Employee Relations (ER) Partner
Location: Hybrid - Attached to Solihull (Expectation to travel UK wide)
Full Time, Permanent (37.5 hour per week)
Competitive salary plus benefits
Make a difference every day
At Serco, we deliver essential public services that make a real difference to people’s lives. As an Employee Relations Partner, you’ll play a key role in ensuring that Serco operates ethically, lawfully, and fairly across our UK business.
You’ll be the go-to expert for all matters relating to employment law, managing Employment Tribunal and ACAS Early Conciliation activity, and providing commercially focused advice to managers and People & Culture colleagues. This is an exciting opportunity to make a tangible impact by guiding fair outcomes, protecting Serco’s reputation, and supporting our people.
What you’ll be doing
* Manage all ACAS Early Conciliation and Employment Tribunal (ET) activity efficiently and cost‑effectively.
* Conduct advocacy at Employment Tribunal hearings (preliminary and final) where required.
* Prioritise and assess incoming claims, providing timely risk evaluations and advising stakeholders on prospects and strategy.
* Draft responses to ET claims, devise case management and defence strategies, and identify key risk areas.
* Prepare documentation for hearings, including witness statements, tribunal bundles, counter‑schedules of loss, and skeleton arguments.
* Liaise professionally and effectively with external stakeholders such as ACAS, unions, solicitors, and barristers.
* Advise on settlement agreements, including drafting and negotiation, ensuring outcomes are expedient and cost‑effective.
* Provide guidance on complex internal employee relations cases and contribute to proactive learning initiatives to reduce ER risk.
* Provide timely briefings on employment law updates and case law implications, supporting the design of relevant training materials.
What you’ll bring
* Strong knowledge of UK employment law and data protection.
* While a degree in employment law or a related discipline is an advantage, we’re equally interested in those who bring proven, practical experience in employment law and employee relations.
* CIPD qualified or working towards.
* Proven experience advising on all aspects of employment law, ideally within an in‑house environment.
* Experience managing Employment Tribunal cases and working with ACAS conciliations.
* Strong negotiation and advocacy skills, with the confidence to represent the business externally.
* Proactive and solutions‑focused, with a high level of attention to detail and commercial awareness.
Additional information
* This role requires regular travel to attend meetings, hearings, and other events across the UK.
Why Serco
* Meaningful work – you’ll help ensure that our people are treated fairly and that our operations uphold the highest ethical and legal standards.
* A supportive, collaborative culture where you can influence real change.
* Opportunities to develop your expertise in employment law, ER strategy, and case management.
* Flexible and varied work – including involvement in hearings, projects, and people initiatives.
What we offer:
* 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
* Annual leave purchase scheme.
* Up to 6% contributory pension scheme.
* Flexible working options.
* Serco discounts which include cinema, Merlin entertainment and online shopping discounts, and discounts on mobile phone plans and leisure centre memberships.
* A range of benefits to support the health and wellbeing of you and your family such as Employee Assistance Programme, Simply Health Cash Plans, and more.
* A wealth of career development training to suit your future aspirations. These range from role specific training, leadership coaching, formal study and much more to support you to build your career with Serco.
* A safe and supportive culture.
* A company passionate about diversity and inclusion.
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