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Job description

As a Deputy Principal in Employee Relations, you will play a key role in shaping how the Northern Ireland Civil Service supports, develops and manages its people, helping to deliver fair, effective and modern employment practices that make a real difference across the NICS. Please see employer website for full job details & person specification.

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of business objectives by managing operational activity, ensuring efficient use of resources and contributing to continuous improvement initiatives within the Employee Relations function;
• Demonstrate effective leadership through personal commitment, professionalism and a collaborative approach, supporting staff to achieve team objectives;
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including management, Trade Union Side representatives and business partners, to support the delivery of Employee Relations priorities;
• Provide expert Employee Relations advice and guidance to senior managers across Departments, supporting the effective resolution of complex and sensitive employee relations cases;
• Ensuring compliance with employment legislation, NICS policies and procedures, and the consistent application of best practice;
• Manage the day-to-day delivery of areas of responsibility, ensuring customer service standards, legislative requirements, business objectives and performance targets are met;
• Identify and respond to emerging issues and risks, implementing appropriate mitigations and escalating matters where necessary to support the effective delivery of business objectives;
• Support the development and capability of staff through coaching, training and performance management to ensure the effective delivery of services and maximise the use of available technology and systems;
• Exercise sound judgement and decision-making in dealing with employee relations cases and operational issues, analysing information and evidence to support recommendations and outcomes;
• Provide advice, briefings and written responses for senior management on employee relations matters, including submissions, correspondence, complaints, briefing papers and casework, often within tight deadlines;
• Manage and contribute to projects and workstreams, ensuring appropriate controls, plans and documentation are maintained and that agreed outcomes are delivered;
• Support the monitoring and management of contracts and service level agreements, where applicable, ensuring compliance with agreed obligations and performance standards;
• Ensure the effective handling of FOI requests, Assembly Questions, Ministerial and MLA correspondence, formal complaints, citizen enquiries and other business-related correspondence.

Skills and Qualifications

Essential Skills

• Applicants must, by the closing date for applications, demonstrate: A minimum of two years' experience in providing expert advice, in a HR environment, across at least one employee relations area;
• on complex, sensitive and high-risk workforce issues, including responsibility for analysing evidence, assessing risk and making recommendations that informed significant business decisions;
• Employee relations covers matters relating to sickness absence management, conduct, grievance, dignity at work, performance management;
• Industrial relations issues, organisational change and restructuring matters, or management of cases involving legal, reputational or employee relations risk.
• AND A minimum of one year's experience in leading and/or managing a high performing HR team, function, programme of work or service, ensuring delivery of business objectives;
• Successfully managing competing priorities and delivering high-quality outcomes in a complex and challenging environment.
• A complex and challenging environment may be defined as an organisation where a wide range of objectives has to be met with tight timescales and potentially competing stakeholder views.
• AND A minimum of one year’s experience of building and maintaining effective relationships with senior stakeholders.
• And providing advice or recommendations that influenced strategic organisational outcomes.
• Senior stakeholders may be defined as Grade 7 or above, Directors, Senior managers, Trade Union representatives, Legal advisers or external partners.

Further Information

In addition, applicants should be aware that after an eligibility sift, should it be necessary to shortlist candidates to go forward to the next stage of selection, the panel will carry out an objective evaluation of the breadth and depth of information provided by candidates in response to eligibility criterion 1. This will be completed on a scored basis and only the highest scoring candidates will progress to the next stage. NICS Application form only, Vacancy closing date 23rd October 2026 at 12 noon. Applications from Protestants, young people (people under the age of 35), people with a disability and people from minority ethnic communities are particularly welcomed for this post. The Northern Ireland Civil Service is an Equal Opportunities Employer. All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit