Location: We welcome applications from those looking for hybrid working, (minimum 2 days per weeks) from our Handforth office in Cheshire.
About the Role
As a Colleague Relations Advisor, you’ll deliver timely, commercial HR expertise to Joint Venture Partner led Veterinary Practices across the UK. Acting as a trusted expert, you will guide Practice Owners, Business Development Partners and line managers through the full range of colleague-related matters-enabling fair, legally compliant and people-centred outcomes that protect both colleagues and commercial interests. Your work sits at the heart of our ambition to build the world’s best pet care platform by creating a brilliant colleague experience: confident, well-supported people provide even better care for pets and customers. To succeed, you’ll blend sound employment law knowledge with bags of resilience, the confidence to navigate ambiguity and the curiosity to challenge established thinking constructively.
Key stakeholders include:
Practice Owners (JVPs), Business Development Partners and regional leadership teams
Colleague Relations Manager, Colleague Relations Specialists and wider People Services colleagues
Retail, Grooming, Distribution and Support Office People teams, ensuring a joined-up approach to colleague relations
Key Responsibilities
Proactive HR Advice
1. Provide clear, pragmatic guidance on policies, procedures and ER legislation to Practice Owners and BDPs, mostly via phone or email, occasionally face-to-face for complex or sensitive cases.
2. Frame all advice through a commercial lens, balancing risk, cost and colleague wellbeing to support each practice’s performance and our wider business goals.
End-to-End Case Management
3. Own a varied portfolio of colleague relations cases, prioritising by business impact and legal risk to ensure timely progression and robust conclusions.
4. Maintain accurate case records in the HEAT system, capturing key decisions, rationale and next steps to support transparency and future learning.
Coaching and Capability Building
5. Equip Practice Owners, line managers and BDPs with the confidence and skills to handle people matters independently through coaching, feedback and tailored templates.
6. Attend and, where necessary, note-take in formal meetings or hearings, role-modelling best practice and upskilling stakeholders in real time.
Continuous Improvement and Compliance
7. Monitor employment legislation and industry trends, translating changes into practical guidance, updated templates and policy recommendations.
8. Challenge existing processes, seeking smarter, more efficient ways of working that free up time for value-adding colleague support.
Collaboration and Project Support
9. Partner with Colleague Relations Specialists and the wider People team to deliver strategic people projects that drive our pet-care mission forward.
10. Share insight and learnings across Retail, Grooming, Distribution and Support Office to foster consistent, high-quality colleague relations across the Group.
Values-Led Performance
11. Live our Pets at Home values, demonstrating resilience, adaptability and a proactive mindset in a fast-moving environment.
12. Take ownership of your own development, seeking feedback and opportunities to grow expertise in line with business needs.
About You
Essential
13. Solid experience in an HR advisory or ER-focused role, managing a broad range of employee relations cases end-to-end
14. Up-to-date working knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice
15. Proven ability to balance commercial considerations with empathetic, people-centred outcomes
16. Strong coaching, influencing and communication skills, with the confidence to challenge and guide senior stakeholders
17. Comfortable working at pace, prioritising competing demands and adapting to change
Desirable
18. CIPD Level 5 (or working towards) or equivalent qualification
19. Experience supporting multi-site or franchised operations, ideally within retail, healthcare or veterinary sectors
20. Familiarity with HR case management systems and data-driven decision making
Disclaimer
This role profile sets out the current duties of the post that may vary from time to time without changing the character of the job or the level of responsibility entailed. However, all role profiles are regularly reviewed and updated accordingly in line with business needs.