Employment Policy and Governance Manager

Employment Policy and Governance Manager

Part-time ¦ On-site, EH52 5LY, West Lothian (with some hybrid flexibility)

We do things properly. Clear, fair and consistent, without overcomplications.

This is a new role, created to strengthen and refine how we operate - building capability across the business and making sure our approach to people decisions remains both commercially sound and practically applied.

We are looking for someone who is already an experienced specialist in this space. Someone who has already spent time in the detail of commercially focussed employment relations, policy and governance, and knows how to turn that experience into something that genuinely works in a business. 

This is not a stepping-stone role, nor is it a senior leadership position. It is a role perfectly aligned for someone who is commercial at this core but who enjoys being close to the business, applying pragmatic judgement, shaping practical solutions, and helping others get it right without adding unnecessary bureaucracy or process.

What this role is here to do

Evolve and further strengthen our employment frameworks so they support the business in a highly pragmatic and commercially focused way - this is not policy or process just for the sake of it.

You will help make things clearer, more consistent and easier to apply across relevant policies, contracts, governance and guidance.

Your interaction sits squarely with the HR team, acting also as an experienced sounding board on more complex or higher-risk situations, supporting the HRBPs as a peer specialist.

What you will be doing

Shaping practical, usable employment frameworks

• Review and proactively evolve policies, handbook content and contractual terms, positioned in an engaging and culturally aligned manner
• Ensure ongoing alignment and judgement against current and emerging UK employment legislation and employment landscapes
• Keep things simple, clear, proportionate and workable in real business terms

Turning theoretical policy into real-world, commercial business application

• Help design simple, practical guides and toolkits, translating policy into clear “what this means in practice” guidance
• Help drive consistent and confident decision-making across the business

Delivering focused, value-adding improvements

• Take ownership of the existing internal ERB project, project managing and leading HR involvement
• Wherever appropriate, refine and optimise what is already in place across the business rather than constantly over-engineering
• Ensure policy and framework outputs land (not just written) and that they are used effectively contributing also to commercial gain

Contracts and risk - handled with judgement

• Continue to refine and standardise contracts, clauses and key protections with a sharp commercial lens and focus
• Ensure consistency and compliance without unnecessary complexity
• Balance risk with commercial reality

Putting the right level of governance in place

• Establish clear, pragmatic frameworks for complex ER and escalation decision-making
• Support consistency without creating bureaucracy
• Ensure complex ER outcomes are commercial, fair, defensible and well-documented
• Effectively collate, track and report on key trends and centralised mitigation/intervention strategies 

Supporting and building capability

• Act as an HRBP sounding board on complex or highly sensitive ER matters
• Provide constructive challenge and practical guidance
• Help build ongoing capability and confidence so reliance on escalation and risk continues to reduce over time

Leading third party and TU activity

• Lead any trade union engagement, negotiations and consultations
• Bring structure, consistency and a calm, credible approach
• Support capability development across the internal teams in these regards

Keeping policy and practice aligned

• Work closely with HR Operations to ensure consistency in application
• Support strong standards around documentation, GDPR and audit readiness aligned to employment legislation risk in processes and best practice 
• Make sure what gets designed works day-to-day and gives the right commercial outputs 

How this role works

This is a hands-on specialist role within the HR function.

• HRBPs retain ownership of employee relations cases and decisions
• You provide policies, expertise, frameworks and guidance
• You step in where experience adds most value on complex or high-risk matters

It is about strengthening the system around decision-making and upskilling for the future.

What we are looking for

A credible, experienced specialist who knows this space well and is comfortable operating in it.

You will likely bring:

• Strong employee relations experience, including complex casework
• Experience leading third party and trade unions and leading various types of consultations
• Solid knowledge of UK employment law and how it applies in practice
• Experience developing and refining policies, contracts and general employment governance frameworks

And importantly, someone who:

• Has real breadth and depth in this area, not just generalist HR experience or exposure
• Focuses on practical, commercially sensible solutions
• Is comfortable working alongside HRBPs at a peer to peer specialist level 
• Can translate complexity into clear, usable guidance 
• Influences with credibility, not hierarchy
• Enjoys rolling sleeves up, being close to the detail and making things work properly

What good looks like

• Policies and contracts are simple, commercially focussed, clear, always current and easy to apply
• Simple guidance that supports effective and commercially robust decision-making
• The business stays proactively aligned to legislation changes and the evolved employment landscape so there are no last-minute fixes
• Risk reduces through consistency and early judgement
• HRBPs feel supported and confident in handling highly complex matters

Why this role matters

This role exists to continuously improve - more consistent, more practical and more commercially aligned.

It is about bringing specialist expertise into the business in a way that genuinely helps others - without adding noise or complexity, ensuring we continue to operate fairly, confidently and 'in good company'.

How to apply

Applications are welcome from HR professionals who are credible and experienced specialists in these areas. They need to know this space very well and most of all, are comfortable operating in it, with strong knowledge of UK employment legislation and breadth and depth of experience leading third party and TU relationships and negotiations.

Candidates must also have the right to work in the UK. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

To apply, please send the below directly to HRBP-recruitment@ianmacleod.com

- A copy of your CV

- Your cover letter outlining your suitability

- Details of any current notice period requirements 

- Any salary expectations

Please note that incomplete applications and / or applications submitted via any other channel, may not be accepted.

This is also an open application window, therefore we may close the advert at any point depending on the candidate applications received so our recommendation is that you apply early to ensure you don’t miss out!

Proudly supporting the #OpenToWork movement.

Here at Ian Macleod Distillers (IMD), we are an equal opportunity employer and proud members of the Scotch Whisky Association, Drink Aware and the Portman Group. We have developed our ‘Responsible Spirits’ approach, also following best practice to help shape our commitment to wider social responsibility and industry standards and promoting responsible selling and consumption of alcohol.

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