Employee Relations Manager

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

Job Title:
Employee Relations Manager
Salary: £53,460 - £61,638 per annum (pro rata if part-time)
Grade: G
Contract Type:
Permanent
Working Hours: 37 hours per week

We are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Employee Relations (ER) Manager to lead and enhance our employee relations function. This is a pivotal role within People Services, responsible for driving a consistent, high-quality ER approach across the Council while supporting leaders through complex casework, organisational change, and workforce transformation.

As our Employee Relations Manager, you will:

• Lead the delivery of expert employee relations advice across the Council.
• Manage complex and high-risk ER cases, ensuring they are resolved fairly, consistently and in line with legislation, policy and best practice.
• Represent the organisation in Employment Tribunal (ET) cases
  , including preparing documentation, supporting legal advisors, and presenting evidence where required.
• Coach, mentor and develop ER Advisors and People Services colleagues to build capability, confidence and consistency in ER practice.
• Identify opportunities to improve policies, processes and ER interventions to support a positive, proactive employee experience.
• Build strong relationships with managers, trade unions and stakeholders to enable early resolution and constructive collaboration.

You will bring a strong track record in employee relations, with the credibility and resilience to operate at a senior level. In particular, you will have:

• Substantial Employment Tribunal (ET) experience
  , including case preparation, liaison with legal representatives and participation in hearings.
• Extensive experience supporting and leading large-scale restructures and organisational change
  , ideally within a complex or unionised environment.
• Demonstrable experience of coaching, developing and upskilling ER teams
  , with a passion for building capability and embedding best practice.
• Excellent knowledge of employment law and HR policies, with the ability to interpret and apply these confidently.
• Strong influencing skills, with the ability to build trust and provide robust, solution-focused advice.
• The ability to work at pace, juggle competing priorities and confidently manage sensitive or contentious issues.

At Thurrock Council, we value our employees and offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities (where applicable)
• Ongoing training and professional development
• Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support
• Staff discounts and local offers
• A supportive and inclusive working environment

Redeployment only: 29 January 2026

Closing Date (Internal & External): 8 February 2026

If you have any questions about the role or interview process, please contact:

Reshma Deshpande – Resh

To view the Job Profile and Person Specification, please follow the link below:

Download Job Profile (PDF)

If you encounter an error message when opening the Job Profile link please refresh the error page

Why Thurrock?

Working at Thurrock Council gives you the opportunity to join an organisation that is changing at pace, one where you can make a real difference to the lives of the people we serve.

Thurrock Council is moving towards a new community leadership approach which involves linking with local partners and communities as we shape our improvement for the years ahead.

This is an exciting time to join us, to shape the future success of our changing organisation and to have a positive influence on our borough.

Our location

Thurrock is located on the north bank of the river Thames. Our urban centres are a vibrant mix of established towns and new young communities, with a diverse and growing population of around 160,000 residents.

We are an emerging cultural and arts centre, home to the production centre for the Royal Opera House and the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills. We have…