Bright Horizons
Employee Relations Advisor
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Job Title: ER Advisor (Employment Relations Advisor)
Duration: 9-12-month FTC
Hours: Full Time / 37.50 hours per week
Type: Some travel expected for meetings and to our HO in Northampton and office in London
Car / Full, clean driving licence essential
Closing Date: 7th August 2026 or as soon as a candidate is offered / All internal candidates need to attach a full and relevant CV for review
Purpose of the Role
Supports managers and employees by providing expert guidance on workplace issues, ensuring compliance with employment law and company policies.
- Collaborates with HR Business Partners, Legal team, Senior Managers and Line Managers.
Why Bright Horizons?
Our support functions enable our nurseries to deliver the best possible care and education to over 10,000 children across the UK. Through this support, our nurseries can deliver excellence – with 98% of our 270+ portfolio being rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. We’re on a mission to change the future for children, families, and the people we work with, and are committed to progressive working values like flexibility, work-life balance, and wellbeing.
What We Can Offer You
Our benefits include but are not limited to
- Flexible working and holiday entitlements
- Discounted childcare in one of our nurseries
- Quarterly Employee Appreciation Weeks
- Annual gala award evening
- Fantastic range of discounts on high street retailers, grocery stores, cinema tickets, holidays and more
- Wide range of wellbeing resources, supporting our teams for the ups and downs of daily life
Key Tasks and Responsibilities
- Provide expert advice on effective handling of employee relations including investigations, disciplinaries, performance management, grievance, absence, HR policies, and processes
- Coach and develop managers to manage ER issues confidently and fairly
- Ensure compliance with employment law, internal policies, and procedures
- Support organisational change such as restructures, redundancies, and redeployments
- Use HR KPI data proactively to focus attention on priority issues within settings to mitigate risk
- Manage cases by ensuring prompt and effective resolution or triaging to the relevant HR area of expertise
- Collaborate with HR teams to align ER practices with broader people strategies.
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Responsible For:
- Providing advice and guidance to managers and employees in line with policies procedures and legislation
- Support with training and coaching Operations teams in ensuring high quality implementation of policies and procedures.
- Tracking and closing all cases in line with agreed Service Level Agreements
- Identify trends and suggest process improvements and or additional training and coaching requirements.
- Taking responsibility for own personal and professional development and keep current on legislative changes.
Essential Experience
- Managing a high volume and complex employee relations caseload
- Strong knowledge of UK employment law, and HR best practices
- Handling complex cases independently or with minimal supervision.
- Multi-site experience
- Significant experience of diverse employee relations cases
- Coached managers on HR processes and in particular investigations, grievances, disciplinaries, performance improvement, and health and wellbeing
- Translated policy into sound advice to keep the business safe and compliant (reworded to be experience not an attribute)
- Evidence of continuous professional development e.g. HR Qualification / CIPD
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Desirable Experience
- Have insight into the industry.
- HR advisory role in nursery sector
- Business Coaching Qualification
Personal Attributes
- Analytical thinking to assess risk and recommend solutions.
- Excellent influencer and effective communicator (oral and in writing)
- Highly motivated and driven, achieving positive impact and meeting deadlines
- Works well under pressure and able to prioritise workload
- Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment - a calm approach and ‘can-do’ attitude
- Ability to manage sensitive situations with discretion and professionalism.
- Excellent customer service skills
- Able to use data to effectively identify trends, risks, to inform decisions and measure impact
- Ability to travel within the UK; flexibility to work at home or from a Support Centre office as required, with overnight stays as necessary
Bright Horizons is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. This post is subject to safer recruitment practice and pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check, which will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.
We are an inclusive employer and welcome people from all ages and backgrounds to apply. We will consider reasonable adjustments required by applicants.
Proud to be a Great Place to Work for 20 years. Apply today!
We look forward to receiving your application.
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