Wrightbus
Employee Relations (ER) Lead
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Employee Relations Lead
The Employee Relations Lead is the organisation's subject matter expert for employee relations, providing specialist knowledge, guidance, and governance to ensure the consistent, fair, and legally compliant application of employment policies, procedures, and practices.
The role serves as the centre of excellence for employee relations, leading the development of policies, guidance materials, manager toolkits, templates, and training resources that build organisational capability and promote best practice. The post holder is responsible for monitoring legislative developments, emerging case law, and employment relations trends, translating these into practical guidance and knowledge-sharing across the People function and wider business.
The Employee Relations Lead provides specialist support and oversight for complex employee relations matters, acting as the escalation point for high-risk, sensitive, and business-critical cases. The role also ensures the quality, consistency, and compliance of employee relations investigations and formal processes, working closely with People Partners, Shared Services, and HR Operations teams to mitigate organisational risk and strengthen management capability.
Through expert advice, governance, coaching, and continuous improvement, the Employee Relations Lead promotes a positive employee relations culture and ensures the organisation remains legally compliant, commercially focused, and aligned to best practice.
Employee Relations & Advisory (25%)
- Act as the organisation's subject matter expert on employee relations matters.
- Provide specialist advice and guidance to People Partners, Lead People Partners, Shared Services teams, managers, and senior leaders.
- Support the resolution of complex employee relations issues through practical, legally compliant, and commercially focused advice.
- Interpret employment legislation, case law, and best practice to support business decision-making.
- Provide recommendations on complex disciplinary, grievance, capability, attendance, conduct, whistleblowing, and organisational change matters.
- Support senior leaders with employee relations risk management and decision-making.
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Complex Case Management (25%)
- Manage and oversee complex, high-risk, sensitive, and business-critical employee relations cases.
- Support cases involving significant organisational risk, potential litigation, senior employees, or complex procedural considerations.
- Provide guidance throughout investigations, hearings, appeals, and formal processes.
- Review evidence, case documentation, and proposed outcomes to ensure procedural fairness and consistency.
- Partner with the Head of HR Operations and legal advisers where specialist legal input is required.
- Ensure lessons learned from cases are incorporated into future guidance and training.
Employee Relations Governance & Quality Assurance (15%)
- Establish and maintain governance standards for employee relations processes across the organisation.
- Oversee the quality and consistency of Stage 1 investigations undertaken by Shared Services Advisors.
- Review investigation reports, hearing documentation, and formal correspondence to ensure compliance and quality standards are met.
- Conduct regular audits of employee relations cases and processes.
- Monitor employee relations trends, themes, and risks arising across the organisation.
- Identify opportunities to improve processes, decision-making quality, and organisational consistency.
- Act as a point of escalation where concerns arise regarding investigation quality or procedural compliance.
Policy Development & Legislative Compliance (15%)
- Lead the development, review, and maintenance of employee relations policies, procedures, and frameworks.
- Ensure policies remain compliant with relevant legislation and reflect organisational values and objectives.
- Monitor legislative developments, employment tribunal decisions, case law, and best practice trends.
- Review, update, and refresh employee relations guidance materials as required.
- Ensure policy changes are effectively communicated and embedded across the organisation.
- Support enterprise-wide compliance with employment-related obligations.
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Knowledge Management, Training & Capability Building (15%)
- Create and maintain employee relations toolkits, guidance documents, manager resources, templates, and supporting materials.
- Develop and deliver employee relations training programmes for managers, People Partners, and Shared Services teams.
- Create practical learning resources to improve management capability and confidence in people matters.
- Produce regular employee relations updates, newsletters, and briefings covering:
- Legislative changes
- Employment tribunal decisions
- Case law developments
- Internal trends and lessons learned
- Best practice guidance
- Build organisational knowledge and expertise in employee relations through proactive education and communication.
Employee Relations Resources & Documentation
- Own and maintain employee relations document templates and process documentation.
- Review and approve updates to:
- Investigation templates
- Hearing documentation
- Outcome letters
- Guidance notes
- Manager toolkits
- Employee communications
- Ensure consistency of language, content, and process across all employee relations documentation.
- Support the development of new resources that improve employee relations practice and manager self-service capability.
Essential Criteria
Demonstratable evidence of:
- Extensive ER case management experience
- Employment law knowledge
- Complex investigation experience
- Policy development experience
- Manager coaching and training
- Stakeholder influencing at senior level
- CIPD Level 5 or equivalent
- Governance and quality assurance experience
- Tribunal management experience
Desirable Criteria
- CIPD Level 7 or formal Employment Law Qualification
- Manufacturing environment experience
- Accredited mediation qualification
- Change and consultation experience
- ER Centre of Excellence experience
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