JOB SUMMARY

Situated within the Global Employee Relations (ER) function—an HR Centre of Expertise—the role contributes to a small UK-based team that offers professional support on ER issues including change projects, grievances, disciplinary actions, and harassment cases. As the HR model undergoes strategic review to enhance sustainability, agility, and effectiveness, the role will work closely with the Head of ER Case Management within the ER Centre of Expertise to support organisational transformation and uphold ER standards.
This role reports to the Director of Employee Relations providing expert guidance on employee consultation, redundancy, and staff association matters, and collaborates with the Global Reward team on policies with contractual implications such as flexible working, maternity leave, and international assignments. The role also advises on and submits FCDO and Cabinet Office business cases related to settlements, enhanced redundancy, UK redundancies, and high-value exits. They also manage the relationship with the external reporting line provider (currently Navex) and line manage the ER Data Specialist, ensuring all internal and external data reporting requirements are met.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION

• Degree or certification in UK Employment Law

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

• The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Consultation Support: Provide expert guidance on UK and EWC consultations related to redundancies and policy changes.
Policy & Practice Review: Support development of non-concern-related policies and continuously review ER practices for legal compliance, relevance, and benchmarking.
Advisory & Approvals: Review and advise on novel, contentious, and non-contractual payments prior to internal and FCDO business case submissions; manage UK Cabinet Office approvals for redundancy schemes and high value exits.
Data Oversight: Ensure timely, accurate collation and analysis of ER data, identifying trends and maintaining consistency for internal and external reporting.
Hotline Management: Oversee the external hotline provider contract, ensuring effective triage of concerns in collaboration with Counter-Fraud, Safeguarding, and ER Case Management teams.

ROLE-SPECIFIC SKILLS

• Data Literacy: Applies data insights to guide decisions and improve practices.
• People Advocacy: Promotes an inclusive, wellbeing-focused culture and ensures ethical compliance while mitigating people-related risks.
• Execution Excellence: Delivers results through adaptive planning, practical problem-solving, and strong interpersonal collaboration.
  (Proficiency: Developing)