At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and develop a skilled team to enhance employee relations across the charity.
- Company: Join an award-winning charity dedicated to improving lives through great people management.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working hours, retail discounts, and a supportive wellbeing programme.
- Other info: Collaborative culture focused on continuous improvement and professional development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on workplace culture and employee experiences nationwide.
- Qualifications: CIPD qualified with experience in managing complex employee relations cases.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 60000 £ per year.
Be the trusted authority. Shape best practice. Make work better for everyone. At the heart of our charity is a belief that great people management enables great lives. We’re now looking for an experienced and values-driven Employee Relations Centre of Excellence Manager to play a pivotal national role in shaping how we manage, resolve, and learn from employee relations matters across England and Scotland.
This is an influential role where your expertise will directly support leaders, protect the organisation, and promote a culture of early resolution, fairness, and continuous improvement. This is a full time permanent role with presence at our head office in Widnes required at least once a week so our ideal candidate will be based within an hour's commute of our head office in Widnes.
What is "The Deal" for you?
- Flexibility: You can work your 37.5 hours over 4 days and enjoy a long weekend, or split the hours over 5 days to accommodate your other commitments.
- Pension: contributory pension scheme
- Benefits: retail discounts, holiday discounts, cycle to work scheme and travel discounts through our benefits app
- Best Lives Possible: You'll be working for an award winning charity who is passionate about ensuring our colleagues and the people we support lead the best lives.
- Development: We'll work with you to develop your career or to learn and experience new things. We're passionate about developing our people!
- Support: From our Employee Assistance Programme (available 24/7), financial support options, and wellbeing fund you'll have the support available to lead an easier (financial) life.
As our Employee Relations Centre of Excellence Manager, you’ll lead and develop a highly skilled ER Specialist team, drive improvements in service delivery, data quality and insight, and ensure our policies, frameworks and practices reflect the very best in UK employment law and sector standards.
You’ll be the primary escalation point for complex and high-risk ER cases, offering expert advice across disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence, performance management and appeals processes. Working closely with operational leaders, People Team colleagues, legal partners and external networks, you’ll help position the charity as a sector leader in employee relations, while fostering a positive, supportive and resilient organisational culture.
In this varied and high-profile role, you will be:
- Acting as the senior escalation point for complex and high-risk ER cases, ensuring timely, fair and legally compliant outcomes
- Leading, motivating and developing the ER Specialist team to deliver a high-performing, customer-focused advisory service
- Driving continuous improvement in ER processes, frameworks, documentation quality and service efficiency
- Analysing ER data and trends to provide clear insight, narrative reporting and recommendations to senior leaders
- Leading the development, review and implementation of ER policies and procedures aligned to our people strategy and values
- Monitoring and interpreting changes in employment legislation, ensuring compliance and risk mitigation
- Supporting and delivering ER projects and charity-wide initiatives that strengthen organisational capability
- Coaching and mentoring managers and colleagues to build confidence in early intervention and effective people management
- Representing the charity in external ER forums and networks, contributing to sector best practice and benchmarking
Our ideal candidate:
You’ll be a confident, credible ER professional who thrives in complexity and brings calm, clarity and fairness to challenging situations.
Essential experience and knowledge:
- CIPD qualified (or degree equivalent) with evidence of continuous professional development
- Experience of leading teams
- Extensive experience managing complex Employee Relations caseloads
- Strong, up-to-date knowledge of UK employment law and best practice
- Proven experience influencing and advising senior stakeholders
- Policy development and review experience
- Experience designing and delivering ER or people-management training
- Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data and trends to inform decisions
- Experience leading HR or ER projects and contributing to change initiatives
- Confident user of HR systems and digital platforms
Skills and personal attributes:
- Excellent conflict resolution, coaching and influencing skills
- Highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and deadlines
- Clear, adaptable communicator who can explain complex issues simply
- Resilient, empathetic and solution-focused
- Strong sense of integrity, fairness and discretion
- Flexible and adaptable in a dynamic, national organisation
Previous people leadership experience is desirable, but above all we’re looking for someone who can lead through expertise, credibility and values.
Why join us?
- A genuinely meaningful role with national reach and real organisational impact
- The opportunity to shape ER strategy and best practice across a large, values-led charity
- Collaborative, supportive people culture with a strong focus on continuous improvement
- Hybrid working with infrequent national travel
- The chance to use your expertise to make work fairer, safer and more positive for thousands of colleagues
If you’re passionate about employee relations, confident handling complexity, and motivated by making a positive difference, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and help us create better experiences at work — for everyone.
Please note, if you are interested in this role, we welcome your application as soon as possible! Depending on the volume of applications received, the vacancy may be closed before the expected advertising end date.
We’re really proud to be a Hive HR Employee Voice Certified organisation, a recognition that confirms our commitment to creating a culture where our colleagues are not only encouraged to share their thoughts, but where this feedback is actively sought and acted upon to drive positive change at every level.
In our 2025 Colleague Engagement Survey, 59% (nearly 3,800) of our people shared their feedback and insights, giving us an incredible Employee Net Promoter Score of +34. The Employee Net Promoter Score is a measure of how willing our colleagues are to recommend us as a good place to work to their loved ones – and a score of +34 is considered a Very Good score when compared to global benchmarks set by hundreds of other organisations.
Locations
Employee Relations Centre of Excellence Manager in Cheshire, Warrington employer: Community Integrated Care
Join a values-driven charity that prioritises great people management to enhance lives. As an Employee Relations Centre of Excellence Manager, you'll benefit from a flexible working environment, a supportive culture focused on continuous improvement, and numerous development opportunities. With a commitment to employee wellbeing and a strong emphasis on fairness and integrity, this role offers the chance to make a meaningful impact across England and Scotland while being part of a collaborative team dedicated to creating better work experiences for all.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Employee Relations Centre of Excellence Manager in Cheshire, Warrington
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, or even reach out on LinkedIn. The more people you know, the better your chances of landing that dream job.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the charity's values and mission. Show us how your experience aligns with our goals. Tailor your answers to reflect our commitment to employee relations and making work better for everyone.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Do mock interviews with friends or family. This will help you feel more confident and articulate when discussing your experience and how it relates to the role of Employee Relations Centre of Excellence Manager.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after your interview! A simple thank-you email can go a long way. It shows us that you’re genuinely interested in the position and appreciate the opportunity to chat about how you can contribute to our mission.
We think you need these skills to ace Employee Relations Centre of Excellence Manager in Cheshire, Warrington
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion:Let your enthusiasm for employee relations shine through in your application. We want to see how your values align with ours and how you can contribute to making work better for everyone.
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV highlights your relevant experience and skills that match the job description. We love seeing how you've tackled complex ER cases and led teams, so don’t hold back!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to tell us why you're the perfect fit for this role. Share specific examples of your achievements and how they relate to the responsibilities outlined in the job description.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity to make a real impact.
How to prepare for a job interview at Community Integrated Care
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you brush up on UK employment law and best practices in employee relations. Being able to discuss recent changes or trends will show that you're not just knowledgeable but also passionate about the field.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've led teams or projects in the past. Highlight your experience in coaching and mentoring others, as this role requires someone who can inspire and develop a high-performing team.
✨Be Ready for Complex Scenarios
Think through some complex ER cases you've handled before. Be prepared to discuss your approach to resolving these issues, focusing on fairness and compliance, which are key values for the charity.
✨Engage with Their Values
Familiarise yourself with the charity's mission and values. During the interview, express how your personal values align with theirs and how you can contribute to creating a positive workplace culture.
