Employee Relations Lead - Leeds

at  DAC Beachcroft

Job Introduction
DAC Beachcroft has an exciting opportunity for an experienced, knowledgeable Employee Relations Lead (ER Lead) to join our Human Resources team on a full-time, permanent, hybrid basis in either our Bristol or Leeds office.
Reporting into the Head of HR Business Partnering, the ER Lead will be responsible for leading DACB’s Employee Relations activity in delivering advice and guidance on ER related matters. The successful candidate will work with the ER team and across the wider LLP HR team to drive early intervention and resolution, cultivating an inclusive working environment. This role would suit someone with significant Employee Relations experience, as well as experience working in a supervisory capacity.
We are a Disability Confident employer and guarantee to interview anyone with a disability, long term health condition or neurodiversity whose application meets the essential criteria for the role as set out in this advert. If this applies to you contact disabilityconfident@dacbeachcroft.com in confidence, quoting the reference number for this vacancy in the subject box of your email, and a member of the team will be in touch.
We are happy to talk flexible working and have in place a Flex-forward working scheme. We would encourage you to talk to us about our approach to flexible working during the hiring process if you would like to explore this further.

Main Responsibilities

• Leading and co-ordinating the activities of a team of ER Advisors, ensuring cases and queries are effectively responded to and resolved fairly, consistently and commercially, within a reasonable timeframe
• Guide the ER team, as subject matter experts, to deliver in line with legislation, best practice, case law and local policies, ensuring knowledge is shared and kept up to date. This is to enable them to coach and develop Line Managers to improve performance and create an engaging environment that promotes the right culture in line with our values
• Acting as an escalation point for particularly complex and high risk cases and change programmes, as well as managing some general case work to appropriately support levels of demand within the team
• Work alongside the HRBP’s and other key stakeholders on the proactive management of cases and the creation of prevention strategies
• Provide mechanisms for effective counsel and support to the team, particularly when handling cases which are complex or distressing
• Proactive use of the case management system to record and maintain accurate records on all referred ER cases
• Provide ER input to key projects and business initiatives as and when required, such as change changes linked to terms and conditions, restructuring and TUPE
• Know when and how to draw in experts (eg legal, mediation) and other professional advisors and specialists where appropriate
• Manage relationships with external suppliers and consultants, such as Occupational Health and People Pool, ensuring that they provide the support and advice required in an effective and timely manner
• Keep informed of legal and market practices in respect of ER and ensure all DACB policies and procedures are up to date and in line with current employment law, and ensuring line managers and the HR Team are up to date with any change in policy
• Share lessons learnt from all complex ER cases in order to support development of the team and leaders across the business
• Provide and deliver training, coaching and guidance on management topics as part of a drive to improve manager capability, encouraging early management of issues to avoid escalation and maximise performance
• Proactively analyse ER data to identify recurring trends and themes and derive insights that help shape relevant programmes and interventions
• Ensure all legislative reward reporting is completed accurately, alongside the HR Data and Systems team

The Ideal Candidate

• Significant experience of managing complex end-to-end employee relations cases, and a full knowledge of key ER processes is essential
• A CIPD qualification, or part qualification, is desirable but not essential
• Experience in people management, ideally in a team management or supervisory capacity
• Expert knowledge of UK employment legislation and evidence of change management and TUPE experience; knowledge of other jurisdictions also desirable
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, coaching and influencing skills, able to confidently and effectively communicate and collaborate with colleagues at all levels
• Able to evaluate commercial or financial risk, people implications and recommend action to mitigate where appropriate
• Capable of handling complex and difficult situations with thought, confidence and attention to detail
• Curious mindset; ability to challenge the status quo and propose and implement solutions
• Excellent presentation, written and communication skills
• Highly organised and able to prioritise workload and meet deadlines
• Ability to monitor, analyse and interpret data in order to influence key decisions
• Team oriented, flexible and enthusiastic with a positive and committed approach

About The Company
We’re a leading international legal business with over 3,000 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We’re market leaders in insurance, health and real estate but with a full-service offering, including growing Financial Services and Tech capabilities. We represent a wide range of clients – from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for nearly all of the top-20 UK and global insurers, we’re market leaders in the provision of strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to providers and commissioners in the health sector, and in real estate we advise all of the UK’s top-five housebuilders.
We are a fast-growing international business with offices around the globe. In addition to our 11 UK offices, we also have offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Milan, Rome, Singapore, Hong Kong, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Miami, plus a broad network of affiliations across the globe.

Main Responsibilities

• Leading and co-ordinating the activities of a team of ER Advisors, ensuring cases and queries are effectively responded to and resolved fairly, consistently and commercially, within a reasonable timeframe
• Guide the ER team, as subject matter experts, to deliver in line with legislation, best practice, case law and local policies, ensuring knowledge is shared and kept up to date. This is to enable them to coach and develop Line Managers to improve performance and create an engaging environment that promotes the right culture in line with our values
• Acting as an escalation point for particularly complex and high risk cases and change programmes, as well as managing some general case work to appropriately support levels of demand within the team
• Work alongside the HRBP’s and other key stakeholders on the proactive management of cases and the creation of prevention strategies
• Provide mechanisms for effective counsel and support to the team, particularly when handling cases which are complex or distressing
• Proactive use of the case management system to record and maintain accurate records on all referred ER cases
• Provide ER input to key projects and business initiatives as and when required, such as change changes linked to terms and conditions, restructuring and TUPE
• Know when and how to draw in experts (eg legal, mediation) and other professional advisors and specialists where appropriate
• Manage relationships with external suppliers and consultants, such as Occupational Health and People Pool, ensuring that they provide the support and advice required in an effective and timely manner
• Keep informed of legal and market practices in respect of ER and ensure all DACB policies and procedures are up to date and in line with current employment law, and ensuring line managers and the HR Team are up to date with any change in policy
• Share lessons learnt from all complex ER cases in order to support development of the team and leaders across the business
• Provide and deliver training, coaching and guidance on management topics as part of a drive to improve manager capability, encouraging early management of issues to avoid escalation and maximise performance
• Proactively analyse ER data to identify recurring trends and themes and derive insights that help shape relevant programmes and interventions
• Ensure all legislative reward reporting is completed accurately, alongside the HR Data and Systems tea