Industrial Relations Manager

Overview

As an Industrial Relations Manager at Marks & Spencer, you will shape the IR strategy and ensure effective colleague voice across the business. You will support senior leaders through organisational change, manage risk, and guide consultation with employee representatives and unions. This role sits in the People team and emphasizes credible partnerships, compliant practices, and impactful transformation programmes. You will work in a hybrid setup based in London or Manchester to deliver a proactive, commercially-aware IR agenda.

Pay / Benefits

• 20% colleague discount
• competitive holiday allowance
• discretionary bonus schemes
• strong pension and life assurance
• tailored induction and training
• family-friendly policies

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver the industrial relations strategy with a proactive, risk-based approach to representation and engagement
• Advise senior stakeholders and BIG to embed colleague voice in decisions and transformation
• Support leaders through organisational change, ensuring effective, compliant consultation
• Build constructive relationships with trade unions and employee representatives, leading negotiation and engagement as needed
• Provide expert industrial/employee relations guidance to balance risk, commercial priorities, and colleague experience

Key requirements

• Experienced in Industrial Relations, Employee Relations or Workforce Relations within large, complex organisations
• Experience working with employee representative groups, works councils, and/or recognised trade unions
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and collective consultation practices
• Credible influencer capable of engaging senior leaders and delivering pragmatic solutions
• Commercially minded, resilient, collaborative with excellent communication and negotiation skills

• communication
• negotiation
• relationship-building
• UK employment law knowledge
• collective consultation
• employee representation and industrial relations best practice

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