Job Description Employee Relations (ER) Lead Bedford Monday - Friday £50,000 DOE This senior HR role is responsible for leading and managing complex employee relations matters within a fast-paced organisation. Working closely with senior leadership and managers across the business, the position provides expert guidance on people-related issues while promoting a fair, inclusive, and commercially focused approach to employee relations. The role oversees the full lifecycle of employee relations cases, including investigations, disciplinary matters, grievances, conflict resolution, and escalations. Ensuring cases are handled efficiently, in line with employment law and internal policies, with accurate documentation and strong stakeholder communication throughout A key focus of the role is identifying recurring workplace issues and driving continuous improvement through policy development, process enhancements, trend analysis, and risk mitigation. The position also involves delivering guidance and training to managers, supporting compliance initiatives, and producing reports that provide insight into workforce trends, risks, and operational improvements. Key Responsibilities: Managing complex employee relations cases from start to resolution Conducting fair and compliant workplace investigations Advising managers and stakeholders on HR and people matters Supporting organisational change and continuous improvement initiatives Monitoring trends and identifying opportunities to improve processes Ensuring compliance with employment legislation and internal procedures Delivering training, coaching, and guidance to managers Producing reports and insights to support decision-making The Ideal Candidate: Significant experience in employee relations and HR partnering, with strong influencing, communication, and problem-solving skills. The role requires resilience, emotional intelligence, commercial awareness, and the ability to manage sensitive situations involving multiple stakeholders. Experience in mediation, conflict resolution, HR systems, and delivering customer-focused people services is essential. Strong analytical abilities, sound judgement, and the ability to work independently in ambiguous or complex situations are also important.