Investigations Team Manager

Responsibilities

• A blended role that combines direct case delivery with people leadership, case allocation, oversight and coaching.
• Ensure the team delivers clear, timely and evidence-based findings that enable fair, defensible and informed decision-making by hearing managers, escalating complexity, sensitivity or risk where appropriate.
• Personally lead selected end-to-end internal investigations into colleague conduct, grievance or related workplace concerns, applying sound judgement, independence and subject-matter expertise while maintaining a reduced personal caseload to allow for line management, case oversight and team delivery responsibilities.
• Provide day-to-day line management to Grade D investigators, setting clear expectations on quality, pace, independence, procedural fairness, colleague experience and adherence to investigation standards.
• Lead case allocation, prioritisation and progress management of the team’s investigation caseload, ensuring work is appropriately planned, risks are surfaced early and deadlines are actively managed.
• Balance capacity, skills, case complexity and colleague wellbeing across the team.
• Provide proportionate case oversight, technical guidance and constructive challenge on investigation planning, evidence gathering, analysis, and report writing.
• Support investigators to apply sound judgement in colleague conduct matters, including where cases become more complex, sensitive or ambiguous.
• Assure the quality and consistency of investigation outputs, including case records, and investigation reports.
• Ensure alignment with internal standards, Group policy, employment law, regulatory expectations and relevant industry practice, including strong working knowledge of Group policy and procedures, the ACAS Code, Equality Act expectations and relevant conduct risk considerations.
• Act as a trusted partner to case managers, hearing managers, and business stakeholders, communicating clearly and credibly on investigation progress, risks, standards and decision points while maintaining independence, objectivity and defensibility.
• Identify opportunities to improve WRI investigation practice, contribute to continuous improvement and support a learning culture through coaching, knowledge sharing and team development.

Qualifications

• Experience leading internal investigations into colleague conduct, grievance or related workplace concerns, with sound judgement, independence and strong subject-matter capability.
• Proven people leadership skills, including the ability to line manage, coach and support investigators to deliver quality work at pace.
• Strong case allocation and workload management skills, with the ability to balance case complexity, team capacity, investigator capability and colleague wellbeing.
• Ability to provide proportionate case oversight, technical guidance and constructive challenge across investigation planning, evidence gathering, analysis and report writing.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with credibility to engage effectively with case managers, hearing managers, HR, Legal, Risk and business stakeholders while maintaining independence and objectivity.
• Ability to manage a reduced personal caseload alongside line management, case oversight and team delivery responsibilities.
• Coaching mindset, with the ability to build investigator capability, support learning and create a culture of continuous improvement.
• Good working knowledge of internal standards, Group policy and procedures, employment law, regulatory expectations and relevant industry practice, including the ACAS Code, Equality Act expectations and relevant conduct risk considerations.
• Previous experience line managing investigators, case handlers, employee relations specialists or colleagues in a similar professional judgement-based role.
• Experience leading or supporting a team through operational change, restructure, new ways of working or process improvement.
• Experience using management information, case data or trend insight to manage workload, identify risks and improve team performance.
• Experience working in a regulated financial services, professional services or similarly complex corporate environment.
• Experience managing wellbeing, resilience and workload pressures in a team handling sensitive or emotionally demanding work.
• Experience contributing to wider function capability-building, knowledge sharing, training or continuous improvement activity.