Employee Relations Specialist, EMEA - 12 Month Contract

Kinaxis; Ireland; Remote; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible vacation

Flexible work options

Well-being programs

Virtual fitness classes

Mentorship and career development

Recognition programs

Hackathons

Job summary

Kinaxis is seeking an experienced Employee Relations Specialist to provide expert ER support across the EMEA region, acting as a trusted advisor to managers, HRBP, and Legal. You will handle complex ER matters, support change initiatives, and ensure compliance with local employment laws across multiple jurisdictions.

The successful candidate will bring substantial ER experience, including knowledge of Works Councils and country-specific requirements, and will work with Legal, HR Partners, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Employment Relations, Labour Relations, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of Employee Relations experience supporting multiple EMEA countries.
• Demonstrated experience with Works Councils and consultation processes.
• Experience managing investigations, disciplinary matters, grievances, performance management, and terminations across EMEA.
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation across EMEA jurisdictions.
• Experience partnering with Legal, HR Advisors/Business Partners, and leaders on complex ER matters.
• Ability to analyze data and trends to identify ER issues and develop proactive solutions.
• Ability to work across time zones and cultures.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex employee relations casework across EMEA, including performance management, probation reviews and extensions, disciplinary matters, grievances, investigations, and terminations.
• Provide coaching and guidance to managers on complex employee relations matters, employment legislation, global and local HR policies, and HR processes.
• Support managers in navigating sensitive employee matters, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes.
• Conduct thorough, objective, and timely investigations into workplace concerns, policy violations, misconduct allegations, and employee complaints.
• Support the establishment of and ongoing collaboration with employee representative bodies, including Works Councils.
• Manage consultation activities and ensure compliance with local statutory requirements and employee representative obligations.
• Conduct country-specific legal processes as required.
• Guide leaders and employees through the accommodation process, ensuring equitable treatment and consistent application of policy and employment legislation.
• Identify trends and themes across employee relations activity and elevate complex or high-risk matters as appropriate.
• Support organizational change initiatives, restructures, acquisitions, workforce reductions, and business transformation activities.
• Partner with Legal, HR Business Partners, and business leaders on complex employee relations matters.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of employee relations processes, documentation, manager capability, and best practices across EMEA.

Skills

Communication

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Cross-cultural collaboration

Legal/compliance knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Job description

Are you looking to join an innovative, market-leading company where you can truly elevate your career? At Kinaxis we are serious about culture, we are serious about technology, we are serious about customers, and we are serious about not taking ourselves too seriously. If you are looking to be part of an incredible growth story, then we might just be the place for you!

In 1984, we started out as a team of three engineers. Today, we have grown to become a global organization with over 2000 employees around the world, 6 global office and a best-in-class HQ in Ottawa, Canada. As winners of several Top Employer awards globally, we are proud to work with our customers and employees towards solving some of the biggest challenges facing supply chains today.

Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain orchestration, powering complex global supply chains, and supporting the people who manage them. Our powerful, AI infused platform provides full transparency and visibility across end-to-end supply chains, enabling our customers to make faster, better decisions. We are trusted by renowned global brands to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. With more than 40,000 users in over 100 countries, we are expanding our team as we continue to innovate and revolutionize how we support our customers.

Location

This is a remote role. You can work from home and be located anywhere in Ireland or the United Kingdom. For Canada : Hybrid if based in Ottawa, remote for other locations in Canada

About The Team

The Employee Relations Specialist, EMEA is r esponsible for providing expert employee relations support across the EMEA region. Acting as a trusted advisor to managers, HR Business Partners, Legal, and key stakeholders, this role manages complex employee relations matters, supports organizational change initiatives, and ensures compliance with local employment legislation and consultation requirements across multiple EMEA jurisdictions.

The successful candidate will bring significant employee relations experience supporting EMEA employees and leaders, including practical knowledge of employee representative structures, Works Councils, consultation obligations, and country-specific employment requirements.

What you will do

• Manage complex employee relations casework across EMEA, including performance management, probation reviews and extensions, disciplinary matters, grievances, investigations, and terminations.
• Provide coaching and guidance to managers on complex employee relations matters, employment legislation, global and local HR policies, and HR processes.
• Support managers in navigating sensitive employee matters, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes.
• Conduct thorough, objective, and timely investigations into workplace concerns, policy violations, misconduct allegations, and employee complaints.
• Support the establishment of and ongoing collaboration with employee representative bodies, including Works Councils.
• Manage consultation activities and ensure compliance with local statutory requirements and employee representative obligations.
• Conduct country-specific legal processes as required.
• Guide leaders and employees through the accommodation process, ensuring equitable treatment and consistent application of policy and employment legislation.
• Identify trends and themes across employee relations activity and elevate complex or high-risk matters as appropriate.
• Support organizational change initiatives, restru ctures, acquisitions, workforce reductions, and business transformation activities.
• Partner with Legal, HR Business Partners, and business leaders on complex employee relations matters.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of employee relations processes, documentation, manager capability, and best practices across EMEA.

What we are looking for

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources , Business Administration, Employment Relations, Labour Relations, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of Employee Relations experience supporting multiple EMEA countries.
• Demonstrated experience with Works Councils, employee representative bodies, and consultation processes.
• E xperience managing EMEA-based investigations, disciplinary matters, grievances, performance management, probation management, and terminations.
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation and employee relations practices across EMEA jurisdictions.
• Experience supporting organizational change initiatives and restructures in EMEA.
• Experience partnering with Legal, HR Advisors/ Business Partners, and leaders on complex employee relations matters.
• Ability to analyze data and trends to identify potential employee relations issues and develop proactive solutions.
• Ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels within the organization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively interact with employees, managers, and senior leadership.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced organization and manage multiple priorities
• Ability to maintain a high level of discretion, confidentiality, and integrity
• Ability to work effectively across multiple time zones and cultures.

Work With Impact: Our platform directly helps companies power the world’s supply chains. We see the results of what we do out in the world every day, when we see store shelves stocked, when medications are available for our loved ones, and so much more.

Work with Fortune 500 Brands: Companies across industries trust us to help them take control of their integrated business planning and digital supply chain. Some of our customers include Lockheed Martin, Unilever, P&G, ExxonMobil, Cisco and more.

Social Responsibility at Kinaxis: Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee weighs in on hiring practices, talent assessment training materials, and mandatory training on unconscious bias and inclusion fundamentals. Sustainability is key to what we do and we’re committed to a long-term net-zero operations strategy. We are involved in our communities and support causes where we can make the most impact.

People matter at Kinaxis and here are some of the perks and benefits we offer, which may vary by location and employee:

• Flexible vacation and Kinaxis Days (company-wide days off)
• Flexible work options
• Physical and mental well-being programs
• Regularly scheduled virtual fitness classes
• Mentorship programs, training, and career development
• Recognition programs and referral rewards
• Hackathons

For more information, visit the Kinaxis website at www.kinaxis.com or the company’s blog at http://blog.kinaxis.com .

Kinaxis welcomes candidates to apply to our inclusive community. We provide accommodations upon request to ensure fairness and accessibility throughout our recruitment process for all candidates, including those with specific needs or disabilities. If you require an accommodation, please reach out to us at [e-mail]. This contact information is for accessibility requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

Kinaxis is committed to ensuring a fair and transparent recruitment process. We use artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the initial step of the recruitment process to compare submitted resumes against the job description to identify candidates whose education, experience, and skills most closely match the requirements of the role. After the initial screening, all subsequent decisions regarding your application, including final selection, are made by our human recruitment team. AI does not make any final hiring decisions.