Employee Relations Manager – 12 month contract (FTC)

Employee Relations Manager - 12 month contract (FTC)

Location: Hybrid / Colchester, UK
job type: Permanent / Full-time
Sector and subsector: Human Resources | Generalist Human Resources
Salary: Competitive salary

Affinia is the UK’s largest purpose-led, purpose-built Accountancy firm, focused on building stronger, more valuable relationships. With over 1,000 colleagues across the East, South East, London and the Midlands, we are dedicated to supporting our clients, colleagues and communities.

We advise businesses, public sector organisations, charities and individuals throughout the UK and internationally across six Service Lines - Accountancy & Advisory, Tax and Planning, Audit & Assurance, Corporate Finance, Payroll and Corporate Recovery. Our team also offer in-depth sector expertise across a number of sectors, ensuring our clientsreceive the best short to medium and long-term advice, tailored to them. We are committed to delivering excellence in every aspect of our work, adapting to the evolving technology and regulatory landscape while consistently exceeding client expectations. Our people are our most valuable asset. We are therefore committed to supporting our colleagues throughout their professional development, providing guidance and training at whatever stage of their career they join us.

Working across multiple offices and service lines, the role partners closely with People Business Partners and People Advisors, acting as the first point of escalation within the People team for employee relations matters. The Employee Relations Manager will provide pragmatic, commercially focused advice, ensuring cases are managed consistently, fairly and in accordance with employment legislation, ACAS guidance and company policy.

Purpose of the role:

The Employee Relations Manager is the business's employee relations specialist, responsible for leading on complex employee relations matters and providing expert advice across the organisation.

The role will independently manage a wide range of complex and high-risk employee relations cases, coach managers and People colleagues, identify organisational risk and promote best practice across the business. The Employee Relations Manager will escalate only the most significant or business-critical matters to the People Director.

Accountabilities:

Employee Relations

• Lead and manage a varied caseload of complex employee relations matters across the business, including disciplinary, grievance, capability, absence management, investigations, appeals, probation, flexible working, organisational change and redundancy.
• Act as the first point of contact for the wider People team on employee relations matters, providing expert advice and guidance before escalation to the People Director where required.
• Partner with People Business Partners and People Advisors to ensure employee relations matters are managed consistently and in line with company policy, employment legislation and best practice.
• Lead and support managers through formal employee relations processes, ensuring fair, consistent and legally compliant outcomes.
• Draft high-quality employee relations documentation including investigation reports, invitation letters, outcome letters, appeal outcomes, settlement correspondence and management recommendations.
• Identify legal, commercial and reputational risks, providing pragmatic recommendations that balance organisational needs with a positive employee experience.
• Support organisational change programmes, including restructures, redundancies, business reorganisations and consultation processes.
• Lead the employee relations aspects of business acquisitions and TUPE transfers, providing expert advice throughout the transfer process and ensuring compliance with the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations.
• Advise managers and the wider People team on TUPE obligations, including due diligence, employee liability information, consultation requirements, measures, changes to terms and conditions, and post-transfer employee relations issues.
• Support consultation meetings relating to acquisitions, TUPE transfers and organisational change, preparing documentation and ensuring legal compliance throughout the process.
• Work closely with integration teams to manage employee relations risks arising from acquisitions, harmonisation activities and business integration programmes.
• Support the preparation of Employment Tribunal responses, ACAS Early Conciliation matters and settlement negotiations where required, liaising with external legal advisers as appropriate.
• Escalate complex, high-risk or precedent-setting cases to the People Director with clear recommendations and risk assessments.

Coaching and Capability

• Coach managers to confidently manage employee relations issues in a fair, consistent and commercially focused way.
• Provide technical support and guidance to People Business Partners and People Advisors, developing capability across the wider People team.
• Deliver employee relations training and workshops to managers and People colleagues.
• Promote early intervention and informal resolution where appropriate.

Policy and Governance

• Ensure employee relations policies and procedures are applied consistently across all offices.
• Support the review, development and implementation of People policies in line with legislative changes and best practice.
• Maintain accurate case records and ensure appropriate documentation is retained.
• Monitor employee relations trends, identifying themes and recommending proactive solutions to reduce organisational risk.

Business Partnership

• Build trusted relationships with Partners, Directors and managers across multiple offices.
• Provide commercially focused advice that balances legal compliance with business needs.
• Work collaboratively with the wider People team to support organisational change, restructures, acquisitions and integration activity.
• Support Employment Tribunal preparation where required, including documentation, witness preparation and liaison with legal advisers.

Employee Relations Reporting and Insights

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee relations case data, ensuring all cases are appropriately recorded and tracked.
• Produce regular employee relations reports and dashboards, analysing trends across the business, including case volumes, themes, outcomes, timescales, absence trends and organisational risk.
• Identify recurring employee relations themes and provide insight and recommendations to the People Director and wider People team to support proactive interventions.
• Use employee relations data to inform policy development, manager training and wider people initiatives.
• Monitor key employee relations metrics and identify opportunities to improve consistency, efficiency and employee experience.
• Prepare reports and insights for senior leadership as required, highlighting emerging risks, trends and areas requiring attention.
• Ensure employee relations documentation and reporting complies with data protection requirements and internal governance standards.

Skills/Qualifications:

• Significant experience in an Employee Relations Manager, Employee Relations Advisor, Employee Relations Specialist or HR Business Partner role with a strong employee relations focus.
• Proven experience independently managing complex employee relations cases from initial advice through to conclusion.
• Excellent working knowledge of UK employment law, ACAS guidance and HR best practice.
• Experience managing high-risk grievances, disciplinary matters, appeals, investigations, capability processes and organisational change.
• Excellent report writing and letter drafting skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the confidence to advise senior managers and Partners.
• Ability to coach and develop managers in handling employee relations matters.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent judgement and the ability to balance legal risk with commercial outcomes.
• High levels of professionalism, integrity and confidentiality.
• CIPD Level 5 qualified or working towards Level 7.
• Experience within a professional services or multi-site environment.
• Experience supporting acquisitions, TUPE transfers or organisational change.
• Experience supporting Employment Tribunal claims.

Culture & Core Benefits:

At Affinia, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth. Alongside a flexible and inclusive work environment, we offer the following core benefits:

• Dress for your Diary Policy.

Applications will be reviewed after 1st Sept 2026.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Affinia is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion, or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, or maternity, or sexual orientation. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We

welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.

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