Employee Relations Specialist

**The Role**

We have an exciting opportunity for an ER Specialist to join our Fortem HR & ER team, based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire supporting our Fortem family This is a permanent position ideal for someone who is confident, driven and passionate to succeed.
We need someone to be the knowledge expert for the HR Support Centre and support both standard and escalated enquiries by providing business focused coaching and support for managers. This would be the perfect role for someone with experience of working asan HR Business Partner, HR Advisor, HR Specialist or any specific role comprising Employee Relations.
In return you will receive not only a great place to work but lots of benefits, please see below:

- Car allowance OR salary sacrifice company car
- 24 days annual leave + your birthday off (or the nearest Friday/Monday, if it falls on a weekend)
- Sick pay - Full pay for up to 20 days off sick in your first year, up to 40 days after that
- Pay review every January
- 26 weeks full pay maternity leave, 8 weeks full pay paternity leave
- Discounted gym memberships at national and local gyms
- Up to £3,000 colleague referral fee
- Other benefits including dental care, private healthcare, cycle-to-work scheme, mobile phone provider discounts & more

**The Project**

Your responsibilities will include:

- Operate regionally to support branches with employee relations requirements, including regular branch attendance for complex absence meetings, hearings, training sessions.
- Build relationships with key stakeholders within region to establish effective working relationship built on trust and credibility.
- Work as a team to ensure the HR Support Centre is manned, delivers a fast, efficient, and professional telephone-based service and achieves a high percentage of first-time resolution.
- Ownership of cases through to closure and appropriate recording of case details.
- Prioritise time to ensure service is delivered according to published KPI's and SLA's.
- Be the knowledge expert and provide a point of escalation for complex HR Support Centre requirements. Ensure internal escalation of cases as required, ensuring timely close out.
- Ensure management of people issues is consistent with Fortem's values and behaviours.
- Coach and train Line Managers on HR issues, providing business focused, risk balanced advice.
- Provide end to end technical support on mobilisation.
- Continuous learning including reading, seminars and undertaking operational projects.
- Support Head of HR if required.
- Undertake central HR projects to support the development of the business.
- Maintain organised Support service ensuring administration is undertaken in a timely fashion including regular filing, archiving, and shredding.
- Produce monthly board report
- Management of long
- and short-term sickness cases through to return to work at acceptable levels through analysis of cases and active management.

**Essential and Desirable Criteria**

Essential:

- Ability to understand the business and balance commercial needs with assessed risks
- Sound experience in management coaching
- Experience of providing technical and practical telephone support
- Ability to managing problems by identifying cause and effect and proposing solutions
- Strong influencing and negotiating skills

Desirable:

- Experience within a HR Support Centre
- Keen to learn and develop in Human Resources
- Attention to detail and completer finisher
- Good common sense and ability to articulate information
- Professional and personable telephone manner
- 'Can do' positive attitude
Other Requirements:

- Whole business focused

**Personal Qualities**

We look for people who:

- Are honest and trustworthy
- Consistently exceed expectations
- Take ownership of tasks and see things through
- Meet deadlines
- Go the extra mile
- Respect and value other ideas
Sound like you? If so, come and join our Fortem team and become a great ambassador of our business.

**About Us**

Here at Fortem we are passionate about people, with a real focus and drive around continuous development. We strongly believe that this passion has allowed us the success we have enjoyed in recent years. Above everything else you will be joining a valuesbased business: our values are at the centre of every activity we undertake. Having the right talent, coupled with the right culture and values, ensures that we have a sustained future and a trusted brand in our respective markets.
Fortem is part of the Willmott Dixon Family of Companies which is one of the largest privately owned Construction businesses in the UK. Willmott Dixon, for the past four years has been the highest privately owned construction and Development Company in theprestigious Sunday Times best companies to work for list.