Lead HR Advisor, Global People Relations & Compliance New UK, Theale (Reading)

Why Choose Bottomline? Are you ready to transform the way businesses pay and get paid? Bottomline is a global leader in business payments and cash management, with over 35 years of experience and moving more than $16 trillion in payments annually. We’re looking for passionate individuals to join our team and help drive impactful results for our customers. If you’re dedicated to delighting customers and promoting growth and innovation - we want you on our team!

Department: HR

Reports To: Director, Global People Relations & Compliance

Location: United Kingdom

Job Family: People Relations / HR Compliance

Position Summary: The Lead HR Advisor, Global People Relations & Compliance is a senior, expert level individual contributor and the sole dedicated employee relations and employment compliance advisor. Reporting to the Director of Global People Relations & Compliance, the role drives the global employee relations and compliance agenda across the organisation’s core locations–the US, India, UK, Switzerland, and Kosovo–with a particular focus on the EMEA region. The role also provides guidance across additional jurisdictions as required, partnering with external legal counsel where appropriate.

Exercising significant autonomy, judgement, and influence, the role acts as the lead advisor to managers, senior leaders, and the global HR team on complex, high risk, and precedent setting ER matters. Operationally critical, the role owns day to day ER and compliance delivery, shapes standards and frameworks, actively manages organisational risk, and enables consistent, legally sound decision making through clear, practical guidance on local employment requirements and ongoing policy and process development.

Essential Job Functions:

• Lead Employee Relations
  • Act as the lead employee relations advisor for the UK and EMEA, providing authoritative guidance on complex and high‑risk matters including performance management, disciplinary action, grievances, absence management, and terminations.
  • Own the strategy, risk assessment, and recommended outcomes for complex and sensitive employee relations cases, exercising independent judgement within agreed parameters.
  • Support and, where appropriate, lead investigations into conduct, grievance, and compliance concerns, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally robust processes.
  • Escalate critical, high‑exposure, or precedent‑setting cases to the Director with clear analysis, options, and recommendations, enabling informed decision‑making.
• Employment Compliance & Risk Management
  • Proactively identify, assess, and manage employee relations and employment compliance risks across regions, partnering closely with the Director to mitigate legal, financial, and reputational exposure.
  • Monitor changes in employment legislation and case law across the UK and EMEA, interpreting impacts and advising on required actions, policy updates, and risk controls.
  • Act as a trusted subject‑matter expert on local employment requirements, ensuring consistent and compliant application of policies and practices globally.
• Global Standards, Policy & Process Ownership
  • Shape, maintain, and evolve global employee relations frameworks, standards, and decision principles used by HR teams across regions.
  • Lead or contribute to the development, review, and continuous improvement of global and local HR policies, employee handbooks, templates, and ER guidance documents.
  • Build and maintain practical ER toolkits, playbooks, and decision frameworks that translate legal and policy requirements into clear, actionable guidance.
• Global HR Enablement & Functional Leadership
  • Act as the primary operational owner of employee relations and employment compliance activity globally, serving as the first point of escalation for HR partners and managers.
  • Provide support to the global HR community on ER and compliance matters, operating as a centre of excellence resource.
  • Coach, guide, and upskill HR partners and team globally on complex ER issues, local legal requirements, and best practice approaches.
  • Deliver or support targeted training for HR teams and managers on employee relations capability, policy application, and risk awareness.
  • Independently prioritise and manage global ER and compliance workload, balancing competing risks, business needs, and regional demands.
  • Play a role in ad hoc HR and cross‑functional projects, bringing ER and compliance expertise to improve organisational effectiveness and risk management.
  • Analyse ER trends, themes, and root causes to inform policy, process, and capability improvements.
  • Support audits, compliance reviews, and corrective action plans, ensuring timely follow‑through and sustainable outcomes.
  • Maintain clear documentation, frameworks, and playbooks to ensure continuity, resilience, and scalability of the employee relations and compliance function.

Education and Experience:

• Significant experience in a senior or lead‑level HR advisory or employee relations role, with deep, hands‑on expertise across UK and EMEA employee relations.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and practical understanding of employment legislation across multiple EMEA countries.
• Proven experience advising on complex, sensitive, and high‑risk ER matters in a fast‑paced, international environment.
• BA degree and/or CIPD Level 7 qualification (or equivalent experience).
• Demonstrated ability to translate legal and policy requirements into pragmatic, business‑focused guidance.

Skills and Attributes:

• Highly credible advisor with the confidence and judgement to influence senior stakeholders.
• Proactive, solutions‑focused mindset with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Calm, decisive, and resilient under pressure, with the ability to manage ambiguity and risk.
• Exceptionally organised and detail‑oriented, able to balance complex casework and strategic priorities independently.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate risk, options, and recommendations.
• Comfortable operating autonomously while partnering closely with global HR leadership.
• Strong customer‑first orientation and professional presence.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

We welcome talent at all career stages and are dedicated to understanding and supporting additional needs. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating an inclusive and open environment for everyone.