Employee Relations Advisor (Job Reference: 26004301)
Primary Location : Antrim-Belfast-Belfast Office
Other Locations :Down-Dundonald-Dundonald Office, Antrim-Antrim-Antrim Board Centre, Armagh-Armagh-Armagh Office, Antrim-Ballymena-Ballee Centre, Tyrone-Omagh-Omagh Office
Contract Type : Permanent
Duration of Contract/Contract End Date : N/A
Status : Full-Time
Hours per Week : 36 hours per week
Working Pattern : Monday - Friday
Grade/Scale : Administrative Officer | NJC pts 29 - 32 | £39,862 - £42,839 per annum
Additional Allowance(s) : Not Applicable
Anticipated Interview Date(s) : 20 July 2026
Additional Information: Agile working currently applies and base locations will be assigned for mileage claims purposes. Suitable applicants who are not appointed to an immediate vacancy will be placed on a reserve list which will remain valid for one year and may be offered appointments at the discretion of the EA during that period for the above listed locations.
JOB DESCRIPTION
REPORTS TO: Line Manager within assigned functional area
RESPONSIBLE FOR: Will manage a team providing best practice service in an assigned specialised functional area or have responsibility for a specialised area of work.
This generic job description is intended to provide an outline of the level of duties that the postholder will be expected to undertake across a number of functional areas within the HR&LS Directorate. Although the postholder may be assigned to a specific functional area on appointment in view of the nature of work the postholder may be required to undertake duties in other functional areas to cover peak periods of work or vacancies.
This job description will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.
JOB PURPOSE
Management of a team in one or more specialist areas or management of a service area concerned with highly specialised or complex subjects
The post-holder will be required to provide advice, guidance and support to EA managers and schools on complex HR issues across a number of functional areas in accordance with relevant polices and legislative requirements.
The post-holder and will give direction in relation to policy implementation and system management rather than direct work processes.
Post will be required to manage the deployment of resources including staff and to plan work of others and will be responsible and accountable for service delivery in an assigned area;
The post will have discretion to make decisions within policy guidelines on contentious or complex matters associated with service delivery.
Monitor budgets and approve expenditure within delegated limits.
Provide support, advice and coaching to line managers and school leaders to facilitate the management of people and ensuring that HR matters are effectively and consistently dealt with.
Support work to build capability of Governors, school leaders and line managers who have responsibility for people management, development and performance.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Main Activity Areas
Staff Management and Service Delivery
Responsible for best practice service delivery in a designated specialist functional area or a specialised area of work.
Where required the post-holder will manage a dedicated support team and duties will include assigning work, co-ordinating activities, dealing with recruitment and resourcing issues, approving annual leave requests, and dealing with any attendance management/disciplinary issues.
Review the performance of reporting staff, identifying individual/team training requirements and initiating further training.
Assist with the review and revision of systems and work processes as required in consultation with senior staff. Contribute to the delivery of projects and continuous improvement of the service.
Contribute to the Business Plan setting, reviewing, and/or identifying performance measures and targets for the effective and efficient delivery of service.
Provide accurate and timely management reporting information as required.
In conjunction with line management ensure that business risks are identified, documented, controlled and mitigated.
Main Activity Areas
The post is generic and therefore postholders will be assigned to manage staff and/or to manage a specialised area of work within the following functional areas in accordance with service need and workload:
Employee Relations
Responsible for providing a professional support service to managers on the operation of relevant employee relations policies and procedures to include discipline, grievance, capability, appraisal, and dignity at work.
Provide for effective consultation with both teaching and non-teaching trade unions on a range of ER issues, using early consultation as a means of effective early resolution to problems.
Work with other HR staff to ensure that dignity at work, grievance and disciplinary policies and procedures are operated with fairness and consistency.
To advise managers on serious/gross misconduct allegations and appropriateness of precautionary suspension or measures that could be implemented short of precautionary suspension.
