ER Specialist in Leicester

White Stuff was established in 1985 through a simple idea. This idea grew and now we have shops and concessions in the UK and internationally, selling women’s and men’s clothing as well as beautiful accessories and homeware. Our original prints (all designed in house), intricate details and considered design touches reflect our personality and make us subtly distinctive. Our people are at the heart of our brand, constantly moving and driving us forward. We’re sociable, talented and like-minded and we’re not hierarchical or political in how we do business. We encourage entrepreneurial ideas and accountability at all levels.

Who you are:

• Approachable with strong active listening skills, open-minded and empathetic, while able to remain firm and objective when required
• Driven, determined and resilient
• Practical and logical; able to assess risk and provide clear, balanced ER advice
• Exceptionally organised with strong administrative discipline
• Proven experience in an Employee Relations or HR Advisory role
• Personable with strong communication and relationship-building skills across all levels
• Confident coaching managers and building capability in people leadership

Primary objective of the job:

As an Employee Relations Specialist for our Leicester Distribution Centre and UK Retail shops, you will be responsible for delivering expert ER support across the business. You will partner closely with DC leaders and Retail Managers to ensure consistent, fair and legally compliant people practices. A key part of your role will be building manager capability, enabling leaders to confidently handle people matters and embed great people management habits. This is a hybrid role, based primarily at our Leicester DC with regular travel to Retail shops across the UK and to our Head Office.

What you’ll be doing:

• Partner with DC and Retail leaders to provide expert ER guidance, ensuring consistent and fair handling of cases including disciplinary, grievance, performance, absence and wellbeing
• Coach and upskill managers to build confidence and capability in handling people matters independently
• Act as the first point of contact for all ER queries, providing timely, pragmatic and commercially balanced advice
• Lead and manage ER cases end-to-end, ensuring accurate documentation, risk assessment and compliance with employment law
• Identify trends and themes across DC and Retail, using insights to recommend proactive interventions
• Support the development and enhancement of policies, processes and toolkits to ensure best practice
• Work closely with the wider People Team to ensure alignment, consistency and a seamless People service
• Support the People Advisors with ER-related administration and case tracking
• Deliver training sessions and workshops to DC and Retail managers on ER topics and people leadership
• Be the voice of our DC and Retail colleagues by listening, gathering feedback and sharing insights with the wider business

What you’ll need:

• Strong operational ER experience, with confidence managing a wide range of cases
• Experience coaching and developing managers to build people leadership capability
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills
• Commercial acumen and the ability to balance risk with business needs
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence at all levels
• Solid IT skills and comfort working with systems, trackers and case management tools
• Ability to translate People strategy into practical, operational ER support
• Ability to travel regularly across the UK

What we will offer you:

As an ER Specialist at White Stuff you will be entitled to an array of great benefits, some of which include:

• Annual bonus opportunity
• Up to 25 days holiday per annum, plus bank holidays
• 2 extra (paid!) days off per year to volunteer in the local community
• 50% discount
• Subsidised BUPA Dental Insurance
• Healthcare cash plan and Life Assurance
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Pension Contribution

We are committed to creating an environment where we can all be proud to work and be ourselves. Part of this commitment is being an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, and age.