Vacancies at Howdens

Join Howdens Joinery as an Employee Relations Specialist supporting our Depot network. This is an initial 12-month FTC and offers you a chance to specialise in Employee Relations within the UK's leading Trade Kitchen Supplier. 

In this ER role, you will play a key role working as part of a team of experienced ER professionals who are passionate about delivering a high-quality ER service. This role is based at our Howden site in East Yorkshire four days a week with one day working from home.

What will I be doing as an ER Specialist?

• Delivering efficient ER advisory services with high standards of customer service and accurate employment advice.
• Advising managers on policy, HR best practices, and legislation while managing a portfolio of 30 cases, including complex ER issues.
• Partnering with managers, coaching on risk assessment, and providing options to support informed decisions.
• Responding to employee queries and concerns.
• Supporting senior management with case documentation and employment tribunal reports.
• Delivering ER workshops to enhance understanding of best practices and risk in performance management.
• Maintaining knowledge of HR legislation, policies, and assisting with reviews.
• Using HR systems and Microsoft Office to manage and update data.
• Ensuring HR correspondence meets SLAs and business needs.

What do I need to qualify for this ER Specialist role?

• Currently operating as an ER or HR Advisor or possess experience in the full spectrum of ER related matters.
• Able to demonstrate credible ER knowledge covering all elements of the employee life cycle.
• You will have achieved or working towards a level 3 to 5 (or equivalent) CIPD.
• Strong customer service skills and the ability to deliver constructive, supportive, and accurate employment advice.
• Understanding of employment law legislation and its application in a commercial environment to help managers accurately assess risk when making decisions
• Organised and able to prioritise workload.
• Able to build effective working relationships with managers.

What we can offer you as an ER Specialist

• Competitive salary and company bonus
• Excellent pension scheme (company contribution of up to 12%)
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Staff Discount
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Exceptional Reward and Recognition events

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As an Assistant Depot Manager, you will support your Depot Manager with the day-to-day running of the depot, and you will always identify and suggest new opportunities to grow sales. The support you offer your Depot Manager can range from reviewing the P&L to recruiting, leading by example, and motivating the team in order to achieve and exceed sales targets by building strong working relationships with the local trade. 

The pace is fast, and the environment is competitive and demanding but also incredibly rewarding financially and in our strong sense of team spirit that makes us different from the rest.

This is a fantastic environment for you to soak up everything there is to know about becoming a Depot Manager in the future, and if you pair that with our extensive online and face-to-face training that we offer, you will have the skills and knowledge needed to be a successful Asisstant Depot Manager and one day manage your own depot. 

Skills and attributes you need to be a successful Assistant Depot Manager:

• Management experience
• Inspirational leader
• Sales focused
• Problem-solving skills
• Target-driven
• Effective communicator
• Ambition and drive
• Customer service                   
• Thrive in fast-paced environments

What you get from us as an Assistant Depot Manager:

• Competitive base salary
• Monthly depot bonus OTE
• Team incentives and outings
• Competitive Pension Plan with a maximum company contribution of 12%.
• 24 days holiday, rising to 26 days after 5 years 
• Staff discount on Howdens products
• Buy as you earn share scheme