A little bit about us: EMG Solicitors is an award winning Legal 500 law firm with offices across the North but acting nationally, specialising in Court of Protection, Deputyships, Mental Health Law, Family Law and Mediation, Residential Conveyancing, Dispute Resolution, Employment Law, Education Law and Wills, Trusts & Probate services. Our mission is to provide the legal support our clients require in order to achieve anything from their basic needs to their wildest dreams and everything in between. What are we looking for? We are looking to recruit a People & Culture Executive with a strong employee relations focus to support our managers and colleagues across the firm. This role is key in delivering a responsive, fair and values-led People & Culture advisory service. You will take ownership of employee relations matters, coach managers through people challenges, and help ensure our policies and processes are applied consistently, thoughtfully and in line with our core values. Where will you be based? This role can be based from either our Gosforth or Durham office but we would expect you to travel and work from other offices from time to time. How many hours will you be working? This is a full-time role which is 35 hours per week, however at EMG Solicitor we work flexibly, it’s not a 9 to 5 role, but we do expect the work to be done, when you do it can be largely up to yourself, your Team Leader and the requirements of your clients. A brief overview of the role: Reporting to the People & Culture Manager, the People & Culture Executive will provide day-to-day employee relations support across the business. You will manage a varied caseload including absence, disciplinary, grievance, performance and capability matters. You will advise managers with confidence and clarity, ensuring risk is managed appropriately while maintaining a positive and respectful colleague experience. What will we expect from you: Generating work Your work will support managers and colleagues through important people matters across the firm, from early performance conversations to more formal employee relations processes. You will build trusted relationships with managers, encouraging early engagement with People & Culture and helping to address issues proactively and fairly. By identifying patterns or recurring themes in casework, you will support improvements to guidance, processes and manager capability over time. Undertaking work You should be passionate about providing: A fair, consistent and supportive approach to managing employee relations matters, including absence, performance, disciplinary and grievance cases. Clear and practical advice to managers in line with employment legislation and firm policies. Well-managed and thorough investigations, ensuring processes are followed appropriately and respectfully. Accurate and professional documentation, including formal correspondence and outcome letters. Early and constructive resolution wherever possible, escalating more complex matters where required. Getting paid for the work you do. Manage employee relations cases, including absence, performance, disciplinary, grievance and probation matters, ensuring processes are followed fairly and consistently. Provide guidance and support to managers on employment legislation, policies and best practice. Support and conduct investigations, ensuring they are thorough, well-documented and handled respectfully. Draft formal letters, meeting notes, outcome letters, and maintain accurate, confidential case records. Ensure consistent application of People & Culture policies across the firm. Ensure all case notes are maintained and updated within PeopleHR. Encourage early resolution of issues and escalate complex or high-risk matters to the People & Culture Manager. Identify trends or recurring themes in casework and feed back to support improvements in guidance, processes and manager capability. Be the champion of the JEDI working group, to ensure our values and BCORP status are practiced across EMG. To be able to perform this job you will need. CIPD Level 5 qualification, or working towards, with demonstrable experience supporting employee relations matters including absence, performance, disciplinary and grievance cases. Sound understanding of UK employment legislation, ACAS guidance, and best practice. Confidence in advising and supporting managers on a wide range of people matters. Strong written communication skills and attention to detail for preparing accurate documentation and correspondence. Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive situations professionally. Highly organised, capable of managing a varied caseload, meeting deadlines, and prioritising competing demands. Confidence to challenge constructively and escalate issues where required. Ability to work collaboratively across teams, building trusted relationships and providing practical guidance to managers and colleagues. A little bit about the colleague we’re looking for: We’re looking for a colleague who aligns with our core values of: Cooperation - we proactively support our clients and each other. Courage - we are ambitious and think big. Excellence - we deliver excellence. Integrity - we are open and transparent. Kindness - we value people, communities, having fun and being happy. We want someone who will work proactively to deliver exceptional client service through the knowledge and skills they bring to the role. We want someone who will go the extra mile for both their clients and their colleagues, so we can all achieve anything from our basic needs to our wildest dreams and everything in between. What you can expect from us: Firm wide annual bonus scheme, in addition to a competitive salary 4% Pension employer contributions offered through Standard Life 25 days holiday entitlement per year (FTE) with an additional three days off at Christmas 5 extra days paid leave on your 5-year anniversary – (and every 5 years thereafter) Life Assurance providing your loved ones with a 3x salary death in service benefit Employee Assistance Program – a Freephone number you can call 24/7 for personal, legal and financial issues; to arrange counselling and a GP helpline Free annual flu injection EMG Rewards – Vivup well-being & Tastecard apps offering discounts across a large number of retailers & restaurants £50 Gift card on your birthday as well as a late start or early finish £50 Gift card at Christmas plus Christmas closure (subject to variation) Cycle to work scheme Salary Sacrifice Electric Car scheme Fruit and refreshments in each office If you want to take the family or friends out, we have two passes for Beamish open air museum which you can book out and take up to 10 people Opportunity to join EMG working groups, such as our Green Team, Better Health at Work Team, Justice, Empowerment, Diversity and Inclusion Team (JEDI) & our Community Team Regular surveys to understand issues our team care about. Includes regular guest speakers on a wide range of topics EMG Solicitors are an equal opportunities employer. To apply for this role, you must have the right to work within the UK.