Assistant Director (Policy, Strategy & Employee Relations)

About ARU:

ARU is a global university transforming lives through innovative, inclusive and entrepreneurial education and research. ARU holds a Gold award for the quality of its education, awarded through the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).
ARU’s research institutes and four faculties bridge scientific, technical and creative fields.  We deliver impactful research which tackles pressing issues and makes a real difference to our communities.  Our academic excellence has been recognised by the UK’s Higher Education funding bodies, with 16 of our research areas assessed as world leading. We are the largest provider of Nursing, Midwifery, Health and Social Care students in the East of England, and we are also among the UK’s leading universities for degree apprenticeship provision, working with hundreds of employers across the UK.

Shape the people agenda at ARU

At ARU, we celebrate individuality, champion new ideas and work together to make a meaningful impact. We are seeking an exceptional senior HR leader to steer employment policy, strategic employee relations and workforce governance across a diverse, ambitious university community.

The opportunity

Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you will be a key member of the HR leadership team, working with the University Executive, Board of Governors, senior leaders, trade unions and external partners. Based in Chelmsford, Cambridge or Peterborough, with travel across our campuses, this is a full-time role with significant institutional influence.

You will lead the development of modern, legally robust and inclusive employment frameworks that enable ARU’s strategic ambitions across higher education, further education and subsidiary organisations.

What you’ll be doing:

• Employment policy and governance: Shape, implement and continuously improve employment policies, contracts, terms and conditions, promotion arrangements and workforce frameworks.
• Strategic employee relations: Build constructive relationships with recognised trade unions, oversee collective agreements and consultation processes, and provide authoritative advice on complex and high-risk matters.
• Change and transformation: Partner with senior colleagues to deliver major organisational change, translating employment law, workforce intelligence and sector developments into practical solutions.
• Executive advice: Produce high-quality papers and recommendations for senior committees and governing bodies, ensuring robust compliance with remuneration and wider governance requirements.
• Specialist oversight: Oversee pay and pensions policy and governance, job evaluation, grading arrangements, and the effective use of external legal expertise.
• Capability and insight: Coach leaders and HR colleagues, and use data, benchmarking and legal intelligence to identify risks, opportunities and priorities.

What you’ll bring:

You will bring substantial experience of leading employment policy and employee relations strategy in a complex organisation. You will be a trusted employment-law expert, confident advising executive leaders, navigating collective bargaining, resolving sensitive issues and influencing stakeholders with credibility and judgement.

You will also offer:

• Strong knowledge of employment law, employee relations, contracts, collective agreements and workforce governance.
• Experience of organisational change, job evaluation, contractual frameworks and board-level reporting.
• Excellent negotiation, consultation, analytical and communication skills.
• A strategic, commercially aware and solutions-focused approach, combined with integrity, resilience and discretion.
• A higher degree or relevant professional qualification with significant demonstrable experience; HR, employment law or related postgraduate study is advantageous.

Experience in higher education, or similarly regulated public sector and knowledge-intensive settings would be welcomed.

Why ARU?

This is an opportunity to make a lasting difference: creating fair, effective and forward-looking employment practice for a workforce with varied roles, terms and operating contexts. In return, you will join a collaborative community that supports bold ideas, professional growth and collective achievement.

Bring your expertise, judgement and ambition to ARU, and help build the employment foundations for our next chapter.

Interviews are expected to take place on 2 December at our Cambridge campus. An online stakeholder discussion will be arranged separately. 

Informal enquiries can be made to Richard Mills, Recruitment Partner, at richard.mills@aru.ac.uk, or Iole De Leo, Senior Recruitment Advisor, at iolanda.de-leo@aru.ac.uk.

Find out more about working with us and how we recruit.

We have an agile working culture and offer an extensive range of benefits including generous holiday entitlement, occupational pension schemes, training and development opportunities, travel to work scheme and a competitive relocation package. Visit our benefits page for full details.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting welfare of our staff and students and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants should be aware that ARU will carry out online searches as part of the due diligence on short listed candidates.

We value diversity at ARU and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

In accordance with Home Office guidance and the Asylum, Immigration and Nationality Act 2006, ARU has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to work in the UK and in the role for which they have been recruited. Prior to their start date, the successful candidate will be asked to provide evidence of their right to work in the UK.

For candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK, ARU is a UKVI-licensed sponsor and may be able to provide sponsorship for eligible candidates appointed to skilled roles, subject to meeting the relevant immigration requirements. Eligibility for sponsorship will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Further information about UK immigration requirements and working in the UK can be found on the Home Office website.

Committed to being inclusive and open to discuss flexible working. 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once we have received sufficient applications.

Guidance Notes: 

Please download the Job Description Person Specification for key requirements. To apply, demonstrate how your skills and experience meet the criteria.