Colleague Relations Advisor

East of England Co-op; Ipswich; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading community-focused organization in Ipswich is seeking a Colleague Relations Advisor to manage a diverse range of employee relations cases. You will provide guidance to managers, ensuring compliance with employment law while maintaining accurate case records. The ideal candidate will have solid experience in an HR or ER function, excellent communication skills, and the ability to influence at various levels. This role offers competitive pay, generous holidays, and employee benefits.

Benefits

20% discount in food stores

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

5% employer pension contribution

Employee Recognition Scheme

Free remote GP service

Qualifications

• Solid experience managing ER cases independently in an HR or ER function.
• Confident advising and influencing managers at different levels.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of colleague relations cases from start to conclusion.
• Draft high-quality ER correspondence including letters and case summaries.
• Coach managers to build confidence in handling people issues.

Skills

Managing ER cases independently

Strong knowledge of UK employment law

Excellent written communication

Ability to advise and influence managers

Highly organised

Job description

### Vacancy Introduction**Come and join our team!**At Our Co-op, we exist to serve our communities across the East of England, putting fairness, care and respect at the heart of how we work with our colleagues. Our People team plays a critical role in ensuring colleagues are supported, treated consistently, and managed in line with both our values and employment law.This Colleague Relations Advisor role is an opportunity for an experienced ER professional to join a specialist team that supports managers and leaders across the organisation. You will take ownership of a varied and often complex caseload, providing confident, pragmatic advice and ensuring colleague relations matters are handled fairly, consistently and professionally.Working closely with the Colleague Relations Lead and People Business Partners, you’ll help shape positive employment practices, build manager capability, and contribute to a culture where issues are addressed early, respectfully and effectively.***Take a look at our job description attached to the bottom of this webpage.****Our working patterns are non-contractual.* *Any advertised working pattern represents the normal working pattern for the role at time of advertisement and may be subject to change.***What you’ll be doing*** Managing a portfolio of colleague relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, absence, performance, probation and appeals, from start to conclusion* Providing clear, practical and legally compliant advice to managers on ER matters* Drafting high-quality case correspondence, including invitation letters, outcome letters and case summaries* Supporting and, where appropriate, leading investigations, including conducting interviews and compiling evidence* Ensuring policies and procedures are applied consistently and in line with employment law and the ACAS Code of Practice* Coaching and supporting managers to build confidence and capability in handling people issues* Maintaining accurate, confidential and audit-ready case records* Identifying trends and insights from casework and contributing to ER reporting and continuous improvement activity* Escalating complex or high-risk cases to the CR Lead as appropriate**The person we are looking for**We are looking for an experienced Colleague Relations Advisor who is confident operating with autonomy while working collaboratively as part of a specialist team.You will:* Have solid experience managing ER cases independently within an HR or ER function* Possess strong knowledge of UK employment law and best practice* Be confident advising and influencing managers at different levels* Have excellent written communication skills and experience drafting formal ER correspondence* Be calm, objective and professional when handling sensitive or complex matters* Be highly organised, able to manage multiple cases and competing priorities effectively* Be comfortable working in a hybrid role, with flexibility to travel to sites when required**Perks of the job*** Competitive rates of pay* 20% discount in our food stores, along with other discounts across our family of businesses* 25 days holiday (plus bank holiday entitlement) which increases with service* 5% employer pension contribution* Death in service benefit* Enhanced family leave and pay arrangements\** Opportunities to grow, with award-winning training and apprenticeship programmes* Great discounts, deals, and cashback across over 900 high street and online retailers* Financial wellbeing support, including Stream* Access to Cycle To Work, Rental Deposit Scheme, and SmartTech (after a qualifying period)* Employee Recognition Scheme* Long Service Awards* Free remote GP service, available 24/7, including prescription, fitness, nutrition, and counselling services* Employee Assistance Programme**We recognise the challenges people face trying to balance commitments both in and out of the workplace - perhaps studying, caring commitments, or other employment. We therefore aim to be as flexible as possible, to create shift patterns that work for both our co-op and our colleagues.***\* Enhanced on statutory terms, subject to service criteria.*| Location | Wherstead Park, The Street, Wherstead, Ipswich, United Kingdom |