Employee Relations Lead (People Lead)

Ready to lead employee relations in a growing consultancy where judgement, pragmatism and people matter equally? At Projective Group, we partner with financial services organisations to help them navigate complex change. Our expertise spans payments, data, transformation and risk across consulting, strategy and managed services.

This role sits at the heart of our UK People function, providing expert guidance on employee relations and employment law matters while helping ensure our policies, processes and people practices continue to evolve as the organisation grows.

The opportunity

As Employee Relations Lead, you will act as the UK authority on employee relations matters, working closely with the UK COO and senior leaders across the business. You will help guide the organisation through complex people matters, ensuring decisions are fair, pragmatic and aligned with both employment law and our company values. While this role carries leadership influence within the People function, it is also intentionally hands-on. As a growing consultancy, we are looking for someone who enjoys staying close to the detail, taking ownership of cases, policy development and people governance, while helping shape how our People function continues to mature.

You will work alongside colleagues across recruitment, people development and people operations, providing specialist ER expertise and helping ensure our people practices remain robust, consistent and aligned with both UK legislation and Group standards.

What you will be doing

• Acting as the UK subject matter expert on employee relations and employment law matters.
• Advising leaders on complex people issues, balancing legal risk, precedent and business needs.
• Leading and managing sensitive or high-risk employee relations cases from initial discussion through to resolution.
• Supporting the business in preparing for formal or external legal processes where required, including working with external legal counsel.
• Leading the development and continuous improvement of HR policies and people processes to support the evolving needs of the business.
• Ensuring policies remain aligned with current and emerging employment legislation.
• Supporting consistency and clarity in how policies and processes are applied across the UK business.
• Contributing to external assessments and certifications, including EcoVadis, by providing strong people compliance documentation and governance.
• Representing the UK in discussions with Group People Leads across the wider European organisation.
• Working closely with the UK COO and senior leaders to ensure people matters are handled thoughtfully and consistently.
• Supporting collaboration across the wider People team, including recruitment, training, people operations and development initiatives.
• Helping ensure our employee Development Framework is consistently applied across the UK, supporting our annual Performance and Reward cycle.
• Contributing to wider initiatives such as wellbeing, DEI, health and safety and gender equity through an employment law and best practice lens.
• Taking a hands-on role where required across onboarding, offboarding and broader people governance activities.
• Leading or supporting ad-hoc People team initiatives and projects from concept through to delivery.

Is this you?

You are a confident and pragmatic employee relations professional who enjoys working in an environment where expert judgement and practical action go hand in hand. You are comfortable advising senior leaders, navigating sensitive people matters and ensuring decisions are fair, balanced and commercially sensible. You are equally comfortable working independently and collaborating across teams, and you enjoy helping shape how people practices evolve as organisations grow.

You will likely have:

• Significant hands-on experience in employee relations, typically gained through 10+ years in HR roles.
• Experience working within a consultancy firm, professional services or other fast-paced knowledge-based organisations.
• Strong understanding of UK employment law and confidence managing complex ER processes including grievance, disciplinary, TUPE and settlement discussions.
• Experience developing and interpreting HR policies and governance frameworks.
• The ability to advise and challenge senior leaders constructively on people matters.
• A calm, credible and pragmatic approach when dealing with sensitive situations.
• A willingness to take ownership, stay close to the detail and support the wider People team when needed.
• CIPD Level 5 or above.
• A background or deeper exposure to employment law would be beneficial.

At Projective Group, you’ll join a collaborative consultancy where people genuinely care about the work they do and the colleagues they work with. We combine the entrepreneurial spirit of a growing consultancy with the stability of an established European organisation.

We offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• £5,000 annual training and development allowance
• Non-contributory pension scheme
• Comprehensive insurance including healthcare, life insurance, income protection and critical illness cover
• Dedicated mental health and wellbeing support platform
• A collaborative and inclusive company culture
• A modern London office with stunning views of the Thames, including two in-house bars

At Projective Group, we celebrate diversity and inclusion. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions, abilities and neurodivergent perspectives. Please let us know if you require any adjustments during the recruitment process.