Senior/Employee Relations Manager

Shoosmiths; Leeds; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Shoosmiths is seeking an experienced Employee Relations Manager or Senior Employee Relations Manager to join our People Directorate in Leeds. You will provide expert guidance on a wide range of ER matters, lead two direct reports, and work with HR Partners to minimise risk while promoting fair outcomes.

You will influence outcomes, conduct investigations, and support organisational change initiatives with a focus on compliance with UK employment law and SRA regulations.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of UK employment legislation and its practical application in a commercial environment.
• Experience at manager level within Human Resources or Employee Relations.
• Experience in professional or financial services, ideally within a regulated environment.
• Desirable: exposure to international HR practices and global employment law.
• Strong ability to listen actively and provide pragmatic, solution-focused advice.
• Organised and able to handle high volumes of enquiries while maintaining professionalism.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the resolution of complex employee relations issues including discrimination, performance, discipline, and absence.
• Influence outcomes through strategic negotiation while ensuring compliance and minimising risk; advise on dispute resolution.
• Conduct thorough investigations and coach leaders on appropriate behaviours and procedures.
• Support organisational change initiatives, including restructures, redundancies, and TUPE transfers.
• Advise HR Business Partners to drive performance with clear, measurable objectives.
• Stay up-to-date with UK employment law and communicate changes to the People Directorate.
• Collaborate with Risk & Ethics to ensure regulatory obligations are met and processes are robust.
• Monitor ER activity and provide data-driven insights for decision-making at Director/Partner level.
• Review and interpret HR policies to ensure compliance with SRA regulations and UK law.
• Champion psychological safety and foster a culture of openness and accountability.
• Work across People Directorate and Business Services to ensure high-quality service delivery.
• Coach and develop direct reports and HR Advisors.
• Contribute to ER-related projects with subject-matter expertise.
• Maintain accurate and secure employee records in compliance with data protection.

Skills

UK employment law

Employee relations leadership

Stakeholder management

Dispute resolution

Investigations

Communication

Data analytics

Tools

Microsoft Office

HR analytics tools

AI platforms

Job description

The role

We are seeking an experienced Employee Relations Manager or Senior Employee Relations Manager to join our People Directorate and help foster a culture of trust, integrity, and high performance. In this role, you will be instrumental in supporting a positive employee experience, enabling individuals to thrive and contribute to organisational excellence. You’ll be welcomed into a well‑established and respected People team, where your expertise in Employee Relations will be valued and recognised. Working closely with HR Business Partners and HR Advisors, you will also lead and develop two direct reports. You will provide expert guidance on a wide range of employee relations matters, ensuring cases are managed professionally, efficiently, and with a focus on minimising risk and promoting fair outcomes. Whether you come from a background in employment law or are a seasoned Employee Relations specialist, your deep knowledge and experience at a managerial level will be key. Experience in a regulated environment—such as legal or financial services is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the resolution of complex employee relation issues, such as discrimination, performance, capability, employee grievances, disciplinaries, flexible working, absence, and workplace concerns.


• Influence outcomes through strategic negotiation and collaboration, ensuring legal compliance and minimising risk. Provide expert guidance on dispute resolution, conciliation processes, and if required, employment tribunal preparation, while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships internally and externally.


• Conduct thorough and impartial employee relations investigations, providing expert coaching to Partners, Directors and line managers on appropriate behaviours, procedures, and best practices.


• Provide expert support on organisational change initiatives, including restructures, redundancies, TUPE transfers, and changes to terms and conditions of employment.


• Advise and support HR Business Partners in driving organisational performance, including the development and implementation of performance improvement plans with clear, measurable, and achievable objectives.


• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law, proactively communicating and presenting relevant legislative changes and policy developments to the People Directorate and wider business.


• Collaborate with Risk & Ethics colleagues to ensure the effective application of SRA rules, manage regulatory investigations, and design robust processes to meet regulatory obligations.


• Monitor and analyse employee relations activity, collate and interpret data to inform strategic decision-making at Director and Partner level, ensuring insights are aligned with organisational goals and compliance standards and identify trends for continuous improvement.


• Review, update, and interpret HR policies, procedures, and documentation, including HR Practice Notes and Line Manager Guidance, ensuring compliance with SRA regulations and UK employment legislation.


• Champion psychological safety in the workplace, fostering a culture of openness, trust, and accountability where colleagues feel safe to speak up without fear of retaliation.


• Work collaboratively across the People Directorate and Business Services teams, ensuring consistent, high‑quality service delivery and effective communication with internal stakeholders.


• Coach, mentor, and develop direct report and HR Advisors, supporting their professional growth and capability in managing complex employee relations matters.


• Contribute to key People and ER‑related projects, bringing subject matter expertise and a solutions‑focused approach to cross‑functional initiatives.


• Ensure accurate and secure maintenance of employee records, in full compliance with the Data Protection Act and internal data governance standards.

What are we looking for?

• Extensive and current knowledge of UK employment legislation and its practical application in a commercial environment, including awareness of relevant case law.


• Experience working at Manager level within Human Resources or Employee Relations.


• Experience in professional or financial services, ideally within a regulated environment.


• Desirable: Exposure to international HR practices and global employment law.


• Strong ability to listen actively, identify key issues, and provide pragmatic, solution‑focused advice.


• Approachable and responsive, with the ability to manage high volumes of enquiries while maintaining a helpful and professional manner.


• Highly organised and methodical, with the ability to manage multiple complex cases simultaneously.


• Skilled in conflict resolution, investigations, and influencing stakeholders at all levels.


• Able to assess and communicate employment‑related risk clearly and confidently when advising managers.


• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and experienced in using HR analytics tools and emerging technologies, including AI platforms.


• Capable of prioritising workload effectively and escalating or collaborating with colleagues when appropriate.


• Flexible and adaptable to meet evolving business needs, including occasional travel to other office locations.


• Demonstrates integrity, sound judgement, and a proactive approach to maintaining confidentiality and ethical standards.


• Builds trust and communicates effectively with stakeholders at all levels, including Partners, line managers, and employees.

The firm

Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact. We empower our people to be their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The first top 50 law firm to achieve ‘Platinum Standard’ Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm.

We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high‑quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits.

To discover more about our benefits, please visit: Benefits Package

Shoosmiths is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term conditions. The Disability Confident scheme replaced the Two Ticks Positive about Disabled People scheme. We had been accredited as a two tick employer for many years - Disability Confident broadens and develops that original commitment, and demonstrates we have adopted a proactive approach to employing disabled people and developing their abilities.

As part of our accreditation, we commit to interviewing any applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for each vacancy. In some circumstances we may only be able to interview those that best meet the essential criteria due to the volume of applications received.

Further information on the Disability Confident scheme is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to and usable by everyone. If you have a disability or long‑term condition and would like to receive information in a different way, or need us to make any adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please get in touch with the Talent Acquisition team on [e-mail]. We can consider your needs and requirements, and how we can assist you to apply for our roles. For example we can provide a copy of our application via email so that you can complete it using your own accessibility software.

Equal opportunities

Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well‑being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues.

This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.

If you’d like to learn more about this opportunity or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Warren Cooper at [e-mail]