Head of Employee & Industrial Relations (ER/IR)

Details

Reference number

472628

Salary

£63,443 - £86,547

National £63,443-80,425

London £67,975-86,547

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

Grade 6

OFGEM L3

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

OFGEM - Corporate Services

Type of role

Human Resources

Senior leadership

Strategy

Other

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

Location

About the job

Benefits

Things you need to know

Apply and further information

Location

Successful candidates may be based in any of our office locations – Cardiff, Glasgow, or London. We especially welcome applicants from Cardiff and Glasgow.

About the job

Job summary

Ofgem is Great Britain’s independent energy regulator. Our primary responsibility is to protect energy consumers, especially the most vulnerable, while at the same time working with government, industry and consumer groups to deliver a clean, more affordable and secure net-zero energy system at the lowest cost to consumers and drive economic growth.

Ofgem has a culture of inclusion that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues. It fuels our innovation and helps ensure we can best represent the consumers and the communities we serve. Everyone is welcome - as an inclusive workplace, our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.

The Head of Employee and Industrial Relations provides strategic leadership and guidance on all aspects of employee relations and industrial relations across the organisation, including the management and development of all People related policy. Operating within a hybrid delivery model that integrates Service Enablement Hubs, Senior People Partners and Transactional Teams, this role ensures a consistent, fair and legally compliant approach to managing workforce issues.

The postholder shapes and implements the organisation’s Employee Relations (ER) and Industrial Relations (IR) strategy to support business objectives and uphold Civil Service codes of conduct and employment law. They act as the senior advisor on complex employee relations matters, including disputes, employment tribunals, negotiations and engagement with trade unions.

It builds strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners to foster a collaborative and constructive industrial relations climate. It also drives continuous improvement in ER and IR processes, ensuring alignment with employment law, organisational priorities and workforce engagement goals. This role is pivotal in safeguarding organisational reputation, promoting positive employee experience and enabling effective workforce management across the civil service.

Job description

Key Accountabilities:

Develop and deliver the organisation’s ER/IR strategy, establishing governance frameworks, KPIs and assurance mechanisms to support business objectives and uphold Civil Service code of conducts and employment law.

Lead constructive engagement with trade unions and staff networks, setting negotiating positions, chairing consultative forums and resolving disputes to maintain business continuity and positive industrial relations.

Provide senior oversight for complex and high-risk employee relations cases, acting as the final escalation point to ensure consistency, legal compliance and reputational protection.

Develop and maintain Ofgem’s employment and people related policies (ensuring compliance with legislation), standards and capability-building initiatives, enabling managers and HR teams to resolve issues effectively and at pace.

Adopting a strategic outlook – using data and insights to identify trends, forecast risks and drive continuous improvement in ER/IR processes and workforce engagement strategies.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Service

Provide clear strategic direction for ER/IR, ensuring the hybrid operating model functions seamlessly and delivers against organisational priorities.

Deputising for HR Deputy Directors and Chief People Officer as required.

ER/IR Strategy & Governance

Own the ER/IR strategy, frameworks, assurance and risk management.

Establish governance, KPIs and reporting to Senior Leadership.

Ownership of mediation frameworks.

Trade Union & Stakeholder Engagement

Lead constructive, trust-based relationships with recognised unions and staff associations. Set negotiating positions, chair/attend consultative forums and resolve disputes to maintain business continuity and uphold Civil Service values.

Deputising for the HR Deputy Director/s and Chief People Officer as required.

Complex Case Oversight and Expert Escalation

Provide senior oversight for high-risk or complex cases.

Act as the escalation point - ensuring consistency, legal compliance and reputational protection.

Policy, Standards & Capability Building

Own ER/IR and people related policies and standards.

As the Subject Matter Expert (SME), build and deliver manager and HR capability (toolkits, guidance, training) to support effective resolution at pace and scale.

Insights and Improvement

Use data and insights to identify hotspots, forecast risk and drive continuous improvement across processes and systems.

Person specification

Key Skills & Capabilities

Deep knowledge of UK employment law, industrial relations frameworks and Civil Service HR policies.

Proven experience in leading complex ER/IR strategies and managing high-risk cases at senior level.

Strong negotiation and influencing skills, with a track record of building constructive relationships with trade unions and senior stakeholders.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving capability, using data and insight to inform decisions and anticipate risk.

Ability to lead and develop teams, manage resources effectively and deliver through a hybrid HR operating model.

High level of resilience, political awareness and sound judgment in sensitive and high-pressure situations.

Exceptional communication skills, able to convey complex issues clearly and credibly to diverse audiences.

Essential Criteria

Proven experience providing strategic leadership on employee relations and industrial relations in large, complex organisations.

Strong expertise in employment law, ER/IR frameworks, governance and compliance requirements.

Ability to act as senior advisor on employee relations matters including disputes, high-risk cases, employment tribunals and trade union engagements.

Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with experience building constructive relationships with trade unions and external bodies.

Experience developing ER/IR strategies, people related policies, standards and capability building for line managers and HR teams.

Professional qualification in HR (e.g. CIPD Level 7 or equivalent) or equivalent HR experience.

Qualifications

Professional qualification in HR (e.g. CIPD Level 7 or equivalent)

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Leadership

Communicating and Influencing

Making Effective Decisions

Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £63,443, OFGEM contributes £18,379 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

Ofgem can offer you a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes; up to 30 days annual leave. Excellent training and development opportunities. The opportunity to join the Civil Service pension arrangements which include a valuable range of benefits. Flexible working hours and family friendly policies. Restaurant and subsidise gym (London only). Interest free season ticket loan.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Candidates are required to provide an anonymised CV and tailored supporting statement of no more than 1250 words. Please ensure your supporting statement is tailored and well evidenced against the essential criteria for the role. Candidates who do not provide a tailored application will not be invited to interview. Should we receive a high number of applications for the role a pre-sift on the lead criteria will be conducted.

The interview will include a short presentation. The title will be confirmed and made available to candidates invited to interview.

Due to high volumes of applications, we are only able to provide feedback at interview.

Please refer to Civil Service candidate advice on the acceptable use of Artificial intelligence within the recruitment and selection process - Artificial intelligence and recruitment , Civil Service Careers

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by [https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn].

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals

nationals of the Republic of Ireland

nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : Dominique King

Email : dominique.king@ofgem.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : dominique.king@ofgem.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should email The Head of Talent Acquisition at: Recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. More detailed information can be found on the Civil Service Commission website.