Senior ER Advisor

Senior ER Advisor - 6-Month Fixed-Term Contract Salary: £40,000 - £43,000 Location: Manchester Hybrid: 2 days in the office, 3 days working from home A highly established international college based in Manchester is seeking an experienced Senior ER Advisor to join its HR team on a 6-month fixed-term contract. This is an excellent opportunity for an HR professional with significant experience managing complex employee relations casework in line with HR best practice and current employment legislation. You will partner with managers across the organisation, providing expert guidance on high-risk and sensitive ER matters while ensuring legal compliance and supporting organisational change. Key Responsibilities • Provide expert advice and coaching to managers on complex employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, absence management, capability, performance, redundancy, restructures and appeals, ensuring all cases are managed in line with best practice and employment legislation. • Lead and manage complex ER cases from initial consultation through to resolution, mitigating organisational risk and ensuring fair, consistent outcomes. • Maintain an in-depth knowledge of UK employment law, keeping up to date with current legislation, case law, and new and forthcoming employment law changes, ensuring the organisation remains compliant and adopts best practice. • Develop, review and enhance HR policies and procedures to reflect legislative changes, organisational requirements and safeguarding obligations. • Create and deliver HR training, webinars and practical guidance for managers to improve people management capability and ensure consistent application of HR policies. • Support managers with performance management processes, providing expert advice and constructive feedback. • Contribute to employee engagement initiatives, including the annual Employee Engagement Survey and wider people projects. • Support organisational redesigns, restructures and change management programmes, ensuring effective planning, communication and implementation. • Contribute to the continuous improvement of HR services by identifying opportunities to enhance processes, policies and ways of working. Key Skills & Experience • Proven experience as a Senior HR Advisor or ER Advisor within a medium to large organisation (500+ employees). • Extensive experience managing complex employee relations cases across a broad range of issues, demonstrating sound judgement, confidence and the ability to manage high-risk and sensitive situations. • Strong working knowledge of HR best practice with the ability to apply it pragmatically across complex casework. • Comprehensive knowledge of UK employment law, including recent legislative developments and upcoming employment law changes, with the ability to interpret and apply legislation confidently. • Experience within the education sector is desirable, although candidates from other complex or regulated environments are encouraged to apply. • Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility and coach managers at all levels. • Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently. Benefits • 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (pro rata) • Retail discount scheme • Employee Assistance Programme • Health screening • Pension - 4% employer / 4% employee contribution • Cycle to Work Scheme • Hybrid working - 2 days in the office, 3 days working from home Huntress Search Ltd acts as a Recruitment Agency in relation to all Permanent roles and as a Recruitment Business in relation to all Temporary roles. We practice a diverse and inclusive recruitment process that ensures equal opportunity for all we work with, irrespective of race, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age or gender. As an organisation, we encourage applications from all backgrounds and will ensure measures are met when required, to allow a fair process throughout. PLEASE NOTE: We can only consider applications from candidates who have the right to work in the UK.