Honing a safe place. Lending a helping hand. Making a difference. 

Employee Relations Specialist

£32,000 - £39,000 per annum + benefits

Reports to: Employee Relations Manager

Directorate: Chief Operating Office

Contract: 12 month fixed-term contract

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week - we are open to discussing compressed hours and part-time options (minimum of 21 hours per week)

Location: Stratford, London. Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship. 

Closing date: 01 October 2024 23:55

This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. If you require more time to apply as part of a reasonable adjustment, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

Recruitment process: One competency-based interview and one scenario task-based interview (situational judgement)

Interview date: From the week commencing 07 October 2024

How do I apply? We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we’re looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you.

This is an opportunity to join Cancer Research UK’s newly created and growing Employee Relations (ER) Team of 8 which was launched earlier this year as part of our Sustain Strategy and HR Ops Plan. The ER team (and wider HR department) play an essential role in engaging and inspiring Cancer Research UK’s large and dynamic workforce of over 600+ shops and 2,500+ office staff across the UK by delivering operational transformation, governance, and an employee experience that enables us to be an inclusive, sustainable, and agile organisation.

As an Employee Relations Specialist, you will manage and advise on a diverse range and high volume of ER cases across Cancer Research UK (such as performance management, conflict resolution, ill health, grievance, and disciplinary). This will involve supporting line managers in creating an environment where employee concerns and conflicts are resolved compliantly while fostering effective communication channels to promote a culture of openness, trust, and mutual respect.

Your legacy by the end of this contract, will be to have played a crucial role in building the ER team and processes. Furthermore, you will have a positive impact on Cancer Research UK’s employee experience, ultimately creating an environment where our people feel they belong and are better enabled to deliver the charity’s lifesaving work. If you are an experienced Employee Relations and/ or Human Resources Advisor with a background in medium to large-sized organisations while managing a high volume of ER cases, we would love for you to join our mission.

What will I be doing?

• Providing expert advice, coaching, and development to managers across the organisation to resolve all ER cases (such as performance management, conflict resolution, ill health, grievance, and disciplinary) effectively and in line with legislative requirements and Cancer Research UK’s policies and procedures.

• Supporting case managers to make sound unbiased decisions ensuring colleagues are treated in a human way through robust, credible ER advice and support.

• Collaborating with colleague representatives and case managers to ensure that all cases are resolved efficiently ensuring to mitigate organisational risks in everything we do.

• Mediating and facilitating conflict resolution between parties by promoting open communication, mutual understanding, and constructive dialogue to resolve informally and amicably wherever possible.

• Accurately recording and maintaining case information ensuring that all case-associated paperwork is of a professional standard and meets GDPR and data protection regulations.

• Identifying opportunities to improve business processes and approaches and collaborating with colleagues across HR and the wider organisation to implement these.

What are you looking for?

• Experienced Employee Relations and/ or Human Resources Advisor (or equivalent) with a background in medium to large-sized organisations.

• Background in managing a high volume of ER cases with strong attention to detail, organisation, and prioritisation skills.

• Thorough knowledge of employment laws, regulations, and best practices related to employee relations.

• Strong understanding of HR policies and procedures, disciplinary and grievance processes, and employee engagement strategies.

• Has coached case managers to conduct investigations and manage employee relations cases with sensitivity, confidentiality, and impartiality.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to effectively interact and build relationships with employees at all levels of the organisation.

• Ability to provide practical, solution-oriented advice and guidance to employees and management on employee relations matters.

• Strong problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills with the ability to remain calm and composed in challenging situations.

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination  

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism   

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people  

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we’d still love to hear from you.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

Additional information

If you want to know more about this role, here is a full job description. Please note this is a generalist profile used for internal & external purposes meaning we don’t expect candidates to meet all the criteria included (we will be shortlisting based on the criteria advertised).

For more information about working with us please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].  

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact [email protected] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.