Employee Relations Consultant in Telford

We have an incredible opportunity to join us here at Phoenix Group as an Employee Relations Consultant, joining our Employee Relations and Colleague Wellbeing team.

Job Type: 12 month FTC

Location: Hybrid with travel to our core offices as needed, mainly Edinburgh and Telford, possibly Birmingham

Flexible working: All of our roles are open to part‑time, job‑share and other types of flexibility. We will discuss what is important to you and balancing this with business requirements during the recruitment process.

Closing Date: 12/02/2026

Salary and benefits: Up to £50,000 DOE plus an indicative bonus range of 16-32%, private medical cover, 38 days annual leave, excellent pension, 12x salary life assurance, career breaks, income protection, 3x volunteering days and much more.

Who are we? We want to be the best place that any of our 6,600 colleagues have ever worked. We’re Phoenix Group, a long‑term savings and retirement business offering a range of products across our market‑leading brands, Standard Life, SunLife, Phoenix Life and ReAssure. Around 1 in 5 people in the UK has a pension with us. We’re a FTSE 100 organisation tackling key issues such as transitioning our portfolio to net zero by 2050.

The role: As an Employee Relations Consultant you’ll be a trusted advisor providing expert consultancy and support to stakeholders across all stages of Employee Relations (ER) case and project activity. You’ll offer commercially focused, risk‑based guidance that aligns with employment legislation, case law, regulatory requirements, and best practice.

• Supporting complex and multi‑strand ER activity throughout a colleague’s journey with Phoenix, including settling‑in periods, performance management, conduct disciplinaries and grievance resolution, whether formal or through facilitated conversations.
• Deliver organisational design (OD) initiatives by advising on business case development, supporting consultation processes, selection criteria, and redeployment strategies.
• Lead and deliver ER‑related projects, including TUPE consultations and broader HR change initiatives.
• Ability to present risk‑ and cost‑based options to aid decision‑making while ensuring compliance with employment and regulatory law.
• Coach our People Leaders through ambiguous and sensitive situations, identifying key risks and delivering commercially sound solutions.
• Assist with right‑to‑work compliance, including sponsorship management and coordination with legal advisors on complex immigration cases.
• A digital mindset to identify and support delivery of new or existing technologies that can enhance our ER delivery while maintaining or improving the colleague experience.
• Manage ‘without‑prejudice’ conversations and onward settlement agreements through to conclusion.
• Identify ER trends and provide insights to inform people strategies and manager capability development.
• Deliver manager education sessions on ER processes and best practices.
• Monitor legislative changes, case law and HR trends to proactively update stakeholders and evolve our ER offering accordingly.

You’ll Partner Closely With:

• People Leaders across the business
• HR Directors, Business Partners and the wider People Leadership Team
• Other HR centres of excellence such as Reward and Talent Acquisition
• External providers including our preferred legal firm and outplacement support provision

What are we looking for?

Essential Experience:

• Proven expertise in managing complex ER situations.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and its practical application in a commercial environment.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks relevant to employment practices.
• Proven ability to interpret and apply employment legislation, case law and best practice to real‑world scenarios.
• Data fluency – proficient in interpreting and using MI to drive decision‑making and continuous improvement.
• Dispute resolution and Employment Tribunal expertise.
• CIPD or equivalent Employment law qualification.
• Previous experience working in a Financial Services industry would be desirable but not essential.

We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels accepted and welcome, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If your experience looks different from what we’ve advertised and you believe that you can bring value to the role, we’d love to hear from you. If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know so we can help you to be at your best. We’re reviewing applications as they come in, so apply early to avoid missing out.