Group Head of Employee Relations - #148451

Right across infrastructure, there’s a requirement to not only maintain, but also renew and reimagine. Whatever stage you’re at in your career, with us you’ll have an opportunity to grow and develop. Delivering essential infrastructure services for life, while being safety first, and client and customer centric in a friendly, fun and respectful environment where you are encouraged to thrive.

Where will you be working?

As an organisation, there is little we don’t do and plenty to get involved in. Our Group Support roles are vital in making sure we can help over 11,000 people deliver essential infrastructure seamlessly across water, energy, transport and telecom.

Want to come and be a part of it?

What will you be doing?

As Group Head of Employee Relations this role will play a key role in managing and developing our strategic approach to modernise and further improve the employee relations environment.

You’ll develop, implement and oversee the newly created Group ER Centre of Excellence. This will include the management of the Employee Relations team from triage to complex ER casework including grievance, disciplinary, compliance investigations, performance related issues, alternative dispute resolution, absence, and ill-health retirement.

You’ll own and develop the Group ER strategy and related policies, systems and initiatives, ensuring best practice with internal/external governance and regulations.

This role also acts as the Business Partner for the Group Support functions.

What You’ll Bring

This opportunity is ideal for an experienced Head of Employee Relations with a strong background in business partnering. We’re particularly interested in professionals who have worked in both blue and white-collar unionised environments. In addition we are looking for;

• A great multi-tasker with the ability to influence using data and analytics and be an inspirational leader
• Significant experience of working in high-profile senior level roles. Demonstrable political awareness, diplomacy and discretion, able to work closely with senior stakeholders such as Board members, reconciling different views in sensitive areas
• Demonstrable experience of actively promoting and role modelling positive line management behaviours, setting effective objectives, encouraging and supporting individual and team development and promoting diversity and inclusion
• Proven ability to influence and inspire at all levels and across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Proven background of leading teams
• Provide adaptive, creative, and evaluative thinking to assess both business needs and operational capabilities
• Practical knowledge of ER software would be preferred
  
  

If you don’t meet all the criteria, we’d still love to hear from you — we value potential and the right mindset just as much as experience.

What’s in it for you?

We offer a range of benefits designed to support your life in and out of work, some of which include;

• Matched or contributory pension scheme
• Online GP service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Employee assistance programme
• My Rewards portal, access to 1000’s of retail discounts
• Life assurance
• Cycle to work, salary finance and give as you earn schemes
• Enhanced maternity, paternity leave and adoption leave
• Reward and recognition scheme
  
  

In addition, this role offers;

• Company car or allowance and fuel card with a range of EV and hybrid vehicles to choose from
• My Car Choice our salary sacrifice EV/ Hybrid car scheme
• Private health care and health care cash plan for you and your family
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Recommend a friend - get rewarded for introducing people to us!
  
  

About Us

We want to be an employer of choice and a great place to work, attracting diverse and talented people, who join us and make a difference. We’re one of the Top 100 UK companies actively supporting and recruiting army veterans. Our ENABLE inclusion networks bring together people who have a shared passion, to help create an environment where everyone belongs.

Our values help to shape our culture and how we work with one another. We recruit with these values in mind, to ensure your aspirations, and ways of working, align with ours.

• We’re responsible and go further for our people, clients, communities and the planet
• We’re open and seek new and better ways of exceeding expectations
• We’re together and as one team; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts
• We’re ambitious and embrace opportunity, to lead essential infrastructure services for life
  
  

Whether you’re a trainee, apprentice or graduate, or progressing through your career, our people benefit from industry recognised programmes, training and development.

It’s an exceptional time to be a part of M Group.

Please note: Occasionally, job adverts might be closed before the stated closing date. Do apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.

For certain roles, successful candidates will be subject to 3rd party background checks as part of the hiring process. Some roles require drug and alcohol testing as part of induction and onboarding.

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