Employee Relations Manager

Salary: c. £100,000 plus bonus and benefits

Middlemore has been retained by a highly regarded international financial services business to appoint an experienced Employee Relations Manager to join its People function. This is a newly created, senior-level appointment, offering the opportunity to become the organisation's principal Employee Relations subject matter expert, partnering closely with senior leadership, HR Business Partners and Legal.

Operating within a sophisticated, highly regulated environment undergoing significant transformation, the successful individual will play a pivotal role in navigating complex employee relations challenges, supporting organisational change and strengthening ER capability across the business.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an accomplished ER professional who combines sound judgement, gravitas and the confidence to independently manage sensitive, complex and potentially contentious situations.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Complex Employee Relations: Take ownership of high-risk and escalated ER matters, including grievances, disciplinaries, performance, conduct, capability, absence management and appeals.
• Organisational Transformation: Provide specialist ER expertise across significant change programmes, including restructuring, redundancy, collective consultation and TUPE.
• Commercial Risk Management: Partner with senior stakeholders, Legal and external advisers on complex disputes, settlement negotiations and potential litigation, balancing legal risk with commercial considerations.
• Policy & Governance: Strengthen HR governance, ensuring employment policies, processes and documentation remain robust, compliant and aligned with evolving legislation.
• Manager Capability: Develop the confidence and capability of managers to address employee relations challenges proactively, reducing risk and encouraging earlier resolution.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify emerging ER trends, monitor case activity and help shape a more proactive, consistent and effective approach to employee relations.

About You

We are particularly interested in speaking with experienced Employee Relations specialists who have significant experience managing complex ER matters from end to end, ideally gained within financial services.

• Strong technical knowledge of UK employment law, with demonstrable experience of redundancy, collective consultation and ideally TUPE.
• A proven ability to manage sensitive, high-risk cases and appeals, exercising sound judgement in challenging circumstances.
• The credibility and confidence to influence, advise and constructively challenge senior stakeholders.
• A commercially pragmatic mindset, recognising that the most effective resolution is not always the most legally confrontational.
• The ability to balance technical expertise with empathy, discretion and excellent stakeholder management.
• A genuine interest in building manager capability and improving ER practices, rather than simply managing cases as they arise.

If you are an experienced Employee Relations professional who enjoys navigating complexity, influencing senior stakeholders and delivering commercially sound outcomes, we would welcome a confidential conversation.

#J-18808-Ljbffr