Head of People Advisory and Employee Relations

At our core, we are dedicated to finding fantastic people and creating an environment where they can truly thrive. The foundation of that success is a robust legal and regulatory framework. To support our continued growth, we are looking for a Head of People Advisory and Employee Relations to lead this critical function.

Reporting to the Director of People, you will be the strategic architect of our Employee Relations framework across the Group. This isn't just about managing cases; it's about setting the gold standard for how we support our people. You will provide expert leadership on complex ER matters, shape our people policies, and ensure we remain fully aligned with UK employment law and financial regulations (FCA/PRA and SMCR).

Your mission is to ensure our People Advisory team is seen as a trusted, proactive partner - one that balances commercial needs with a culture of inclusion, accountability, and psychological safety.

Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of UK employment law, case law, and employee relations best practice.
• Strong understanding of financial services regulation, including FCA, PRA, and SMCR requirements as they relate to people management.
• Knowledge of people policies, procedures, and frameworks in a banking context.
• Awareness of HR strategy, organisational design, and cultural change within a regulated banking context.
• Familiar with HR systems and case management tools, ideally Workday.

Experience

• Proven experience of leading ER and People Advisory teams within financial services or a highly regulated environment.
• Proven track record of handling complex, high-risk ER cases, including tribunal preparation and negotiation with external stakeholders.
• Experience of building senior stakeholder relationships and influencing at executive/board level.
• Experience in developing and applying people policies and procedures.
• Experience of working collaboratively with legal, compliance, and risk teams.

Skills

• Excellent leadership, people management, influencing, and negotiation skills to constructively guide and challenge senior leaders.
• Advanced problem-solving and analytical skills, balancing legal, commercial, and cultural factors, and applying employment law practically.
• Highly organised with attention to detail, governance, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Agile, adaptable, resilient, and composed under pressure.
• Proficiency in HR systems and case management tools.
• CIPD qualification or working towards is desirable.

Applications for this role will close on Monday 5th January at 5pm.

• 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
• An extra day's holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work and Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships

About Us

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that While we can't accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren't sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway.

We're on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we're proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we're proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling Bank are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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