Employee Relations Specialist

Employee Relations Specialist (12-Month Fixed-Term Contract)

Location: Leicester (Hybrid Working)

Contract: 12-Month Fixed-Term Contract

Division: Infrastructure Division

Reporting to: HR Business Partner Lead (or HR Director)

About Our Client

Our client is a global provider of testing, inspection, certification and compliance services, supporting a diverse portfolio of specialist businesses across multiple sectors.

Operating through a decentralised business model with a strong entrepreneurial culture, the organisation combines the scale and opportunity of an international group with the autonomy and specialist expertise of its individual businesses.

This opportunity sits within one of its key UK divisions, supporting a number of operating businesses working under a common set of people policies and procedures.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Employee Relations Specialist to join our client on a 12-month fixed-term contract.

This is a highly visible, commercially focused role responsible for driving improvements in absence management, reducing employment-related risk and supporting managers in the effective resolution of employee relations matters.

Working closely with divisional leadership and HR stakeholders, you will lead on a varied ER caseload while delivering measurable improvements in absence rates, manager capability and case resolution outcomes.

This role offers the opportunity to make a significant commercial impact within a friendly, pragmatic and down-to-earth HR team, supported by dedicated HR administration resources.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations Case Management

• Manage a broad range of employee relations cases across multiple businesses.
• Provide expert advice and guidance across absence management, wellbeing-related cases, disciplinary matters, grievances, appeals and performance-related issues.

Absence Reduction & Performance Improvement

• Lead initiatives aimed at reducing absence levels across the division.
• Analyse absence trends and identify opportunities for intervention and improvement.
• Partner with operational leaders to implement practical absence management strategies.
• Deliver measurable cost savings through improved attendance management.

Manager Capability Development

• Build management capability across employee relations and attendance management processes.
• Coach and support managers to confidently handle first-stage absence meetings and other ER processes.
• Develop and deliver training, guidance materials and practical tools.
• Establish and track capability metrics to demonstrate improvements in manager effectiveness.

Reporting & Commercial Impact

• Maintain accurate ER case records and management information.
• Track case volumes, closure rates, outcomes and key performance metrics.
• Produce regular reporting for divisional leadership.
• Demonstrate clear return on investment and business impact through measurable outcomes.

Success Measures

• The successful candidate will be expected to deliver tangible and measurable outcomes, including:
• Deliver measurable reductions in absence-related costs through improved attendance management.
• Effective management and closure of an average caseload of approximately 20 employee relations cases per month.
• Improved ER process consistency and case resolution metrics.
• Demonstrable improvements in manager capability across absence and employee relations management.

About You

Essential Experience

• Proven experience in a dedicated Employee Relations role.
• Strong track record of managing complex ER cases from start to finish.
• Experience supporting both blue-collar/operational and professional employee populations.
• Strong absence management expertise, ideally with evidence of delivering measurable improvements.
• Excellent knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
• Experience using HR metrics and data to demonstrate business impact.
• Ability to influence, challenge and coach managers at varying levels of experience.
• Strong organisational and stakeholder management skills.
• Comfortable working within a fast-paced, operational environment and adapting your communication style to different managers and senior stakeholders.

Desirable

• CIPD qualification or equivalent experience.
• Experience working across multi-site or decentralised organisations.
• Experience within industrial, infrastructure, engineering, manufacturing, services or similarly operational environments.

Why Join?

• Opportunity to make a genuine commercial impact within a growing international organisation.
• Exposure to a broad and varied ER remit.
• Opportunity to take ownership of meaningful improvements in absence and manager capability.
• Collaborative and supportive HR team environment.
• Hybrid working model based in Leicester.
• Access to dedicated HR administration support, allowing you to focus on value-added ER activity.