Head of Employment Relations - Casework

Job summary

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, providing high‑quality, trusted insights on the economy, population and society. Within the People and Places Directorate (PPD), the Employee Relations, Policy and Casework function supports a fair, inclusive and legally compliant working environment across the organisation.

This role provides strategic leadership for the ONS’s employee relations casework approach, ensuring the implementation of our policies, guidance, and casework handling are modern, evidence‑based, and aligned with employment law. The postholder will lead the Casework team responsible for implementing complex casework, capability building, and high‑risk case oversight.

Job description

This leadership position is responsible for overseeing the organisation’s employee relations casework strategy. This role is pivotal in ensuring the effective management, resolution, and prevention of complex casework issues, fostering a positive working environment, and supporting legal compliance and organisational objectives.

You will lead a team of 10 Complex Caseworkers based across Newport and Titchfield, delivering specialist advice to the business, and partnering closely with HR Business Partners, unions, senior leaders, and legal advisors. This will include creating opportunities for purposeful in person activity where it supports collaboration, coaching, complex case discussion, stakeholder engagement and team cohesion across sites.

This role requires someone with employee relations senior experience working with ambiguity, resolving stakeholder issues, navigating people policies and influencing business leaders to drive a healthy and effective casework experience.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Set the strategic direction for Casework, ensuring alignment with organisational goals, Civil Service standards, and evolving workforce needs.
• Lead organisational approaches to conflict resolution, early intervention, and modern casework practices that ensure compliance while prioritising fairness, inclusion, and proportionality.
• Lead the design and implementation of casework workstreams to ensure continuous improvement projects are clear, modern, evidence-based and drive organisational objectives forward.

Leadership and Management

• Lead and manage the ER Casework team, ensuring high standards of professionalism, confidentiality, and ethical conduct.
• Oversee the handling of complex and sensitive cases, providing expert advice and guidance to HR colleagues, managers, and senior leaders.
• Coach and develop HR professionals and line managers in best practice case management.
• Plan and lead purposeful in person activities, including casework learning sessions, team development days, reflective practice discussions and cross-site collaboration to build capability and strengthen professional judgement.
• Act as senior escalation point, providing expert judgement and strategic advice for Directors, HR Business Partners, and senior leaders on high‑risk, complex, or sensitive cases (e.g. conduct, grievance, performance, attendance, whistleblowing), ensuring robust governance, consistency and organisational learning.

Casework and Risk Management

• Analyse trends in employee relations and casework, identifying areas for improvement and drive targeted interventions to reduce case volume and streamline process to improve employee experience.
• Provide regular reports and updates to senior management on key employee relations issues, casework volumes, outcomes, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Responsible for third party contracts such as ER Tracker (our casework tracking system), Government Legal Services and Health Partners.

Union and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong relationships with trade unions, employee representatives, and other stakeholders, facilitating constructive dialogue and negotiations.
• Work closely with senior leadership, Legal Services, PPD colleagues and external agencies (where relevant) to manage organisational casework risks.
• Represent PPD at bronze and silver command meetings when casework interventions are required.
• Use a variety of engagements methods to work effectively with senior leaders, HR colleagues, trade unions and managers where discussion of complex, sensitive or high-risk matters would benefit from direct dialogue, trust-building and shared problem solving.

Standards and Governance

• Ensure all casework is managed in accordance with relevant employment legislation, organisational policies, and best practice standards.
• Support the organisation’s commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion through fair and transparent casework processes.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

Leadership

• Experience leading and developing HR specialist teams, shaping culture, driving capability improvement and delivering organisational outcomes through others, with the ability to think beyond functional boundaries, demonstrate collective leadership and contribute to wider directorate and organisational priorities alongside their own area of responsibility.

Analytical & Insight‑Driven

• Ability to use data, insight, trends and analysis to inform strategy, evaluate risks and improve outcomes.

Change & Improvement

• Proven ability to identify systemic issues and lead improvements in the people function.

HR Knowledge

• Significant experience of Employment Relations Casework within a complex organisation. Able to apply specialist knowledge, professional credibility and evidence-based analysis to provide authoritative advice and shape strategic recommendations.
• Expert understanding of current employment and data protection legislation and its practical application.
• A strong awareness of future developments in employment legislation and professional developments in relation to good people management practice.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Demonstrates excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex, contentious and sensitive messages clearly and confidently to a wide range of audiences. Adapts communication style and approach to meet audience needs, using appropriate channels to support understanding, engagement and confidence.
• Brings strong professional credibility, with proven experience of advising, coaching and influencing others, including through purposeful in-person engagement where this strengthens collaboration, trust and outcomes. Builds and maintains effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders, trade unions, government departments, and equivalent partners, to influence decisions and support successful delivery.

Judgement & Risk Handling

• Excellent judgement, with the ability to handle ambiguity, balance organisational and individual risks, and provide authoritative advice to a wide range of stakeholders.

Qualifications

MCIPD Level 7 or willingness to work towards this within the first year of being in the post.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,861, Office for National Statisti