Specialist, Employee Relations

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Specialist, Employee Relations to join our global team.

Team Purpose

This role is part of a global Employee Relations function that combines expert case management and employment law advice with strong organisational capability, enabling leaders, managers and People teams to prevent, resolve and manage workplace issues effectively and at the right level. Through data, insights, case and trend oversight and learning lessons from individual cases, the team identify systemic risks and root causes, strengthen leadership and management practice, and drives continuous improvement in employee experience and organisational culture. 

Role purpose

Lead the delivery of a fair, timely, and person-centred Employee Relations service across SCI, managing complex and sensitive investigations through to resolution while ensuring compliance with organisational policies and legal requirements whilst aligned to SCI’s values. The role provides expert guidance to leaders and HR teams on employee relations matters, manages risk throughout the investigation lifecycle, and ensures robust, evidence-based recommendations are implemented to address root causes, strengthen organisational practice, and prevent recurrence.

• Job Title: Specialist, Employee Relations
• Reports To: Lead, Employee Relations
• Work Pattern:Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
• Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers 
• Required Time Zone: Any
• Contract Length: Initial 1 year fixed-term contract with potential to become permanent
• Right to Work: The successful candidate must have the right to work in the country where the role is based, for the duration of employment. 
• Language Requirements: English (Arabic, French or Spanish desirable)
• International Travel: up to 5% 
• Remit: Global

Principal Accountabilities

• Lead and manage the investigation and resolution of employee relations cases, including complex and multifaceted grievances, ensuring fair, timely, and consistent outcomes in line with SCI values, policies, and employment legislation.
• Manage risks and dependencies throughout the investigation lifecycle, anticipating potential barriers and competing priorities, escalating issues where appropriate, and driving investigations to a timely and effective conclusion while maintaining fairness and integrity of process.
• Ensure the identification of lessons learned from formal investigations, developing clear, evidence-based recommendations to address root causes, strengthen organisational practices, and prevent the recurrence of issues, while informing continuous improvement of policies, processes, leadership capability, and organisational culture.
• Champion a person-centred approach to Employee Relations, safeguarding the wellbeing, dignity, rights, and needs of all parties involved, and ensuring individuals are treated with fairness, respect, and compassion throughout formal and informal processes.
• Act as the Employee Relations Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Country Office Senior Management Teams, providing strategic advice and guidance on highly complex and sensitive employee relations matters, consulting with internal and external legal counsel where required to ensure compliant and values-led decision making.
• Partner with Country Office HR teams to build capability and confidence in Employee Relations, providing coaching, guidance, and support to strengthen investigation and case management expertise and enable effective handling of local caseloads.
• Drive continuous improvement and innovation across Employee Relations processes, tools, systems, and frameworks, enhancing efficiency, consistency, user experience, and organisational effectiveness.

Experience and Skills

Essential

1. Significant experience leading and managing complex employee relations investigations, including grievances, disciplinary matters, and other sensitive workplace issues, ensuring fair, timely, and legally compliant outcomes.
2. Demonstrated expertise in providing strategic employee relations advice to senior leaders and managers on high-risk and complex cases, enabling effective decision-making aligned with organisational values, policy, and legal requirements.
3. Strong experience conducting investigations and producing high-quality investigation reports, including developing clear, evidence-based findings and recommendations that address root causes, strengthen organisational practice, and prevent recurrence of issues.
4. Proven ability to identify, assess, and manage risks throughout formal employee relations processes, balancing competing priorities and stakeholder interests while maintaining procedural fairness and delivering timely outcomes.
5. Experience building capability within HR teams and people managers, through coaching, mentoring, and knowledge sharing to strengthen employee relations expertise and case management effectiveness.
6. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex and sensitive issues clearly, objectively, and authoritatively to a wide range of stakeholders.
7. Highly developed interpersonal, listening and questioning skills, with the ability to build trust and engage sensitively and effectively with all stakeholders, including reporters, impacted individuals, subjects of concern, and witnesses throughout the case management process. 
8. Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to establish credibility and trust with employees, HR teams, senior leaders, and other stakeholders across diverse cultural and organisational contexts.
9. High levels of integrity, sound judgement, and resilience, with a demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality, impartiality, and professionalism when handling sensitive and complex matters.
10. Strong organisational and case management skills, with the ability to manage a complex caseload, prioritise competing demands, maintain accurate records, and ensure effective implementation and monitoring of recommendations and actions.
11. Experience driving continuous improvement of employee relations frameworks, tools, systems, and processes, enhancing efficiency, consistency, and organisational effectiveness.

Education and Qualifications 

Essential

• Expert understanding of employment laws and regulations in one or more countries that SCI programmes in.

Desirable

• Qualifications, experience or training in mediation, conflict resolution, or labour law would be advantageous. 
• Professional certifications in Human Resources (such as CIPD) are desirable.
• Arabic, French or Spanish language skills 

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.

We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found at SCI Careers. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our Recruitment Process

1. Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
2. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
3. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse.  All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-Harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.