Employee Relations Manager in London

Macmillan Cancer Support is looking for a dynamic Employee Relations Manager to lead our ER team and deliver solutions-focused support to line managers. This is a pivotal role in our multi-union organisation, where you will take the lead on our union activity, supporting negotiation and consultation activity. You will build strong relationships with our trade unions and colleague representatives, supporting collective bargaining and ensuring constructive dialogue at every stage.

You will be the leader of our established Employee Relations team, supporting the effective delivery of our casework and driving the continuous development of this service. You will act as the trusted advisor for complex cases, working closely with legal partners to ensure fair and compliant outcomes. Keeping our policies sharp, inclusive, and up to date will be part of your remit, alongside coaching and developing advisers and managers to resolve issues confidently. Using data and insights, you will help shape improvements and influence our wider people strategy.

You will work with our employment solicitor and external legal partners on ACAS and Employment Tribunal claims, managing settlements end-to-end. As a point of escalation for employee relations queries, you will provide expert guidance on issues such as grievances and appeals.

About You:

You will have proven experience in a unionised organisation, with practical experience of leading negotiations and consultations. You will bring significant expertise in Employee Relations, alongside a strong track record of successfully leading an Employee Relations team. Deep knowledge of UK employment law and best practice is essential, as are strong negotiation, coaching, and communication skills. You will combine a commercial mindset with a pragmatic, customer-focused approach, ensuring solutions are fair, practical, and aligned with organisational goals. Experience advising on ACAS and Employment Tribunal claims is a must, and you will be confident in horizon scanning to identify how future legislative changes could impact Macmillan.

In return, we offer a range of benefits including:

• 25 days holiday plus flexible bank holiday options, increasing by 1 day every year of service up to 30 days
• Pension matched up to 7.5%
• 120+ learning and development offers, with access to external professional qualifications
• Flexible working patterns, such as compressed hours, flexibility to work earlier or later around our core working hours of 10am-4pm
• Holiday buying and selling scheme, life insurance, free wills, retail discounts and much more

Recruitment Process:

First interview dates: Early Jan TBC. To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed.

We are an organisation that is committed to setting candidates up for success, so we can support you to be at your best during the application or selection process. Please contact Macmillan TA Team TATeam@macmillan.org.uk for advice, or a conversation on reasonable adjustments.

We welcome applications from everyone who meet the criteria and strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Macmillan. Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee representation body, 'Our Voice' and 8 Employee Network groups help us promote fairness and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people.