Head of Employee Relations - North & Central England, Scotland & Wales (12m FTC)
Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits
Location: Manchester Store Support Centre - Field Based and Home, Manchester, M4 3AL
Contract type: Fixed-Term Assignment
Business area: Group HR
Closing date: 24 September 2024
Requisition ID: 250749
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Why join us
Joining Sainsbury's as the Head of Employee Relations (ER) offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in a multi-channel, multi-brand business. This role provides the chance to work collaboratively with stakeholders, lead a high-performing team, and shape the ER environment, while balancing risk management and commercial responsibilities. With a focus on ongoing development and continuous improvement, you will contribute to the success of the organisation by ensuring policy adherence, delivering consistent advice, and promoting a positive ER climate. Join us and be part of a dynamic and inclusive team dedicated to achieving outstanding results while fostering individual growth and professional excellence.
This is a field role covering our stores in North & Central England, Scotland and Wales.
What you'll do
As the Head of Employee Relations at Sainsbury's, you will be accountable for delivering expert advisory services and overseeing employee relations activities across all brands, channels, and business areas. Leading a field-based team of Employee Relations Specialists and Executives, you will manage high-risk, high-profile, and complex cases directly with line managers and leaders of the business. You will drive improvements in the employee relations environment, implement strategic action plans in high-risk locations, and partner with relevant directors and leaders to enhance employee relations at a zonal level. Your role will also involve providing support and advice to the Heads of People Partnering, coaching line managers in managing employee relations cases, and ensuring data-driven analysis to identify trends, patterns, and interventions for improvement. Additionally, you will oversee employment-related change activities, maintain a high-performing team, and ensure personal development to stay updated on relevant expertise and knowledge.
Who you are
As the Head of Employee Relations for Sainsbury's, you are a seasoned leader with a wealth of expertise in all aspects of human resources, with a specific focus on employee relations, employment law, and occupational health. Your strong understanding of operating within a complex HR policy environment enables you to provide expert advice and guidance to line managers and leaders, ensuring consistent adherence to policies and procedures. With your exceptional communication skills, you effectively break down complex information and communicate it clearly to stakeholders at all levels. Your ability to analyse data trends and identify appropriate interventions and resolutions drives continuous improvement in ER services. As a strong team leader, you maximise the effectiveness and capability of your team, fostering a culture of continuous development and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, efficient, and credible advice. Through your strategic decision-making and commercial acumen, you successfully balance the management of risk with business objectives, ultimately driving improved outcomes and minimising employment litigation.
What you need to know & show
Essential
- Strong expertise in all aspects of human resources and people management specifically employee relations, employment law, occupational health, employee consultation, immigration and right to work
- Expert understanding and grasp of how to operate within an environment of multiple HR policies and procedures
- How to lead a multi-site team with a specialist area of expertise
- A proven leader able to lead teams and manage stakeholders, optimising the effectiveness of the team and their capability now and for the future
- Excellent judgement – the provision of supporting advice that uses a combination of experience and sound technical expertise
- Excellent verbal and written communications – the ability to break down complex information and communicate simply across a range of stakeholders
- Strong commercial skills – balancing an environment of risk with commercial necessity
Desirable
- Good understanding of case management technology and how to maximise its use within a service delivery role
- Ability to identify trends, patterns and stories in data to extract appropriate interventions and resolutions to problems and to be able to present these in a way that is clear and credible with stakeholders
- Action-orientated with high energy, pace, agility, and pragmatism driven to deliver advice that is efficient, professional, and credible
We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them: Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 65% of salary, depending on how we perform (in cash and shares). Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday, and we provide private healthcare. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. You'll also receive a company car cash allowance unless you are going to travel 10,000 business miles in your role, then you'll be able to choose a car. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme. Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave. Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).