Employee Relations Manager

About the role

National Grid, we keep people connected and society moving. But it’s so much more than that. National Grid supplies us with the environment to make it happen. As we generate momentum in the energy transition for all, we don’t plan on leaving any of our customers in the dark.

 So, join us as a Employee Relations Manager and find your superpower.

National Grid is hiring a Employee Relations Manager to be accountable for the delivery of Employee Relations front line service, which is customer focused and responsive through provision of professional guidance, risk based advice, support and coaching to Line Managers when managing cases arising from the application of people policies and practice. 

As an Employee Relations Manager you will lead the team of Employee Relations Specialists, Advisors and Coordinators to provide Employee Relations policy and guidance in all Employee Relations case management activity.  Includes providing coaching and risk based advise to managers across the NGED business unit.

The role involves  overseeing  the management of the Case Management training programme for the business ensuring accessible and relevant training is provided to manager across the business.

We offer flexible hybrid working arrangements. We’d hope to see you in our Bristol office one or 2 days a week, or alternatively we have base sites in Birmingham, Cardiff, Birmingham, Worchester if these locations are nearer,

There also may be some adhoc travel to different sites.

What you'll do

• Act as a trusted advisor, able to pragmatically advise on complex ER issues, ensuring best practice, compliance and risk profiled advice is given
• Provide employee relations support and advisory services on all aspects of ER. Support, coach and advise managers in the resolution of ER issues - disciplinary, performance management, employee grievances and appeals etc.
• To lead the team of Employee Relations Specialists, Advisors and Coordinators to provide Employee Relations policy and guidance in all Case Management activity and to act as a point of escalation for complex cases
• Promote a learning & sharing environment within the team ensuring an effective and supportive environment and support personal development.
• Drive consistency of process and continuous process improvement to ensure a responsive case management advisory service to customers who use the service
• Develop and enhance the in-house Employee Relations approach across the business including; improving processes, developing policies and generating innovation regarding Employee Relations matters.
• Provide specialist advice and coaching to managers and employees to implement Employee Relations processes and policies, ensuring there is alignment and consistency across the organisation
• Manage and shape data. Oversee the tracking of employee relations progress against agreed metrics, recommending areas for improvement and identifying solutions as necessary.  Provide insight and trend information and initiate change initiatives where appropriate.
• Design, deliver and evaluate training programs to build up employee relations capability for both operations and the people function.
• Partner with the legal department and external legal advisors to solve complex ER issues and keep abreast of the changing legal landscape to ensure these are effectively implemented into company policies and procedures
• Lead protected conversations, draft and negotiate Settlement Agreements, including supporting Managers and HR Business partners in their discussion, determining the merits of each case and the risk to the business; ensuring governance and leavers administration process is followed.  Interact with employee representative/ legal advisors as required.
• Contribute to employee relations project work or policy & process reviews as required.

What you'll need

• Well versed in leading, engaging and managing multiple people at different levels
• Employee Relations expert with Employee Relations experience gained within a unionised environment
• High level of technical employment law expertise regarding Case Management related matters.
• Experience of leading protected conversations, drafting, validating and negotiating Settlement Agreements
• Experience of conducting a range of formal hearings (e.g. disciplinary) up to and including dismissal and appeal
• Employment Tribunal experience
• Experience of drafting & implementing People policies  (e.g. Disciplinary, Grievance, Performance Improvement, Discrimination, Bullying & Harassment, Sickness Absence) that take account of legislative and business requirements and gaining stakeholder buy-in for change
• An understanding of external good practice i.e. ACAS requirements for such policies / processes
• Experience of facilitating and managing multiple complex hearings / case work up to and including dismissal
• Ability to work under pressure and deliver high quality work in a timely manner
• Ability to manage a disparate workload, multi-task and prioritise to offer a consistently high level of delivery
• Ability to effectively and proactively manage stakeholder relationships at all levels in association with case work
• Ability to build and sustain good working relationships with other COEs such as the investigations and ethics investigations team
• Ability to confidently challenge current ways of working and influence and encourage change
• Clear and confident communicator (verbal and written) with commercial acumen and ability to adapt communication style in given situations – e.g. in dispute conflict situations be able to deflate situations / move things forward appropriately
• Delivery & Customer focused
• Resilient and tenacious
• Team player focused on value creation.

What you'll get

A competitive salary between  £61,000- £76,000 per annum– dependent on capability.

As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus of upto 30% based on personal and company performance and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You will also have access to a number of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car and technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.

About us

National Grid is pioneering ways to decarbonise the energy system; from building interconnectors to allow the UK to share clean energy with our neighbours in Europe, to investing in renewable energy generation in the United States.
As one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world, National Grid is at the centre of a clean, fair and affordable energy future, where tackling climate change and reaching net zero is a key priority. 

More Information

This role closes on 24th April 2026 at 23:59, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary.