Employee Relations Lead

Job summary

We are seeking an experienced HR professional with demonstrable trade union experience to advise on, plan and deliver trade union consultation and negotiation relating to Workforce Transformation activity across the Defra group.

The role supports a consistent, collaborative and structured approach across three trade union bargaining units, covering both civil and public service organisations.

You will work closely with senior stakeholders, project teams and trade union representatives to support effective engagement and delivery of workforce change.

Reporting to the Head of Employee Relations, you will play a key role in shaping negotiation strategies, identifying emerging issues and ensuring compliance with trade union framework agreements and statutory obligations. This will include considering the impact of developments in trade union legislation, including changes arising from the Employment Rights Act 2025.

Job description

Key responsibilities

These will include:

• Contributing to the development and delivery of a Defra group‑wide Workforce Transformation Employee Relations strategy and associated consultation plans.
• Ensuring trade union framework agreements are applied consistently throughout consultation and negotiation activity.
• Assessing and preparing for changes to trade union legislation and framework agreements, supporting the Defra group to meet requirements under the Employment Rights Act 2025.
• Briefing and preparing senior leaders and project teams ahead of key trade union meetings to ensure a coordinated and consistent approach.
• Facilitating and chairing trade union meetings, where required.
• Co‑designing clear, concise and fit‑for‑purpose meeting agendas, papers and materials to support effective consultation and negotiation.
• Maintaining a clear audit trail of discussions and actions, ensuring accurate records and appropriate follow‑up.
• Building and maintaining effective working relationships with Workforce Transformation project teams, business leaders and trade union representatives.
• Providing specialist advice on trade union recognition, consultation and negotiation.

Person specification

Essential skills and experience

You will have:

• Proven experience of managing complex trade union relationships and leading trade union consultation at departmental or organisational level.
• A strong track record of advising on complex, large‑scale change and transformation programmes.
• Experience gained through an Employee Relations or trade union‑focused role, or as a HR Business Partner (or similar) with substantial experience of working with trade unions and leading consultation activity.
• MCIPD membership, a Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management, or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong facilitation, negotiation and influencing skills, with the ability to present clear, well‑reasoned positions to senior stakeholders and trade union representatives.
• The ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced and ambiguous environment with changing priorities.
• In‑depth knowledge of UK employment law, with a particular focus on trade union legislation.
• The ability to manage your own workload independently while contributing effectively as part of a small team.
• A strategic mindset, with strong political awareness.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,375, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £16,331 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a CV and Personal Statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The CV should cover your previous job history and will be assessed against the Essential Criteria in the Person specification.

The Personal Statement should be no more than 1000 words and demonstrate how you meet the essential Skills and Experience criteria outlined in the person specification.

Interview

If you are invited to interview, Behaviours, Experience and Strengths will be tested.

The following will be assessed at interview.

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering At Pace
• Experience as listed in the essential criteria.

The interview will also consist of an unseen scenario-based question based on the skills and experience listed. You will be shown the scenario at the start of the interview and will have 10 mins to prepare you answer and 5 mins to discuss your outcome.

Interview will be held week commencing 18th May 2026 via MS Teams.

Further Information

Location

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).

Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

he agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee. The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to DEFRA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Visa Sponsorship Statement

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Near Miss Candidates

Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Defra which may be at a lower grade but have a potential skills match.

Merit Lists

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

Criminal Record Check

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Vetting

All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates posted to London may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for that location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

Internal Fraud Database Check

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : HRResourcingdelivery@defra.gov.uk
• Email : HRResourcingdelivery@defra.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Why Defra- Employee Relations Lead Opens in new window (pdf, 58kB)