Employee Relations Manager (Schools) in Kingston upon Thames

About The Borough

Joining us, you get to work for not just one high performing London Borough, but two. Kingston and Sutton councils have a number of shared services serving both authorities, with some teams and roles more focussed on one council than the other, but the majority are shared across both, meaning you get multiple opportunities to learn from a wider pool of activities and two different political bodies. We work flexibly in both Kingston and Sutton offices, and support working at home or flexible working patterns that enable you to tailor your working and personal life. We provide the equipment and tools to enable you to work flexibly, and in return ask you to use that flexibility to be creative and ambitious in the services we deliver.

There are some really exciting things happening in both boroughs. In Sutton, we are developing the London Cancer Hub, a world leading cancer research and treatment hub that will bring together professionals from across different sectors to identify and test new treatments and therapies. Over in Kingston, we are undertaking the largest housing regeneration programme ever delivered in the borough, building new energy efficient housing that will transform some of our oldest Council owned housing. Both boroughs have publicly committed to doing what they can to tackle the climate emergency and are investing in new technologies and societal change that will help bring carbon emissions down and improve our climate impact. You should choose Kingston and Sutton if you are looking for an opportunity that will challenge you to deliver more, support you to achieve personal ambitions, and expect you to put borough residents at the heart of what you do.

About The Role

This is an influential role without line management responsibilities – perfect for someone who thrives as a subject matter expert, collaborating with peers and school leaders to drive real impact. You’ll join a team of skilled ER Managers supporting schools and academies in delivering high‑quality HR services. You’ll be advising on complex HR issues including disciplinary, grievance, ill health, restructuring, and TUPE, while also contributing to best‑practice policy development and strategic workforce planning. You’ll work closely with headteachers, senior leaders, governors, and school business managers – not just solving problems, but proactively helping schools build strong teams and better futures for their staff and pupils.

Qualifications

• Have a strong background in managing employee relations casework within schools or complex organisations.
• Be confident in supporting change processes, including restructures and TUPE.
• Be an excellent communicator, able to build trust with school leaders, staff, and unions.
• Have a passion for improving workplace culture, engagement and equity in education settings.

Benefits

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 25–32 days, plus bank holidays (pro‑ra if part‑time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave.
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston.
• Hybrid working (dependent on the role).
• Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks.
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses.
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres.
• Interest free season ticket loans.
• Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle‑to‑work scheme.
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme.
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups. We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract. The UK has a points‑based immigration system affecting EU and Non‑EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right‑to‑work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case‑by‑case basis.