Employee Relations - Senior Manager

PwC; Dublin; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

PwC Ireland seeks a Senior Manager to provide specialist expertise and leadership on complex employee relations matters. You will partner with senior leaders and People partners to strengthen fair ER practice, support risk management, and build ER capability across the firm. The role contributes to a positive employee experience aligned with our Grow here.

Go further. value proposition. The role involves developing ER strategies, overseeing investigations, and advising on change and

Qualifications

• Significant employee relations experience (10+ years).
• Experience managing complex and sensitive ER cases from start to resolution.
• Strong knowledge of Irish employment law and fair procedure.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including senior briefings.
• Strong coaching and facilitation skills.
• Ability to balance fairness, risk and business needs in high-pressure situations.
• High integrity and discretion with confidential information.
• HR qualifications (CIPD advantageous).

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of ER policies and governance frameworks.
• Act as senior escalation point for complex, sensitive ER matters.
• Manage ER cases from initial assessment to resolution.
• Oversee complex workplace investigations with fair processes and robust reports.
• Develop case strategies and maintain confidential documentation.
• Promote early intervention and informal resolution where possible.
• Partner with internal legal teams and external counsel as needed.
• Provide senior stakeholders with clear risk assessments and recommendations.
• Lead ER input to organisational change and restructuring.
• Design ER guidance, toolkits, playbooks and learning for leaders.
• Monitor Irish employment law developments and translate to policies.
• Analyse ER data to identify trends and risks for preventative action.

Skills

Employee relations

Stakeholder management

Investigations

Policy governance

Communication

Education

HR degree or equivalent

CIPD qualification

Job description

Line of Service

Internal Firm Services

Industry/Sector

Not Applicable

Specialism

IFS - Human Capital (HC)

Management Level

Senior Manager

Job Description & Summary

The purpose of the role is to provide specialist expertise and leadership on complex employee relations matters across PwC Ireland. Working in partnership with senior leaders, managers, People Business Partners and People & Culture colleagues, the role will strengthen consistent, fair and effective employee relations practice, support sound risk management and build ER capability across the firm. The role will contribute to a positive employee experience aligned with our People Value Proposition, “Grow here. Go further.”

The purpose of the role is to provide specialist expertise and leadership on complex employee relations matters across PwC Ireland. Working in partnership with senior leaders, managers, People Business Partners and People & Culture colleagues, the role will strengthen consistent, fair and effective employee relations practice, support sound risk management and build ER capability across the firm. The role will contribute to a positive employee experience aligned with our People Value Proposition, “Grow here. Go further.”

Responsibilities will include:

• Lead the development and implementation of the firm’s employee relations approach, policies, governance and frameworks, ensuring alignment with business priorities, Irish employment legislation and good practice.

• Act as the senior escalation point for complex, sensitive and higher-risk employee relations matters, providing expert advice, constructive challenge and oversight to senior leaders and People Business Partners.

• Lead and manage complex employee relations matters from initial assessment through to resolution, including grievances, disciplinary matters, performance concerns, dignity at work matters, absence-related cases, appeals and employee exits.

• Lead or oversee complex workplace investigations, ensuring clear terms of reference, fair and robust processes, evidence-based findings and high-quality reports.

• Develop appropriate case strategies and maintain accurate, confidential and robust documentation to support procedurally fair, consistent and evidence-based decisions.

• Promote early intervention and informal resolution where appropriate, while ensuring formal processes are followed when required.

• Partner with the internal legal team and, where appropriate, external employment counsel, retaining ownership of the employee relations and people-management aspects of cases and escalating legal risk when required.

• Provide senior stakeholders with clear and balanced assessments of key issues, risks, options and recommendations, applying sound judgement across employee experience, fairness, business needs, precedent and reputation.

• Lead or provide specialist ER input to organisational change and restructuring, including consultation, communications, role changes, transfers and changes to terms and conditions.

• Design and deliver ER guidance, decision frameworks, toolkits, playbooks and learning, and coach leaders, managers and People Business Partners to strengthen capability and consistency.

• Monitor developments in Irish employment law and employee relations practice, translating these into practical implications for the firm’s policies, processes and ways of working.

• Analyse ER case data, trends and recurring themes to identify systemic issues, capability gaps and areas of risk or opportunity, recommending preventative and continuous-improvement actions.

Requirements

• Significant employee relations experience (10+ years), gained in a specialist ER role or a senior HR/People role with substantial responsibility for complex employee matters.

• Demonstrable experience managing complex and sensitive ER cases from initial assessment through to resolution.

• Strong experience conducting or overseeing workplace investigations and producing clear, evidence-based reports and recommendations.

• Experience supporting organisational change and restructuring.

• Strong working knowledge of Irish employment law, employee relations practice and the principles of fair procedure, with the ability to translate these into pragmatic advice.

• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the credibility to advise and appropriately challenge senior leaders.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the preparation of investigation reports, senior stakeholder briefings, risk assessments and recommendations.

• Strong coaching and facilitation skills, with the ability to build capability and confidence in others.

• Excellent judgement in complex, sensitive and high-pressure situations, balancing fairness, employee experience, business needs, precedent and risk.

• High levels of integrity and discretion, with the ability to manage sensitive and confidential information appropriately.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong commercial awareness, personal ownership and commitment to continuous professional development.

• A relevant degree or equivalent professional experience in Human Resources, Employee Relations, or a related discipline.

• A relevant HR professional qualification, such as CIPD, would be advantageous.

Education (if blank, degree and/or field of study not specified)

Degrees/Field of Study required:

Degrees/Field of Study preferred:

Certifications (if blank, certifications not specified)

Required Skills

Optional Skills

Accepting Feedback, Accepting Feedback, Active Listening, AI Fluency, AI-Human Collaboration, Analytical Thinking, Business Partnering, Business Transformation, Career Development, Change Management, Coaching and Feedback, Co-Creation, Communication, Creativity, Data Analytics, Data-Driven Decision Making (DIDM), Data-Driven Insights, Digital Tooling, Embracing Change, Emotional Regulation, Empathy, Employee Experience, Employee Life Cycle, Executive Negotiation, Human Capital Initiatives {+ 38 more}

Desired Languages (If blank, desired languages not specified)

Travel Requirements

0%

Available for Work Visa Sponsorship?

No

Government Clearance Required?

Yes

Job Posting End Date