Head of Employee Relations

Are you ready to embark on a new rewarding journey, providing you with an exciting opportunity to join Thames Water during its innovative turnaround plan ? We are looking for an experienced Head of Employee Relations to spearhead the strategic employee relations agenda and deliver people change activities across Thames Water. 

Reporting to the HR Director for People services and Reward, you will influence, inspire and manage a team of specialists that provide a professional employee advisory service to all managers throughout the business. 

You will play a pivotal part in supporting the business to resolve more complex employee relations cases consistently and effectively, ensuring they are managed through transparent practices and relevant law.

What you will be doing as Head of Employee Relations

Developing and implementing an employee relations strategy that aligns to the business strategy.
Using your employee relations knowledge to influence and inform the people leadership team and business leaders, building trusted relationships, acting as a confidant and forming internal and external alliances with stakeholders.
Personal case management of extremely complex, sensitive, or high-profile employee relations cases.
Driving quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement into our employee relations services.
Partnering to implement organisational and structural changes i.e. reorganisations, TUPE etc. What you should bring to the role?
Essential -

Strong adaptable leadership showing confidence, resilience and tenacity with ethical integrity
Highly organised and responsive, with the ability to prioritise work to meet tight deadlines
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to lead and forge influential relationships with a broad range of diverse and demanding stakeholders
Experience of developing and deploying an employee relations strategy which positively impacts the business, and the way people work
Experience of leading the scoping and delivery of people change programmes
Experience of partnering with trade unions and leading collective consultation
Up to date knowledge of employment law, tribunal process and ACAS best practice, as it relates to managing the practical application of policy in respect of absence, discipline, workplace resolution, conduct, capability, right to work, TUPE, reorganisations and settlementsDesirable -

Chartered/fully qualified member (Level 7) of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) or equivalent professional qualification or HR knowledge
APMP or Prince 2 project management qualificationWhat’s in it for you?

Competitive salary between £80,000 - £90,000 per annum dependent on experience 
Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (Plus bank holidays)
Car Allowance
Annual Bonus
Private Medical Health Care
Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution
Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year
Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeingWho are we?
At Thames Water, our purpose is crystal clear - to deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and planet can thrive.

Water is life’s great leveller. Every living thing needs it, every single day. From people to plants, birds to bees, farms to factories, we all need it to thrive, and we’re committed to taking care of it for us all.

But keeping water flowing is becoming harder. From scorching summers to wetter winters, extreme weather affects everything from our pipes to our local rivers. We need to keep millions more kettles boiling, public services operating, washing machines spinning, showers running and more, so every drop is more precious than ever. Are you ready to play your part?

Working at Thames Water
At Thames Water, we recognise that people are at the heart of our business. To help us succeed in providing life's essential service, we need a range of skills and capabilities, representative of society throughout our business.

We seek to attract and retain a cultural mix of people who can offer different but complementary attitudes, values, talents, and knowledge. We understand the importance of appreciating and harnessing the unique skills, experiences, backgrounds, and differences that each individual brings.

Our over-arching diversity and inclusion aim is to ensure Thames Water is a diverse and inclusive great place to work. We encourage applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process.

Find out more about working at Thames Water.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment