Employee Relations Manager

Employee Relations Manager

Department: HR

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: UK (Home based)

Compensation: £65,000 - £70,000 / year

Description

About us
We are Digital Science and we are advancing the research ecosystem. We are a pioneering technology company, and our vision is of a future where a trusted and collaborative research ecosystem drives progress for all. We believe in better, open, collaborative and inclusive research. In creating the next generation of tools and working in partnership with the community we tackle some of the biggest challenges to research. In order to achieve our vision, we need innovative, inspiring and dynamic people to join our team. Want to join us?

Your new role

This is a critical new role that is responsible for developing and shaping our global employee relations strategy and setting up and leading a specialist employee relations function that enables the business to manage and resolve complex employee relations issues.

You will be strategic and operational providing hands on expert advice to managers and the People team on employee relations matters, and being involved in investigations and case management. You will need to ensure that we treat people consistently and fairly, and that we have an appropriate attitude to risk management in this important area. 

You will manage relationships with external legal advisors across the 8 countries where we have employees and locations where we employ people through an Employer of Record  to support you with local expertise and working closely with our internal Legal team.

You will be responsible for developing and maintaining exciting, engaging, inclusive and leading edge people policies that delight and surprise our employees, and for communicating and bringing to life those policies in Digital Science. 
 
As our Employee Relations Manager, you will be part of our dynamic, capable, fun and growing global People team. We work across the global business delivering people operations and services and enabling the achievement of our strategy through people, organisation, talent and learning interventions. We are on a growth trajectory so the expectation is that over time you will be able to build and shape a team to deliver excellent employee relations and policy development and maintenance.
 
We have grown rapidly to 700 employees, primarily through acquisition, and we are continuing our high growth journey. To operate successfully and have impact here you will need to meet the organisation, culture and leaders where they are now in order to get us where we need to be. This takes strategic thinking and tactical implementation. We are looking for agility, flexibility and pragmatism as well as a consistent focus on the end goals.

Join us to make a difference in an organisation that makes a difference!

What you’ll be doing

Strategy and Process Management:

• Develop and implement employee relations strategies that align with company goals and values, and risk appetite.
• Establish and manage consistent and robust processes for handling employee relations issues, ensuring consistency and fairness.

Case Management:

• Advise and support line managers in the management and resolve complex employee relations issues, including grievances, disciplinary actions, and conflict resolution.
• Set-up, support and enable policies and approaches for conducting thorough and impartial investigations into employee complaints and concerns.
• Provide guidance and support to managers and employees on employee relations matters and work in partnership with the wider people team to build line manager skills and capabilities in this area

Policy and Handbook Management:

• Enable the development and implementation of exciting, inclusive, leading edge HR policies that delight and surprise our employees, and lead on effective communication including the maintenance employee handbooks.
• Ensure that policies are aligned to our talent strategy as well as up-to-date, compliant with local and global regulations, and effectively communicated to all employees.

Compliance and Best Practices:

• Ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations, as well as relevant global standards.
• Stay informed about changes in employment law and best practices in employee relations.

Training and Development:

• Ensure the delivering of training on employee relations topics, such as conflict resolution, performance management, and policy adherence through a combination of in-house delivery and working with partners
• Coach and mentor managers on handling employee relations issues effectively

Data Analysis and Reporting:

• Analyse employee relations data and trends to identify areas for improvement and recommend solutions.
• Prepare regular reports on employee relations activities and outcomes for senior management

What you’ll bring to the role

• A strong understanding of employee relations strategy and application in line with supporting an organisation to achieve their objectives 
• A strong understanding of employee relations regulations and practices across multiple countries
• Deep subject matter expertise in the application of employment law, HR policy and process gained through working in an Employee Relations function, in an HR business partnering role
• Ability to build strong relationships throughout the business and partner with the business and People team
• Demonstrable track record of effective policy development and implementation in line with business and talent strategy
• Knowledge and experience of documentation/ interview procedures for ER investigations
• Sound judgement and decision-making in the handling of sensitive employee matters
• Ability to assess risks with ER issues and take appropriate steps to achieve resolution of ER cases within the legal framework and in line with the company approach
• Client focused providing excellent customer service
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a high level of attention to detail
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage conflicting and demanding clients and priorities
• Ability to manage, organise and prioritise numerous objectives, projects, or activities simultaneously in a high-pressure environment
• Must be flexible in adapting to a dynamic, fast paced environment with a positive attitude and results driven
• Excellent interpersonal, analytical, and organisational skills are required in order to interact with all levels of management and employees
• Strong counselling and advisory skills balanced with influencing techniques

Our vision and values

We invest in, nurture and support innovative businesses and technologies that make all parts of the research process more open, efficient and effective. 
The talent we secure is fundamental to us achieving our vision and our growth plans. The values we live by are:
We are brave in the pursuit of better We are collaborative and inclusive We are always open-minded We are from and for the community 

We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status
Apply