Vice President, Colleague & Labor Relations

AMEX; Burgess Hill; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services company is seeking a professional for a hybrid role in Burgess Hill. This position focuses on defining and executing Employee and Labor Relations Strategy across EMEA. The ideal candidate will lead a team in managing workplace issues, provide strategic advice, and ensure compliance with regulations. Requires proven experience in employee relations, people leadership, and risk management. The role offers competitive compensation and generous benefits to support holistic well-being.

Benefits

Competitive base salaries

Bonus incentives

Comprehensive medical benefits

Career development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience in Employee Relations, managing complex ER cases.
• Comprehensive knowledge of European labor relations.
• Exceptional collaboration skills with success in influencing stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver CLR strategies across EMEA.
• Lead a team managing workplace complaints and grievances.
• Advise on high profile cases and support business transformation.

Skills

Employee Relations experience

People leadership

Collaboration skills

Risk management

Conflict resolution

Job description

Job Description

Work Location Options

Hybrid

As part of the Colleague Experience Group (CEG), Colleague & Labor Relations (CLR) focuses on providing exceptional advice and support to colleagues and people leaders to resolve workplace issues, develop and interpret policies, and advise on the management of employee conduct, performance and capability. Our mission is to facilitate the best possible colleague experience, support the business to do what is right and deliver the highest quality employment relations solutions.

How will you make an impact in this role?

Reporting to the VP Global Colleague and Labour Relations (CLR), this role will be responsible for defining and executing the Colleague and Labour Relations Strategy across EMEA, aligned with business needs and regulatory requirements.

The EMEA Colleague and Labour Relations (CLR) VP will lead a team of dedicated CLR Managers and Specialists who provide global and market-specific employment and labor relation solutions and support to leaders and CEG colleagues in the markets, to drive a fair and consistent colleague experience, support the business and minimize brand exposure. The incumbent will also be Chairperson of the European Employee Forum.

This contract role is a hybrid role with three days a week in the Burgess Hill office for a duration of 6 months.

Responsibilities

• Proactively developing and delivering comprehensive and effective CLR strategies and solutions within EMEA
• Leading a team of CLR Managers and Specialists, responsible for investigating, managing and resolving workplace complaints and grievances, people treatment, and other colleague-affecting issues
• Personally manage and/or provide support for high profile or very sensitive cases
• Support business transformation, and reengineering
• Embed risk culture within the team and uplift risk practices
• Partner with the centralized Strategy, Enablement & Risk (SER) team within CLR, to drive global and regional strategic initiatives
• Lead with insights and identify opportunities to elevate the function, as well as drive efficiencies, streamline processes and evolve the CLR servicing on the ground
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the business and CEG partners with a focus on leading with empathy, supporting the business, and mitigating risk
• Provide strategic CLR advice and support to the local CLR resources
• Lead, coach and develop the CLR resources from a functional perspective
• Create an inclusive regional CLR Team, ensuring collaboration, best practice sharing and enhancing technical developments across all markets
• Lead the European Employee Forum and coordinate European consultation where required

Minimum Qualifications

• Proven experience in Employee Relations, including personally managing complex ER cases, and business transformation initiatives in EMEA
• Comprehensive knowledge of continental Europe employee and labour relations nuances
• Proven people leadership experience, including leading teams across EMEA markets, and skip level leadership, with demonstrated cultural competence and proven change leadership
• Experience operating effectively within a large, global, matrixed organization
• Exceptional collaboration skills with demonstrated success building cross-functional partnerships and influencing senior stakeholders
• Strong track record of communicating complex employee relations matters clearly to diverse audiences across organizational levels
• Demonstrated expertise in risk management specifically within a global banking environment
• Proven ability to seamlessly transition between strategic planning and hands‑on execution across multiple priorities
• Proven ability to identify and implement proactive employee relations interventions driven by data analytics and external market insights
• Experience developing preventative ER strategies that mitigate risks while supporting business objectives
• Excellent conflict resolution and workplace investigation skills with focus on risk mitigation

We back you with benefits that support your holistic well-being so you can be and deliver your best. This means caring for you and your loved ones' physical, financial, and mental health, as well as providing the flexibility you need to thrive personally and professionally:

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• Support for financial‑well‑being and retirement
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits (depending on location)
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
• Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on your location)
• Free access to global on‑site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
• Career development and training opportunities

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.