Employee Relations Specialist in Hamilton

Location: Flexible

Department: People

Reporting to: People Excellence Lead

About Finsbury Food Group

At Finsbury Food Group, we are proud to be one of the UK's leading speciality bakery manufacturers, supplying some of the nation's best-loved brands alongside our own award-winning products. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we are committed to creating an inclusive, supportive, and high-performing workplace where everyone can thrive.

The Role

We are looking for an Employee Relations Specialist to join our People team and play a key role in supporting the business to manage people matters fairly, consistently, and in line with employment law and best practice. This is a hands-on, advisory role where you will act as a trusted subject-matter expert, triaging and overseeing ER cases, coaching managers, and helping to build strong people management capability across the organisation. Working closely with People Partners and operational leaders, you will ensure ER matters are handled pragmatically, effectively, and in line with our values, while minimising risk to the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Employee Relations Case Management

• Triage and manage ER cases, allocating or overseeing cases based on risk, severity, and business need.
• Provide clear, balanced advice to managers on disciplinary, grievance, performance, attendance, and conduct issues.
• Coordinate tribunal case management, including liaising with ACAS and external advisers.
• Ensure cases are managed in line with employment legislation, internal policy, and best practice.
• Monitor case progress, elevate risks where appropriate, and ensure agreed timelines are met.
• Maintain accurate case records and contribute to ER reporting and insights.

• Stay up to date with UK employment law developments, case law, and emerging best practice.
• Review, update, and maintain HR policies, processes, templates, and guidance.
• Support the design and rollout of policy changes across the business.

• Design and deliver ER-focused training, workshops, and toolkits to upskill managers.
• Coach managers through live cases to build confidence and reduce reliance on HR support.
• Promote a proactive, preventative approach to employee relations.

• Work closely with People Partners and leaders to identify people risks and preventative actions.
• Build strong, trusted relationships across the organisation.
• Identify trends and root causes from ER data and propose continuous improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to wider People projects, change programmes, and initiatives.

About You

You will be an HR or ER professional who enjoys working at pace and influencing positive outcomes. You will balance legal compliance with commercial pragmatism and bring confidence, clarity, and empathy to complex situations.

Essential

• Experience managing a broad range of ER cases.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and legislative developments.
• Ability to coach and influence managers at all levels.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple cases simultaneously.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint).

Desirable

• CIPD Level 5 qualified (or working towards).
• Experience delivering ER or management training.
• Experience in a multi-site or operational environment.
• Exposure to HR systems and ER case management tools.

What's in it for you?

• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave to allow quality time with your new arrival!
• Enhanced Pension Scheme for our employees.
• Death in Service Benefit.
• Free Employee Assistance Programme (open to colleagues and their families).
• Retail discounts accessible via our Benefits Hub platform!
• Company shop available at sites (heavily discounted, yummy products!).
• Refer a Friend Scheme (up to £300 per referral – t&cs dependent).
• Employee Recognition Awards.
• Extensive Learning & Development opportunities (including opportunities for sponsored professional memberships and our own in-house development course!).
• An opportunity to be part of a fantastic, growing organisation.

Our vision is to be the leading specialty bakery group in the UK and we want the best people in place to achieve this. Our continued success is built entirely on the talented people who work here, so employee development is important to us because everyone is a valued member of the team, and we want every individual to have the skills and capabilities to achieve both your own personal goals and our business goals. We want good people to join our company, to help our company continue to go from strength to strength. If this sounds like you, please get in contact to learn more!