Act as a voting panel member, if required, on disciplinary, grievance, and dignity at work or other procedures and compile investigation reports and correspondence detailing panel findings and/or recommendations. Ensure all processes are addressed in accordance with agreed procedures effectively and consistently.
Attend the Labour Relations Agency at formal independent appeal hearings to contribute and/or assist managers in presenting of the case to the independent panel.
Consult with the EA Legal Service and support the compilation, preparation and presentation of information and reports to respond to and defend legal proceedings and other complaints lodged with outside agencies.
Management of team providing first line response to queries from non-teaching staff in relation to terms and conditions of employment, relevant policies and procedures and associated HR transactional services;
Management of team and direct support for line managers and schools in relation to OH referrals, return to work meetings, medical suspension or redeployment and associated work with the Equality Unit as required in relation to cases involving reasonable adjustments
Undertake reviews and implement improvements in efficiency and consistency of HR business processes and develop resources for Boards of Governors, principals and managers in relation to the implementation of new systems and ways of working.
Planning and delivery of workshops/presentations for service users in relation to service improvement initiatives and implementation of revised policies and procedures.
Manage delivery of recruitment exercises for EA schools or corporate directorates ensuring all end-to-end recruitment and selection lifecycle activities are delivered meeting KPI requirements, customer expectations and relevant best practice guidance and legislative requirements.
Responsible for day to day management of workload and distribution of work
Resolve any service requests/queries/escalations as referred by direct reports and escalate complex queries and issues to Service Delivery Lead as required.
Lead, train and develop direct reports & implement appropriate performance management activities. Take responsibility for providing direction and improvement on operational resourcing processes and technology.
Provide direct HR support to selection panels when required for corporate recruitment exercises and Principal / VP appointment panels.
Participate as required in the development of training materials and delivery of Recruitment and Selection training.
Participate in projects or working groups which contribute to continuous improvement.
Pay, Policy and Conditions / Teaching Services
Management of team providing advice, support and guidance to teaching staff, managers, principals and boards of governors on any matter relating to teachers’ terms and conditions of employment.
Management of team providing first line response to queries from Teaching staff in relation to terms and conditions of employment, relevant policies and procedures and associated HR transactional services;
Delivery of a robust HR administration service to ensure teacher transactions and contractual changes are actioned and notified to staff and payroll on a timely basis at all stages in employee lifecycle;
Support work for HR staff involved in Industrial Relations machinery and other staff involved in employee relations, recruitment and HR partnering on matters pertaining to policy, pay and reward.
Leading and managing the delivery and continuous improvement of HR transactional services provided for the Teaching workforce.
Undertake reviews and implement improvements in efficiency and consistency of HR business processes and develop resources for Boards of Governors, principals and managers in relation to the implementation of new systems and ways of working.
Planning and delivery of workshops/presentations for service users in relation to service improvement initiatives and implementation of revised policies and procedures.
Management of team responsible for leading and managing all aspects of redundancy, transferred redundancy and voluntary severance schemes for teaching staff.
Support for Pay and Reward Manager including data analysis and scenario planning to support wider workstreams and projects.
HR Business Unit
Support for HR Business Unit Manger relating to business planning and development, financial planning, procurement, risk management, information governance and workforce planning
Assist with development of KPI’s / metrics / scorecard for HR and regular reporting against these measures.
Other Responsibilities
Provide training and guidance to colleagues and assist in covering key aspects of work during periods of absence.
Contribute to HR and Corporate Strategy and associated plans and to the review, revision and development of existing and new policies and procedures related to area of work.
Comply with the Authority’s policy on Data Protection (in particular processing sensitive personal information) is properly complied with.
Comply with the Authority’s Equal Opportunities Policy, relevant Codes of Employment and Practice and other relevant legislation.
Undertake other related duties within the grade and competence of the post-holder as required.
The post holder may also be required to work outside normal office hours on occasions.
In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), the post-holder is expected to promote good relations, equality of opportunity and pay due regard for equality legislation at all times.
To view the summary of terms and conditions for this post, click here.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
1. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how, and to what extent you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria, where relevant.
