Employee Relations Manager Make an Impact from Day One Are you a proven leader in Employee Relations who can inspire a team to deliver fair, impartial, and timely resolutions? Southampton City Council is looking for an experienced Interim Employee Relations Manager to take charge of a dedicated ER function. You’ll lead a team focused solely on resolving cases with professionalism and care, clear a backlog of work, and strengthen how we support managers and employees across the organisation. This is your chance to: Lead, motivate, and develop a dedicated ER team, setting clear standards and ensuring every case is managed fairly, impartially, and on time. Oversee the full range of complex ER cases — from grievances and disciplinaries to absence management and performance concerns. Distribute caseloads effectively and monitor progress, clearing a backlog while keeping new cases on track from day one. Be the go-to adviser for managers and HR colleagues, offering confident, legally sound, and timely guidance. Shape better processes, smarter reporting, and stronger data insights to prevent issues before they start. Coach and empower managers and HR Advisors so they can handle ER challenges informally and with confidence. Promote early resolution, mediation, and proactive problem-solving at every opportunity. About You You’re not just an ER professional — you’re an experienced leader of dedicated ER teams. You know how to set clear standards, distribute caseloads effectively, and oversee complex, sensitive cases with fairness and impartiality. You balance compassion with compliance, hold managers accountable, and create a culture where issues are addressed consistently, promptly, and professionally. Senior leaders respect your expertise, and colleagues trust your judgement. What You’ll Bring Proven experience managing a specialist ER team, ensuring impartial, timely, and consistent resolution of cases. Strong ability to set standards, monitor progress, and manage caseload distribution, keeping backlogs under control and ensuring no case stalls. Expert knowledge of UK employment law and ER best practice, applied with fairness and pragmatism. Exceptional people leadership skills — developing, coaching, and motivating ER professionals to deliver their best. Confidence and resilience to influence senior stakeholders and make tough decisions when required. Analytical ability to use ER data to identify trends, shape policy, and proactively reduce future cases. Nice to Have Experience in local government or the public sector. Mediation or mental health first aid training. CIPD qualification. Why Join Us? Because here, you’ll see the impact of your work every day. You’ll be part of a team that values fairness, supports early intervention, and is committed to creating a workplace where people can do their best work. W hat we can offer you : Salary: The salary band for this role is £47,181 - £51,357. The starting salary is £47,181 with annual progression through the salary bands. Here at SCC we have a range of different perks and benefits, a few examples can be found below. Excellent local government pension with 16.8% employer contribution Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution) Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service Flexible working options (role-dependent) Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents Training and development, including coaching and mentoring Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer F or further information on our benefits package please visit: Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk) Contact details for informal discussion: For further information and details regarding the role please contact Charlotte Burton at charlotte.burton@southampton.gov.uk Please note: We are not able to offer Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship on this role, at this time. Closing date: Sunday 5th October 2025 (we reserve the right to close the vacancy early). Interview Information: Please note that interviews are scheduled for Wednesday 8th October 2025. Recruitment contact details: Email: recruitment@southampton.gov.uk Tel: 023 8083 4033 For more information about SCC please visit Southampton City Council Follow us on social media for regular updates on our featured jobs and latest news. Facebook YouTube