Employee Relations Specialist

QinetiQ Group; Farnborough, Malvern; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defence technology firm is seeking an Employee Services – Employee Relations Specialist in Farnborough. The role involves delivering expert guidance on employee relations, supporting managers across UK sites, and managing complex cases effectively. Candidates should hold a CIPD Level 5 qualification and demonstrate strong problem-solving, communication, and coaching skills. This position is permanent, full-time or part-time, with a collaborative culture focused on continuous improvement and employee well-being.

Benefits

Matched contribution pension scheme

Competitive holiday allowance

Health Cash Plan options

Employee discount portal

Volunteering opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in managing high volumes of complex employee relations cases.
• Ability to build positive relationships with managers and employee representatives.
• Strong mentoring skills to upskill junior team members.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert guidance on complex employee relations matters.
• Support managers in handling ER cases effectively.
• Manage investigations, grievances, and performance issues.

Skills

Problem solving

Conflict management

Negotiating skills

Influencing skills

Communication skills

Coaching skills

Education

CIPD Level 5 qualified

Job description

Job Title: Employee Services – Employee Relations Specialist

Location: Farnborough, Boscombe or Malvern

Role Type: Permanent – Full Time/Part-Time

Role ID: 19305

Are you ready to be part of the future? At QinetiQ, we’re not just imagining tomorrow we are creating it. From cutting-edge defence technology to ground-breaking innovations our mission is to empower and protect lives. Join us as an Employee Services – Employer Relations Specialist at our Malvern site, where you will have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology in partnership with some of the most brilliant minds.

The role of an Employee Relations (ER) Specialist is challenging, varied and fascinating area of HR working within our Employee Services team.

The Employee Relations Specialist is responsible for providing expert guidance and support on complex employee relations matters to ensure fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes. They will support functional managers across our UK sites by providing manager advice and guidance on complex ER cases. This role acts as a trusted advisor to managers and HR colleagues, delivering solutions that balance business objectives with employee well-being.

The ER Specialist will manage cases end-to-end, including investigations, disciplinary processes, grievances, and performance management issues, while promoting a positive workplace culture and minimising risk to the organisation. Additionally, the role contributes to continuous improvement by identifying trends, recommending policy updates, and supporting training initiatives to build ER capability across the business.

Whilst skill and experience would be advantageous, the No1 requirement is to have high agency (can-do mindset) and bring a positive energy to the work and team. You will want to make a real difference by inspiring and empowering managers to make positive improvements in culture and behaviour of their teams.

It would be expected you would be on‑site at least 3 days per week and occasional travel to other UK sites may be required.

Key Accountabilities:

• The delivery of timely ER advice and guidance to empower functional managers to proactively manage their ER cases, within an acceptable level of business risk
• Coach, support and upskill functional managers in order to develop ER capability within the company
• Work collaboratively with People Partners and Advisors and in‑house Legal team to resolve complex ER cases.
• Identify trends in cases in order to design, deliver and implement upskilling sessions for functional managers.
• Continually reviewing of our People Instructions, Toolkits and Knowledge Guides and put forward amendments/suggestions to ensure we remain up to date with legislative changes and good practice
• Maintain accurate and up to date records of all actions and documentation relating to cases being managed through to conclusion.
• Ensuring the casework team mailbox is regularly reviewed and enquiries responded to in a timely manner, usually within 24hrs.

Key Capabilities/Knowledge:

• Ability to draw together and analyse different points of view
• Problem solving and conflict management coupled with the confidence to coherently and succinctly advise
• Good negotiating, persuading and influencing skills
• Ability to quickly build positive relations with managers and Global Employee Voice Reps and, where appropriate, Trade Unions
• Ability to assess employee relations risks and take appropriate steps, following our HR delegations process, to achieve resolution of cases within the legal framework
• Excellent coaching and advisory skills balanced with influencing and questioning techniques
• Verbal and written communication skills are essential coupled with a high level of attention to detail
• Ability to prioritise and work well under pressure
• Proven ability to contribute and work collaboratively as part of a team
• A drive to find ways to continuously improve and bring ideas to fruition

Experience & Qualifications

• Minimum of CIPD Level 5 qualified or equivalent experience
• Significant experience of managing high volumes of complex ER cases at pace
• Demonstrable experience of upskilling functional managers to improve knowledge, competence and confidence and mentoring of junior team members
• Experience of working in complex organisations or with complex technologies.

Why Join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experiences enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture. www.qinetiq.com/en/careers/life-at-qinetiq

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Competitive holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days
• Options to join Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more
• We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and maintaining our Gold Award standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme
• Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community

Our Recruitment Process:

We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels valued, heard and supported. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which means factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.

For further information on National Security Vetting, please see the link below.

UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)