases, while sharingexpertiseand 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,clarityand 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,assessand manage employee relations risks, proactively escalating concerns whereappropriateand working with stakeholders to minimise legal,operationaland reputational risk to the organisation.
• Build strong and credible relationships across the business, becoming a trusted advisor to managers and stakeholders by providing pragmatic, commerciallyfocusedand people-centred solutions that meet both business and colleague needs.
• Use ER data, caseinsightsand emerging trends to drive improvement,identifyingrecurring 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,processesand ways of working, helping to create a consistent,efficientand high-quality People ServicesDeliveryfunction that reflects best practice and supports organisationalobjectives.

You'llBring:

• Experienceoperatingwithin a senior HR Advisory or Employee Relations role, supporting managers and leaders in a large and complex organisation while balancing commercial priorities, colleagueexperienceand organisational risk.
• Previousexperience leading or supervising a small team, with the ability to provide coaching, guidance and support,allocateand prioritise workload, develop capability and foster a collaborative, high-performing and customer-focused team culture.
• Experience managing complex,sensitiveand high-risk employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, absence, capability, organisationalchangeand workplace conflict cases, with a strongtrack recordof 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,challengeand 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-solvingand decision-making skills, with the ability to assess complex situations,identifyrisks and opportunities, evaluateoptionsand apply sound professional judgement in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication, stakeholdermanagementand relationship-building skills, with the ability to to establishcredibility quickly, influence outcomes and build trusted partnerships across a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience using HR systems, people data and management information toidentifytrends, 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,maintaininghigh levelsof 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-qualityadviceand a passion for continuous improvement.

Qualifications

CIPD Level5qualification (or equivalent experience)