2. You must demonstrate how you meet the criteria by the closing date for applications, unless the criteria state otherwise.
3. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is outlined in the table below.
4. Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form.
5. Please note that the Selection Panel reserves the right to shortlist only those applicants that it believes most strongly meet the criteria for the role.
6. In the event of an excessive number of applications, the Selection Panel also reserves the right to apply any desirable criteria as outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting, in which case these will be applied in the order listed. It is important therefore that you also clearly demonstrate on your application form on how you meet any desirable criteria.
Section 1 - Essential Criteria
The following are essential criteria which will initially be measured at the shortlisting stage and which may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage.
Factor
Essential Criteria
Method of Assessment
Qualifications/
Experience
Hold a HNC/HND or above examination qualification or hold a minimum of Associate Member status of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and have a minimum of three years’ experience working within the HR and Legal Services Directorate (or equivalent) providing high quality advice in response to complex issues and working to ensure effective service delivery to Principals or Managers or staff
OR
Have a minimum of five years’ experience working within the HR and Legal Services Directorate (or equivalent) providing high quality advice and working to ensure effective service delivery to Principals or Managers or staff
Shortlisting by Application Form
Knowledge
Demonstrable knowledge of policy, procedure, terms and conditions, systems or operations related to a function of the HR and Legal Services Directorate
Demonstrable knowledge of legislation, regulation or Department of Education policy related to a function of the HR and Legal Services Directorate
Shortlisting by Application Form
Other
Willingness to occasionally work outside of normal working hours
The successful candidate will be required:
to have access to a suitable vehicle (appropriately maintained and insured for Education Authority business) that will enable them to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner and thus meet this essential criterion
OR
be able to provide sufficient information on the application form that will satisfy the employer that he/she has access to an appropriate alternative form of transport that will enable them to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner and thus meet this essential criterion
Shortlisting by Application Form
Section 2 - Essential Criteria
The following are additional essential criteria which will be measured during the interview/selection stage in line with EA’s Game Changing People Model.
Factor
Essential Criteria
Method of Assessment
Skills/
Abilities
In line with EA’s Game Changing People Model we will look for evidence of:
Good organisational skills and ability to organise a busy workload to deliver effective results on time
Flexibility to meet changing demands as required and to prioritise and delegate as required
Ability to communicate and work effectively with others as part of a team and to develop and maintain good working relationships at a range of levels
Ability to use own initiative and judgement to solve problems and respond to others
Ability to take a responsive and customer focused approach to work
Ability to lead, manage and motivate others through change and in challenging circumstances
Values Orientation
Evidence of how your experience and approach to work reflect EA’s ethos and values. You will find information about our Values
Section 3 - Desirable Criteria
Some or all of the desirable criteria may be applied by the Selection Panel in order to determine a manageable pool of candidates. Desirable criteria will be applied in the order listed. You should make it clear on your application form how, and to what extent you meet the desirable criteria, as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted.
Factor
Desirable Criteria
Method of Assessment
Qualifications/
Experience
Demonstrable experience in the supervision of staff
Hold a further relevant qualification or a professional qualification in human resources
Shortlisting by Application Form
Our Values
Through the selection process we will also seek evidence that the personal values of candidates align with those of the EA. This will include evidence of commitment to equality and excellence in service delivery. These reflect our aim which is to meet the needs of all our children and young people equally, removing barriers to learning and ensuring equality of access to excellent education services so that every child can develop to his or her full potential.
DISCLOSURE OF CRIMINAL BACKGROUND
The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 defines working directly with children or young people or in specified places as ‘regulated activity’.
In the event that you are recommended for appointed to a post that involves ‘regulated activity’, the Education Authority will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure of Criminal Background. Please note that you WILL be expected to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate. Details of how to make payment will be sent to you at the pre-employment stage.
Further information can be accessed on www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/accessni-criminal-record-checks or www.justice-ni.gov.uk/articles/about-accessni.
