Senior Advisor, Employee Relations

We are looking for a Senior Employee Relations Advisor to join our People & Culture team on a 12-month fixed-term contract!

The successful Senior ER Advisor will play a key role in providing commercially focused, and risk assessed employee relations support to HR, line managers and staff. The role will provide ER advice to HR Business Partners, as well as deliver direct case management activity on matters including complex formal disciplinary investigations, ill health and wellbeing consultations and dispute resolution.

Additionally, the position will play an active part in ER projects. This includes the regular review of employment policies, supporting the Senior Manager ER with a continual refresh to align the Company’s policies with internal people strategies, employment legislation and opportunity and inclusion.

The Senior ER Advisor must develop close working partnerships with the HR Business Partners to build strong trusted relationships and will interface with HR COE’s and HR Operations teams to leverage specialist resources to provide ER solutions.

Please note: This role will be based in our London Hammersmith office, 4 days a week, with either Monday or Friday working from home.

Values

You’ll join a team grounded in our Disney values — acting with Integrity, welcoming everyone through Inclusion, embracing boundless Creativity, working together through Collaboration and caring deeply for our Community. These values shape how we work and how we support one another every day.

What You Will Do

ER Advisory

• Providing ER case management advice as a subject matter expert on main areas of ER practice, including health and wellbeing, performance management, flexible working, disciplinary and grievance.

• Supporting the Senior Manager, ER, with advisory on headcount management/restructure activity as needed.

• Coaching HR and line managers on complex ER matters, acting as a trusted advisor to stakeholders to resolve employee issues and build management capability.

• Reviewing documentation including occupational health referrals, disciplinary investigations and performance improvement plans.

• Apply a commercial mindset to advice to provide pragmatic solutions, while ensuring that an appropriate risk radar is applied to review any potential challenge including legal and regulatory.

• Maintaining a positive outlook when providing advice towards resolving a particular scenario.

• Competently handle sensitive data in line with internal information security standards and GDPR requirements.

ER Case Management

• Direct case management on matters including complex formal disciplinary investigations, ill health and wellbeing consultations and dispute resolution.

• Connecting with other COE teams to effectively case manage through to resolution, including Wellbeing, Health and Safety, Legal and Compensation and Benefits as appropriate.

• Produce high quality documentation, including outcome letters, employee communications and appeal documentation.

Strategic ER Policy and Projects

• Support the ongoing refresh of employment policies and toolkits, including research, consulting with COE teams, drafting, and supporting communications roll out as appropriate.

• Deliver key HR/ER projects with the wider team, including case management process improvement, ER data insights capabilities and ER related training.

• Identify wider areas for process and policy improvement to streamline management of ER matters to improve experience for line managers and employees, avoid future issues and better manage situations going forwards.

ER Technical Expertise

• Continue to develop strong understanding of core ER policies and procedures, and associated employment laws.

• Attends regular external Employment Law events to ensure advice is up to date with both current legislation and case law.

• Shares learning across HR team, taken from individual case management/advisory activities and external landscape, to improve knowledge and understanding of ER issues across the team.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Experience of multinational, fast-paced, progressive commercial organisations

• CIPD Qualified or equivalent work experience

• Sound experience across other HR disciplines

• Experience of working in a multi-cultural, diverse environment

• ER experience demonstrated with proven direct complex case management and advisory/coaching support to HR colleagues, line managers and staff.

• Strong up to date Employment Law knowledge

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and people management skills

• Ability to remain calm under pressure and deal positively with people in difficult situations

• Demonstrated experience of managing non-complex and complex ER cases from inception to satisfactory conclusion

• Fast and effective relationship builder

• Excellent attention to detail

• Demonstrable experience of grasping issues quickly and delivering effective and efficient solutions

• Ability to quickly develop organisational savvy, political navigation and sensitivity

• Ability to adopt a consultant ‘customer focus’ style to the role, partnering with managers, developing good relationships both within and external to the organisation

• High level of personal credibility and ability to engage with the business and to exercise sound judgement

• Well-organised and able to manage multiple projects/relationships

• Self-starter and able to work autonomously (requiring minimal supervision)

• Demonstrable track record of delivering value-adding HR solutions

• Familiar with relevant HR-oriented technologies and computer literate (Experience of Workday is desirable)

• Able to operate and work effectively with MS Office Suite:- Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, as well as standard ER systems of record

The Perks

• 25 days annual leave

• Private medical insurance & dental care

• Free Park Entry: You will have the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free

• Disney Discounts: you are entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing

• Excellent parental and guardian leave

• Employee Resource Groups – WOMEN @ Disney, Disney Mosaic, Disney PRIDE, our disability & neurodiversity focused group - ENABLED, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Group, TRUST.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.