Employee Relations Lead (Trade Union Negotiator)

Positive Employment is currently recruiting for an Employee Relations Lead for our client, a local government organisation based in East London.

The organisation is seeking an experienced interim Employee Relations Lead with deep specialist knowledge of negotiating and consulting with trade union representatives within local government. The successful post holder will lead on resolving complex industrial relations matters, driving constructive engagement with trade unions and delivering pragmatic, evidence-based solutions that strengthen employee relations and support organisational change.

Alongside this, the post holder will lead a portfolio of complex employee relations cases, develop consistent approaches to ER decision making and support the continuous improvement of policies, procedures and practices to ensure compliance and reduce case escalation.

This is a high-profile role requiring a skilled employee relations professional who can operate confidently in a complex, unionised environment, working collaboratively with services, trade unions, senior leaders and legal colleagues to achieve positive workforce outcomes.

This role is a temporary contract with an initial contract length of 6 months with the possibility to extend. Hybrid working with 2–3 days in the office.

Duties and Responsibilities but not limited to:

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• Build and maintain effective, professional and collaborative relationships with recognised trade unions.
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• Lead and coordinate formal consultation and negotiation activities across the organisation.
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• Create and implement employee relations workflows, standard operating procedures and quality assurance processes to ensure consistency, compliance and best practice.
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• Lead the resolution of complex employee relations cases, industrial disputes and workforce issues in a timely and pragmatic manner.
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• Support major organisational change, transformation and restructuring programmes, providing expert employee relations advice throughout consultation and implementation.
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• Work with senior leaders to develop and deliver effective employee and industrial relations strategies.
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• Ensure compliance with collective consultation requirements, employment legislation, organisational policies and the ACAS Code of Practice.
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• Provide specialist advice and guidance to managers and HR colleagues on consultation, negotiation, employee relations and industrial relations matters.
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• Identify organisational risks and opportunities relating to workforce and trade union relations, developing and leading plans to manage these effectively.
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• Promote early resolution approaches and foster constructive partnership working with trade unions and key stakeholders.
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• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of employment policies, procedures and workforce initiatives.
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• Monitor employee and industrial relations trends, identify emerging risks and recommend improvements to policies and practices.
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• Produce high-quality reports, briefings and recommendations to support senior leadership decision-making.
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• Work collaboratively with HR, operational services and legal colleagues to strengthen employee and industrial relations across the organisation.
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Personal Requirements:

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• Significant experience managing relationships with recognised trade unions.
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• Extensive experience as a trade union negotiator with a proven track record of successfully resolving industrial disputes.
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• Ability to work at pace, using initiative to achieve compliant resolutions while maintaining positive trade union relationships.
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• Significant experience working within employee relations, industrial relations or workforce relations in a public sector environment.
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• Experience leading engagement and consultation with trade unions within a large, complex organisation.
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• Proven experience supporting organisational change, restructures and formal consultation processes.
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• Strong knowledge of employment law, collective consultation, industrial relations practice and trade union legislation.
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• Experience advising senior leaders on complex workforce and employee relations matters.
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• Experience leading formal negotiations and consultations with trade unions in politically sensitive environments.
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• Strong understanding of employee relations risk management.
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• Experience developing effective stakeholder relationships across a range of internal and external groups.
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• Excellent negotiation, communication and relationship-building skills.
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• Strong influencing skills with the ability to achieve positive outcomes in challenging situations.
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• Ability to manage conflict professionally, constructively and with sound judgement.
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• Strong political awareness and the ability to operate effectively within a complex organisational environment.
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Working Hours: 36 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

Pay: £762.31 per day

Please note this role is within the scope of IR35.