Employee & Industrial Relations Manager, Human Resources Department

Employee & Industrial Relations Manager, Human Resources Department - 1 Mabledon Place, London

1 Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9AX

Up to £80,000 per annum DOE

Job Title:

Employee & Industrial Relations Manager

Department:

Human Resources

Location:

1 Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9AX

Contract /Hours:

Permanent, Full Time (40 hours per week), Hybrid

Salary range:

Up to £80,000 per annum DOE

About us:

Sonic Healthcare UK is part of Sonic Healthcare, one of the world’s leading healthcare providers, delivering pathology, radiology and primary care services across eight countries. We have operations in Australia, the USA, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand.

With over 3,500 employees across The Doctors Laboratory (TDL) and Health Services Laboratories (HSL), we provide high-quality diagnostic services to the NHS and wider healthcare sector. Through innovation, investment and clinical excellence, we are committed to improving patient care and delivering outstanding healthcare outcomes.

Operating from our flagship laboratory facilities in London and Manchester, alongside hospital-based laboratories across the UK, we combine medical expertise, advanced technology and a people-focused culture to support high quality healthcare services nationwide.

About the role:

Make an impact where Employee & Industrial Relations truly matters

We are seeking an experienced and highly credible Employee & Industrial Relations Manager to join our HR team.

This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished ER/IR professional who thrives in a fast-paced, complex and evolving environment. You will play a key role in delivering expert employee and industrial relations support across the organisation, managing complex people matters, supporting organisational change, and helping to foster positive working relationships with employees, managers and trade unions.

Working as part of a collaborative and supportive HR team, you will bring strong technical expertise, sound judgement and a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach. You will be comfortable dealing with highly sensitive and complex issues, providing clear and commercially balanced advice that supports both organisational objectives and a positive employee experience.

The Role

As Employee & Industrial Relations Manager, you will lead on the provision of expert advice and guidance across a broad range of employee and industrial relations matters. You will take ownership of complex casework, build effective relationships with key stakeholders, and contribute to the development of employee relations strategy, policies and best practice.

You will play a pivotal role in ensuring employee relations matters are managed consistently, fairly and in accordance with employment legislation, organisational policy and best practice.

Key Responsibilities

You will:

• Act as the organisation's subject matter expert for Employee and Industrial Relations matters.
• Lead the management of complex and sensitive employee relations cases through to resolution, including Employment Tribunal proceedings.
• Provide commercially focused advice and guidance to managers and senior leaders on employment law, employee relations and industrial relations matters.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with recognised trade unions and employee representatives.
• Lead consultation, negotiation, and organisational change activity, ensuring constructive industrial relations outcomes.
• Identify and mitigate people-related risks while supporting organisational objectives.
• Develop manager capability, policies and best practice to foster a positive employee relations culture.
• Use data and insights to identify trends, inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement.

About You

We're looking for an experienced Employee & Industrial Relations professional who combines strong technical expertise with sound judgement, commercial awareness and the confidence to influence at all levels of the organisation.

You will ideally have:

• Significant experience in Employee Relations and Industrial Relations, preferably within a complex or unionised environment.
• Proven expertise in managing complex employee relations cases and Employment Tribunal proceedings.
• Strong experience of working collaboratively with recognised trade unions, including consultation and negotiation.
• Excellent knowledge of UK employment law and its practical application.
• The ability to build credibility quickly and provide clear, pragmatic advice to managers and senior leaders.
• Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• A solutions-focused approach, balancing legal risk, employee experience and organisational objectives.
• The ability to manage competing priorities and perform effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• CIPD qualification or equivalent professional experience.

Why Join Us?

You will be joining a high-performing, supportive and forward-thinking HR team that is committed to making a positive impact across the organisation.

This role offers the opportunity to work on a wide range of complex and interesting employee and industrial relations matters, partner with senior leaders, influence decision-making and contribute to the development of people practices that support organisational success.

If you are a highly capable ER/IR professional looking for a role where you can make a meaningful contribution, shape outcomes and be part of a collaborative and ambitious HR team, we would love to hear from you.

The postholder will act as the organisation's subject matter expert for Employee and Industrial Relations, providing leadership on complex case management, trade union engagement and employment law matters.

Benefits

• Training and development opportunities– supporting professional development
• Annual salary review-salary and progression are aligned to our internal transparent pay structure (Progression Plus), supporting career development and structured annual salary reviews
• Discounted gym membership– we have a corporate gym membership scheme with Better Gyms
• Cash healthcare plan– cash back on a variety of healthcare costs including dentist and opticians
• Sick Pay Entitlement– one month’s full pay and one month’s half pay after probation
• Permanent Health Insurance and Death in Service Cover
• Life Assurance– providing salary continuation for long term illness (six months qualifying period)
• Employee Assistance Programme– supporting staff wellbeing
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme– interest free loan for the cost of annual travel ticket
• Perkbox– Access to additional staff perks and benefits such as high street discounts
• Company Pension Scheme –company and staff contributions which increase with service
• Competitive annual leave allowance–24 days.
• Flexible working hours– we support and offer flexibility around shift patterns and working schedule

We respect and value the diversity of our staff and welcome applications from diverse communities.

PLEASE NOTE: WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CLOSE THIS VACANCY AT ANY TIME EVEN IF A CLOSING DATE IS SHOWN HERE OR IN ANY OTHER MEDIA