Location: Leeds
The People Directorate is here to shape the Bank’s people strategy, provide information, help and advice to colleagues and line managers to thrive in their roles, and to deliver important people services across the Bank. The directorate comprises around 150 colleagues and is made up of 3 main teams: People Strategy and Insights (PS&I); People Advisory Service and Operations (PAS&OPs); and Reward, supported by the Executive Director’s Office. Our work helps the Bank to attract, identify, develop, nurture, retain and motivate the people we need to fulfil our mission.
Department Overview
The Employee Relations team work with colleagues and Unite the Union to support effective employee relations and the resolution of workplace issues. This includes using our expertise and experience to ensure that the right people are consulted at the right time with the right advice.
Our culture: Objective, fair and consistent application of the Bank’s people policies to all colleagues whilst recognising that individuals are at the heart of employee relations.
Our people: We treat all colleagues with respect and dignity and this approach underpins all of our advice, to all staff, regardless of scale or role.
The ER team sits within the People Directorate together with ‘Reward’, ‘Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion’ and ‘Talent, Acquisition & Development’.
The majority of the ER team have either a CIPD qualification and/or other relevant HR qualifications or experience (e.g. mediation).
Job Description
The key responsibilities for the role are:
- Develop strong relationships with and act as point of contact for managers at all levels, including Deputy Governor and provide advice to managers at all levels relating to Employee Relations cases (ER) including coaching managers where appropriate.
- Effectively managing and prioritising a caseload of often complex people-related issues including guiding management and staff during disciplinary processes, and owning end to end management of grievances, business restructures and redundancies, welfare cases and staff disputes including running mediation.
- Understanding and where necessary, communicate developments in employment law and practice and advise on appropriate proactive action.
- Advise, guide and support managers at all levels, including Executive Director and Deputy Governor with all matters relating to Employee Relations (ER) coaching managers where appropriate.
- Provide research and support to the Head of ER on union matters and lead negotiations where required.
- Develop effective relationships with the managers at all levels, including Executive Director and Deputy Governor to promote best practice ER across the Bank of England.
- Provide support across the People Directorate to Bank-wide change initiatives which have people implications.
- Provide mediation in order to resolve situations of conflict
Role Requirements
Minimum (Essential) Criteria:
- Experience working as an Employee Relations Advisor within a corporate organisation, handling a wide and varied caseload.
- An ability to analyse information which can be complex and conflicting to provide support to line managers and staff to resolve issues and the ability to balance the weight of evidence, assess the risks to the Bank and recommend courses of action on the back of this.
- Ability to liaise and engage with both internal and external legal counsel in order to present cases as clearly and accurately as possible and to limit risk.
- Experience of developing workable solutions to complex problems, balancing the policy guidelines with the practicalities of implementation to deliver good outcomes.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills - note that written output could also be used in Subject Access Requests (SARs), Freedom of Information Act requests (FOIAs) and any potential or actual litigation therefore accuracy and clarity are essential.
- Experience of developing rapport with managers and staff to ensure a full picture can be established in order to reach soundly based recommendations.
- Strong personal resilience to deal with complex and sensitive personal cases.
- Total discretion and confidentiality when dealing with sensitive staff matters.
- Qualified mediator.
- Experience of working in a Unionised Environment.
Desirable Criteria:
- CIPD qualified
Our Approach to Inclusion
The Bank values diversity, equity and inclusion. We play a key role in maintaining monetary and financial stability, and to do that effectively, we believe we need a workforce that reflects the society we serve.At the Bank of England, we want all colleagues to feel valued and respected, so we're working hard to build an inclusive culture which supports people from all backgrounds and communities to be at their best at work. We celebrate all forms of diversity, including (but not limited to) age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. We believe that it’s by drawing on different perspectives and experiences that we’ll continue to make the best decisions for the public.
We welcome applications from individuals who work flexibly, including job shares and part time working patterns. We've also partnered with external organisations to support us in making adjustments for candidates and employees in the recruitment process where they're needed.
For most roles where work can be carried out at home, we aim for colleagues to spend half of their time in the office, with a minimum of 40% per month. Subject to that minimum requirement, individuals and managers should work together to find what works best for them, their team and stakeholders.
Finally, we're proud to be a member of the Disability Confident Scheme. If you wish to apply under this scheme, you should check the box in the ‘Candidate Personal Information’ under the ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ section of the application.
Salary and Benefits Information We encourage flexible working, part time working and job share arrangements. Part time salary and benefits will be on a pro-rated basis as appropriate. The salary for this role is, Leeds, £44,080 - £49,590
In addition, we also offer a comprehensive benefits package as detailed below:
- Currently a non-contributory, career average pension giving you a guaranteed retirement benefit of 1/80th of your annual salary for every year worked. There is the option to increase your pension (to 1/65th) or decrease (to 1/105th) in exchange for salary through our flexible benefits programme each year. The Bank has the discretion to vary standard accrual rates and dial up and dial down rates at any time and to withdraw dial up and dial down options at any time.
- A discretionary performance award based on a current award pool.
- An 8% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits.
- 26 days’ annual leave with option to buy up to 12 additional days through flexible benefits.
- Private medical insurance and income protection.
The Bank of England welcomes applications from all candidates, but as a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approved sponsor, we have a responsibility to comply with the Immigration Rules and guidance. As such, our ability to employ individuals who require sponsorship for immigration purposes is limited. The Bank cannot guarantee that you and / or the role you are applying for will be eligible for sponsorship and that any application made to UKVI will be successful. Eligibility will therefore be considered on a case by case basis.
The Application Process Important: Please ensure that you complete the ‘work history’ section and answer ALL the application questions fully. All candidate applications are anonymised to ensure that our hiring managers will not be able to see your personal information, including your CV, when reviewing your application details at the screening stage. It’s therefore really important that you fill out the work history and application form questions, as your answers will form a critical part of the initial selection process.
The assessment process will comprise of two interview stages. (Amend and add brief details if relevant, such as interview/assessment dates or process for your specific role)
This role closes on 17 July 2025
Please apply online, ensuring that you complete your work history and answer ALL the application questions fully and in detail as your application will not be considered if all mandatory questions are not fully completed. We are the UK's central bank - and we are a bank like no other; known by our peers for our world-leading thinking on policy and strategy. Our mission is to promote the good of the people of the UK by maintaining monetary and financial stability. We seek to keep prices stable and people's money safe. We know our work matters to people, to families, up and down the UK. We are driven by curiosity and the desire to do important, challenging work. It takes a great team to run the Bank of England. We rely on each other to play our part. We benefit from a collaborative culture and long-established flexible ways of working, supporting our colleagues balance their work and personal lives. We strive to be a place where people feel they belong and have equal access to opportunities, because different perspectives helps us make the best decisions for the public. There's much to gain from working with us - from career defining work at the heart of the UK economy, being part of a fantastic team, and a rewarding compensation package. Join us and find a bank like no other. Together, we can make a difference.
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