Head of HR opportunity – Employment Law / ER Specialist
North Lanarkshire - Commutable from Edinburgh or Glasgow
Hybrid Working - 3 Days per week in office
£70,000 – £80,000 DOE + 25% bonus
We are recruiting for a technically strong Head of HR, Employment Law Specialist, Senior ER Lead or employment law-focused HR professional to step into a senior Head of HR role within a growing national business.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone with deep employment law, complex ER and risk-management expertise who wants to move into a broader HR leadership role while continuing to use their technical strengths every day.
You will also play a key role in building, leading and developing a high-performing HR team as the business continues to grow.
The company already has a strong employee relations record, supported by good HR processes, consistent advice and proactive risk management. The successful candidate will build on this foundation, helping the organisation continue to manage people risk effectively as it scales.
This role is heavily focused on employment law, complex ER, compliance, risk management, negotiations, dispute resolution, dispute prevention, process and pragmatic commercial advice.
It could suit an Employment Lawyer, Employment Law Consultant, ER Specialist, Senior ER Manager, Employee Relations Lead, Senior HR Business Partner or technically strong Head of HR with a strong legal, compliance and risk-management focus.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Director of People, you will provide trusted technical HR and employment law leadership across a national, multi-site business.
You will advise senior leaders and managers on complex people matters, helping them make fair, legally compliant and commercially practical decisions.
This is not a purely generalist HR role. Our client needs someone with genuine technical credibility, strong employment law knowledge and the confidence to interpret legislation pragmatically across a fast-paced operational business.
You will lead and develop a lean, experienced HR team, helping build a scalable, technically strong and high-performing HR function as the company continues to grow.
For someone currently operating in an employment law, legal advisory or complex ER-focused role, this is a strong opportunity to broaden your career into senior HR leadership while retaining a highly technical focus.
What You’ll Be Doing
• Providing technical employment law and HR advice across the business
• Advising on complex ER cases, high-risk people matters and potential claims
• Supporting disciplinary, grievance, absence, performance and ill-health cases
• Advising on ACAS matters, negotiations, dispute resolution and settlement discussions
• Interpreting and applying UK employment law in a pragmatic, commercial way
• Identifying employment risk early and putting appropriate safeguards in place
• Maintaining and strengthening the company’s strong ER record through proactive risk management
• Ensuring HR processes, policies and documentation are legally robust and consistently followed
• Coaching managers on process, risk, documentation and decision-making
• Challenging, influencing and advising senior stakeholders with confidence
• Supporting TUPE, restructures, acquisitions and organisational change where required
• Leading, coaching and developing a small HR team
• Helping build a scalable, technically strong HR function for a growing national business
About You
You will have strong employment law knowledge and experience handling complex employee relations matters.
You may come from a legal, employment law consultancy, employee relations or senior HR background. We are open to different routes into the role, provided you bring the technical depth, commercial judgement and confidence required.
This role could suit someone with either:
• 5+ years’ specialist employment law experience as an Employment Lawyer, Employment Law Consultant or Legal Adviser
or
• 15+ years’ HR experience with strong exposure to complex ER, employment law, compliance and senior stakeholder support
You will also bring experience in complex ER, ACAS, negotiations, dispute resolution and high-risk case management.
Experience advising managers or senior leaders on sensitive people issues will be important, along with the confidence to move into, or continue in, a broader HR leadership position.
You do not need to have come from the company’s exact sector, although experience in a multi-site, operational, construction, property services, facilities management, housing, maintenance, manufacturing or field-based workforce environment would be beneficial.
CIPD qualification would be preferred, but candidates with equivalent senior experience or specialist employment law expertise will also be considered.
You Will Bring
• Deep understanding of UK employment law
• Strong technical HR or employment law credibility
• Complex ER and high-risk case management experience
• ACAS, negotiations and dispute-resolution exposure
• Confidence interpreting legislation and applying it pragmatically
• Strong compliance, governance and risk-management focus
• Assertiveness, confidence and commercial judgement
• Ability to balance legal risk, fairness, process and business needs
• Credibility with senior leaders and operational managers
• Confidence challenging decisions and giving clear recommendations
• Ability to coach managers and support consistent decision-making
• Interest in developing into a broader senior HR leadership role
• Desire for long-term stability, progression and development in a growing business
Location & Hybrid Working
The role is based at the company’s Airdrie Head Office, which has good commuter links from Glasgow, Lanarkshire and the wider Central Belt.
The working pattern is expected to be 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home, with occasional travel to other sites and attendance at board / senior leadership meetings as required.
Package
• £70,000–£80,000 DOE
• Bonus opportunity up to 25%
• Hybrid working: 3 days office / 2 days home
• Holiday allowance
• Holiday buy / sell scheme
• Enhanced maternity and paternity benefits
• Pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Wellbeing benefits
• Free parking
• No car allowance
This is an excellent opportunity for an employment law specialist or complex ER professional who wants to move into a senior HR leadership role with genuine influence.
You will be joining a growing national business with a strong ER record, good processes already in place and a clear focus on proactive risk management.
If you have deep employment law knowledge, strong technical credibility and the confidence to advise, challenge and lead in a growing operational business, we would welcome a conversation.