Senior Industrial relations & Employee Relations Business Partner

Senior IR & ER Business Partner

Location: Birmingham

Salary: circa £70,000 + Benefits

Learn more about the general tasks related to this opportunity below, as well as required skills.

We are supporting a leading, large-scale organisation in the appointment of a Senior Industrial Relations (IR) & Employee Relations (ER) Business Partner. This is a key specialist role, focused on strengthening organisational capability, shaping ER/IR strategy, and ensuring readiness for future change.

This position will suit an experienced ER/IR professional with a strong track record in complex, unionised environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, implement and continuously improve a robust ER framework, ensuring consistency, fairness and legal compliance
• Support delivery of the organisation’s IR strategy in partnership with senior stakeholders
• Analyse ER and IR data to identify trends, risks and emerging issues, translating insight into action
• Act as the subject matter expert on employment legislation and trade union frameworks.
• Build management capability through coaching, guidance and targeted development initiatives
• Partner with senior leaders, HR Business Partners and trade union representatives to drive constructive relationships
• Support collective bargaining, consultation processes and dispute resolution strategies
• Provide expert advice on organisational change (e.g. TUPE, restructuring, redundancy programmes)
• Contribute to the modernisation of policies and agreements in line with business and legislative requirements

Key Requirements

Essential:

• Significant experience in Employee Relations (ER) and Industrial Relations (IR) within a unionised organisation
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and collective labour relations
• Proven experience managing trade union relationships and collective bargaining processes
• Demonstrated ability to influence and operate effectively at a senior level
• Experience advising on large-scale organisational change programmes
• Strong analytical capability with experience using data to inform decision-making
• CIPD qualified (or equivalent experience)

Desirable:

• Experience within a multi-site or regulated environment
• Broader HR generalist background
• Exposure to sector-specific IR frameworks (e.g. transport, infrastructure or similar)

Key Competencies

• Influencing and stakeholder management
• Strategic thinking and problem solving
• Commercial awareness
• Strong communication and negotiation skills
• Ability to manage complexity and drive change

This is an excellent opportunity to take on a high-impact, specialist role where you will shape ER/IR practices, influence senior stakeholders, and play a critical part in organisational transformation. xwzovoh

To apply or learn more, please get in touch.