Employee Relations Manager (Hybrid, mostly remote with the expectation to attend Group HR meetings. The typical meeting locations for this role are Nottingham and Milton Keynes, so the successful candidate must be willing to travel to these locations). At Lithia UK, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As we continue to grow and evolve, we're looking for an experienced and people-focused Employee Relations Manager to lead our Employee Relations team and help deliver an exceptional colleague experience across the business. This is an exciting opportunity to step into a highly visible role where you will influence decision‑making, support leaders across the business, and play a key part in creating fair, consistent and commercially focused people practices. If you’re passionate about employee relations, enjoy solving complex challenges, and thrive in a fast‑paced environment where no two days are the same, this could be the perfect next step in your career.
Responsibilities
- Lead, coach and develop a team of Employee Relations Advisors, creating a supportive and high‑performing environment
- Oversee the management of a wide range of employee relations cases, including absence management, disciplinary, grievance, performance, probation and appeals
- Provide expert, commercially focused ER advice to managers and stakeholders across the business
- Manage and resolve complex and high‑risk ER matters, balancing legal compliance with business objectives
- Handle Employment Tribunal cases from initial stages through to resolution, working closely with external legal partners
- Act as a subject matter expert on organisational change activity, including restructures, redundancies, TUPE and changes to terms and conditions
- Identify trends, risks and capability gaps through ER metrics and case insight, providing recommendations to People Partners and senior leaders
- Oversee the ER case management system (Zendesk), ensuring accurate case tracking, reporting and data integrity
- Build strong relationships with external employment law solicitors and manage those partnerships effectively
- Support sponsorship and visa‑related processes where required
- Review, update and create policies, procedures, handbooks and manager guidance in line with legislation and best practice
- Deliver workshops, coaching and training sessions to upskill managers and improve confidence in handling people matters
- Support wider People & Culture projects and initiatives that enhance colleague experience and operational effectiveness
Qualifications
- Strong and up‑to‑date Employee Relations knowledge, with proven experience managing complex ER cases and confidently applying UK employment law in a practical, business‑focused way
- Previous experience leading, coaching and developing a team, creating a positive and high‑performing culture where people feel supported and empowered
- Excellent decision‑making and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to assess risk, challenge constructively and make balanced, fair and commercially sound recommendations
- A proactive, positive and adaptable “can do” attitude, with the confidence to take ownership, drive solutions and thrive in a fast‑moving environment
- Exceptional organisation skills and attention to detail, able to manage multiple priorities, maintain accuracy and meet deadlines under pressure
- Experience using ticketing systems or case management platforms (such as Zendesk), ensuring cases, updates and reporting are consistently accurate and well managed
- Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility quickly and influence managers at all levels of the business
- High levels of confidentiality, professionalism and integrity, with experience handling sensitive people matters with discretion and care
- Confidence creating policies, guidance and manager resources, as well as supporting workshops and training initiatives to improve consistency across the business
- Must hold a full UK Driving Licence
Benefits
- 33 days annual leave (including bank holidays)
- Additional day off on your birthday
- Industry‑leading Family Leave Policies
- Salary Sacrifice scheme for a new car
- Paid day to volunteer
- Long service milestone celebrations
- Tailored training and career growth opportunities
- Cycle to work scheme
- High‑street discounts
- Internal referral rewards program
- Basic salary up to £50,000 with bonus, car allowance, family PMI, pension, life assurance and exclusive company discounts on used car purchases and aftersales services
Lithia UK is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome all applications regardless of age, race, religion, disability, gender or sexual identity, marital status, socio‑economic background or veteran status. We will also consider qualified applicants with prior criminal convictions, in accordance with the law.
#J-18808-Ljbffr”, “datePosted”: “2026-05-21”, “hiringOrganization”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “Lithia UK”, “sameAs”: “https://uk.whatjobs.com/pub_api__cpl__438873379__4861?utm_campaign=publisher&utm_medium=api&utm_source=4861&geoID=441” }, “jobLocation”: { “@type”: “Place”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “addressLocality”: “Milton Keynes” } } }Employee Relations Manager (Hybrid, mostly remote with the expectation to attend Group HR meetings. The typical meeting locations for this role are Nottingham and Milton Keynes, so the successful candidate must be willing to travel to these locations). At Lithia UK, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As we continue to grow and evolve, we’re looking for an experienced and people-focused Employee Relations Manager to lead our Employee Relations team and help deliver an exceptional colleague experience across the business. This is an exciting opportunity to step into a highly visible role where you will influence decision‑making, support leaders across the business, and play a key part in creating fair, consistent and commercially focused people practices. If you’re passionate about employee relations, enjoy solving complex challenges, and thrive in a fast‑paced environment where no two days are the same, this could be the perfect next step in your career.
Responsibilities
- Lead, coach and develop a team of Employee Relations Advisors, creating a supportive and high‑performing environment
- Oversee the management of a wide range of employee relations cases, including absence management, disciplinary, grievance, performance, probation and appeals
- Provide expert, commercially focused ER advice to managers and stakeholders across the business
- Manage and resolve complex and high‑risk ER matters, balancing legal compliance with business objectives
- Handle Employment Tribunal cases from initial stages through to resolution, working closely with external legal partners
- Act as a subject matter expert on organisational change activity, including restructures, redundancies, TUPE and changes to terms and conditions
- Identify trends, risks and capability gaps through ER metrics and case insight, providing recommendations to People Partners and senior leaders
- Oversee the ER case management system (Zendesk), ensuring accurate case tracking, reporting and data integrity
- Build strong relationships with external employment law solicitors and manage those partnerships effectively
- Support sponsorship and visa‑related processes where required
- Review, update and create policies, procedures, handbooks and manager guidance in line with legislation and best practice
- Deliver workshops, coaching and training sessions to upskill managers and improve confidence in handling people matters
- Support wider People & Culture projects and initiatives that enhance colleague experience and operational effectiveness
Qualifications
- Strong and up‑to‑date Employee Relations knowledge, with proven experience managing complex ER cases and confidently applying UK employment law in a practical, business‑focused way
- Previous experience leading, coaching and developing a team, creating a positive and high‑performing culture where people feel supported and empowered
- Excellent decision‑making and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to assess risk, challenge constructively and make balanced, fair and commercially sound recommendations
- A proactive, positive and adaptable “can do” attitude, with the confidence to take ownership, drive solutions and thrive in a fast‑moving environment
- Exceptional organisation skills and attention to detail, able to manage multiple priorities, maintain accuracy and meet deadlines under pressure
- Experience using ticketing systems or case management platforms (such as Zendesk), ensuring cases, updates and reporting are consistently accurate and well managed
- Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility quickly and influence managers at all levels of the business
- High levels of confidentiality, professionalism and integrity, with experience handling sensitive people matters with discretion and care
- Confidence creating policies, guidance and manager resources, as well as supporting workshops and training initiatives to improve consistency across the business
- Must hold a full UK Driving Licence
Benefits
- 33 days annual leave (including bank holidays)
- Additional day off on your birthday
- Industry‑leading Family Leave Policies
- Salary Sacrifice scheme for a new car
- Paid day to volunteer
- Long service milestone celebrations
- Tailored training and career growth opportunities
- Cycle to work scheme
- High‑street discounts
- Internal referral rewards program
- Basic salary up to £50,000 with bonus, car allowance, family PMI, pension, life assurance and exclusive company discounts on used car purchases and aftersales services
Lithia UK is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome all applications regardless of age, race, religion, disability, gender or sexual identity, marital status, socio‑economic background or veteran status. We will also consider qualified applicants with prior criminal convictions, in accordance with the law.
#J-18808-Ljbffr…