Senior Industrial Relations Manager

Job reference 339290
Senior Industrial Relations Manager

Competitive salary plus £5,000 annual car allowance, family healthcare, 18% annual bonus potential 27.5 days annual leave plus bank holidays (car allowance, bonus and annual leave will be pro rata. Car allowance will be paid as cash equivalent)
Contract: Fixed term until 31st March 2027
Location: Royal Mail, 185 Farringdon Road, London, EC1A 1AA – hybrid working with 4 days per week in the office

At Royal Mail, transformation is at the heart of everything we do. As we continue to modernise our business and evolve how we serve our customers, effective industrial relations are critical to creating a stable, collaborative and forward-looking working environment.

We're looking for an experienced Industrial Relations professional to join our Industrial Relations team. This is a high-profile role, working across one of the UK's largest unionised workforces, supporting major change programmes, strategic initiatives and the delivery of our industrial relations agenda.

You'll partner with senior leaders, HR colleagues and Trade Union representatives to build constructive relationships, navigate complex challenges and help drive successful business outcomes.

What you'll be doing

As a Senior Industrial Relations Manager, you'll play a key role in supporting industrial stability while enabling business transformation across Royal Mail.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing strategic and operational industrial relations expertise to senior leaders across the business.
• Influencing and coaching stakeholders on industrial relations approaches, helping to deliver successful outcomes in both routine and complex situations.
• Supporting and leading negotiations associated with large-scale change programmes and business initiatives.
• Managing and supporting consultation activities, ensuring compliance with collective agreements and relevant legislation.
• Working proactively to prevent and resolve disputes, including supporting mediation and conflict resolution processes.
• Providing expert advice and guidance on industrial relations policies, practices and agreements.
• Analysing trends, risks and data to inform decision-making and improve industrial relations outcomes.
• Supporting HR Business Partners and functional leaders with specialist advice on complex employee and industrial relations matters.
• Developing policies, guidance and best practice approaches that strengthen industrial relations capability across the organisation.
• Building strong partnerships with national and regional Trade Union representatives to maintain productive working relationships.

About you

We're looking for someone with significant industrial relations experience gained within a complex, unionised environment.

You'll bring:

• A strong track record of managing Trade Union relationships and supporting large-scale organisational change.
• Experience influencing and advising senior stakeholders in complex environments.
• Excellent negotiation, consultation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of how industrial relations supports wider business objectives.
• Proven ability to navigate multiple collective agreements and complex industrial relations frameworks.
• A resilient and pragmatic approach, with the ability to balance competing priorities and viewpoints.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with a coaching and influencing style.
• Sound knowledge of employment legislation, industrial relations practices and trade union frameworks.

Extra Benefits

• Family friendly support - enhanced maternity pay, paternity leave, adoption leave and shared parental leave
• Supportive and generous company sick pay
• Funded Dental – As a manager you are eligible to a level of employer funded dental insurance*
• Health Assessment – As a manager you are eligible to an employer funded health assessment every 2 years*
• Benefits Account – You will have access to your personal benefits account on our ‘My Bundle+’ platform. There are more than 800 retail offers to help you save on things like groceries, days out, holidays and your household bills as well as employer provided and voluntary benefits to suit your lifestyle.
• Your Wellbeing - you and your family have 24/7 access to services and tools to help you get the most out of life. From your physical and mental health to financial and social support and advice. It’s free, and it’s for everyone.

*Available only to permanent employees

Next Steps

The next stage of the selection process will be a face to face/virtual interview consisting of competency based and role specific questions.

Trust is the foundation of Royal Mail. We aim to be transparent about the qualities we seek and what a career with us entails, building trust from the start of your journey with us. Your interview is the first step, and we want you to shine. To help you prepare, we’ll provide your interview questions in advance, so you can have your best examples ready. At Royal Mail Group, we value trust and our people.

We understand that candidates may not meet all the criteria for the role. If your experience is different, but you have relevant skills we’d love to hear from you.

Royal Mail Group is committed to inclusion and representing the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals. As a proud Gold signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, we especially encourage applications from the Armed Forces community, including cadet instructors and spouses/partners.

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process. If you require any adjustments to support you during the hiring process, please discuss these with your recruiter when contacted.

We are Forces family friendly and a Gold signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from ex-Armed Forces personnel, reservists, veterans, cadet instructors and military spouses/partners.

For more information on Royal Mail Group and our values please click here: https://www.internationaldistributionsservices.com/en/about-us/

Closing Date: Sunday 16th August. Please note, this advert may close early if the appropriate number of applications has been reached.

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