Senior People Relations & Policy Manager
Job Reference HO/LW/SPRPM
Number of Positions:
1
Contract Type:
Full Time
Permanent
Working Hours:
37.50
Location:
Liverpool
Closing Date:
07/07/2026
Job Category:
Head Office
Business Unit:
HR
Package
- Based in Liverpool Head Office
Employee Benefits
- Discounted onsite gym
- Contributable company pension scheme
- 10% store discount at all our retail stores
- MyHB colleague benefits platform with access to:
- Discounts UK wide on retail, leisure, hospitality venues
- Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 confidential counselling and advice line
- Completely confidential services to you.
- Low-cost voluntary insured health cash plans and cancer cover
Job Introduction
We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior People Relations & Policy Manager to join our People team. As a key member of the People Leadership Team, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and influencing our people agenda and supporting the delivery of our wider People Strategy.
This role will lead our employee relations strategy and act as the organisation's specialist expert on complex employment matters, including Employment Tribunal (ET) claims and Early Conciliation (EC) cases. Working closely with senior leaders, legal teams and trade union representatives, you will provide commercially focused advice that protects the business from legal and reputational risk while ensuring fair and consistent people practices.
You’ll also play a key role in shaping policy, driving continuous improvement and using insight and lessons learned to strengthen leadership capability and support our continued success.
Job Overview
- Leading and managing Employment Tribunal and Early Conciliation cases from notification through to resolution.
- Providing expert advice on employment law, case strategy and risk management.
- Working closely with ACAS, legal teams, external solicitors and trade union representatives to ensure a consistent approach.
- Preparing legal documentation, witness statements and case bundles, and supporting tribunal hearings where required.
- Coaching and supporting leaders across Retail, Logistics, Head Office and Group functions on complex employee relations matters.
- Leading the development and governance of People policies and standard documentation.
- Monitoring employment law developments and translating legislative changes into business actions.
- Producing and analysing employee relations MI to identify trends, risks and opportunities for improvement.
- Delivering training and briefings to enhance organisational capability and support consistent people management practices.
- Supporting organisational change programmes, TUPE projects and the delivery of the wider People Strategy.
- Lead horizon scanning across the People function to identify upcoming employment law changes, case law trends, and emerging sector risks, and translate these into clear action plans.
- Oversee the business policy register, ensuring policy owners and review dates are clearly defined and robust governance is in place for the review and publication of new or updated policies.
To be successful in this role, you will bring:
- Extensive knowledge of UK employment law, Employment Tribunal procedures and Early Conciliation processes through ACAS and Labour Relations.
- Proven experience managing Employment Tribunal and Early Conciliation cases within a large, multi-site organisation.
- Significant employee relations expertise, with experience managing complex, high-risk cases, providing strategic advice to senior stakeholders and coaching leaders through risk-based decisions.
- Strong commercial awareness, with the ability to balance legal risk with operational realities and translate legal outcomes into practical recommendations for business leaders.
- Experience of working with trade unions within a structured environment.
- A strategic mindset, with experience in policy development, governance and continuous improvement, and the ability to translate external trends and legislative changes into practical business actions.
- Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence, build credibility and develop strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
- Strong analytical and presentation skills, with experience preparing and presenting insight to stakeholders and designing and delivering training and briefing sessions.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and HR information systems.
