Employee Relations Manager, EMEA
Clio · Dublin · €71,300–€96,500 (stated in the posting)
Clio is the global leader in legal AI technology, empowering legal professionals and law firms of every size to work smarter, faster, and more securely.
We are transforming the legal experience for all by bettering the lives of legal professionals while increasing access to justice.
Summary:
This role is Clio's dedicated Employee Relations expert in EMEA.
It delivers the global ER framework in the EMEA context — adapting it where local law requires and feeding regional case trends back into global policy. It is a first-of-its-kind ER role for Clio in EMEA and carries high autonomy.
Role expectations:
Own the EMEA Employee Relations caseload — run ER matters end to end across EMEA (Spain, UK, Ireland, and other EMEA locations as Clio grows): intake, triage, investigation, resolution, and documentation for concerns spanning harassment, discrimination, misconduct, performance disputes, and policy violations.
Conduct workplace investigations — lead thorough, impartial, and legally sound investigations, including witness interviews, evidence assessment, and clear written findings and recommendations to stakeholders.
Advise and coach people leaders — act as the trusted advisor to managers and People Business Partners on disciplinary processes, grievances, performance management, accommodations, and terminations, always grounded in local law and Clio's values.
Lead Spanish labour relations — own Clio's relationship with employee representatives (Comité de Empresa / Delegados de Personal) and trade unions in Spain, including all legally required information and consultation processes, and the negotiation, interpretation, and ongoing administration of applicable Convenios Colectivos.
Govern EMEA people compliance programs — lead end-to-end delivery of mandatory obligations across the region, with a main focus on the Spanish group: Plan de Igualdad, salary audit and gender pay gap reporting, Protocol against Harassment, LGBTI+ Plan, and the whistleblowing channel.
Localise global ER frameworks — implement the global ER case management framework (intake channels, escalation paths, SLAs, documentation standards) in EMEA, adapting process and communications so they hold up legally and land appropriately with local employees and representative bodies, without fragmenting the global employee experience.
Own EMEA people policy — design, implement, and keep current the internal people policies and procedures applicable to EMEA, ensuring regional variants stay aligned to the single global framework as both evolve.
Monitor employment law and manage risk — proactively track EMEA employment and labour law developments, identify exposure areas, and build mitigation plans in partnership with Legal and outside counsel.
Build manager capability — design and deliver practical ER and labour compliance training for managers and the People team on investigation basics, difficult conversations, documentation standards, and the EMEA legal context.
Report insights — track EMEA ER and LR case data, cycle times, and outcomes; translate trends into recommendations for the Manager, Global Employee Relations, regional leadership, and the wider People team.
Technical skills:
Hands-on ER practice — workplace investigations, disciplinary and grievance procedures, performance management, and audit-ready documentation across multiple jurisdictions.
Multi-jurisdictional EMEA employment law fluency — statutory dismissal and notice regimes, consultation obligations, protected characteristics and discrimination frameworks, and the practical differences between markets (e.g. Spanish just-cause dismissal versus UK statutory unfair dismissal process).
Spanish labour relations depth — Estatuto de los Trabajadores, Convenios Colectivos, Comités de Empresa, equality legislation, and the compliance obligations triggered by the 50-employee threshold.
Collective engagement skill — credible and constructive at the table with works councils and unions, able to hold a firm position while protecting a long-term working relationship.
Policy authorship — able to write clear, legally defensible policy and process from scratch, not only apply what exists.
Translation and influence — turns complex legal requirements into practical, business-aligned guidance for non-specialist managers and senior leaders, with autonomy in a matrixed environment.
Discretion and composure — sound judgment handling confidential, sensitive, and high-stakes information.
Decision-Making Authority:
Independently assesses and manages day-to-day ER cases across EMEA, determining the appropriate route (investigation, mediation, coaching, or formal action) and advising managers on outcomes without escalation for routine matters.
Owns the operational relationship with employee representatives and unions in Spain — setting negotiation positions, preparing consultation processes, and managing works council interactions with autonomy, while keeping the Manager, Global Employee Relations and regional leadership informed.
Determines the approach to mandatory EMEA compliance obligations (e.g. Plan de Igualdad timeline, LGBTI+ Protocol implementation), including sequencing, scope, and vendor or counsel engagement.
Decides when local law requires a departure from the global ER framework, and proposes the regional variant — with the global standard owned by the Manager, Global Employee Relations.
Escalates to the Manager, Global Employee Relations, People Leadership, and/or Legal for matters involving significant legal risk, collective action, major restructuring, executive-level cases, privileged advice requirements, or formal proceedings before labour authorities.
Problem Solving
Operates in a high-ambiguity environment: this is a first-of-its-kind ER role for Clio in EMEA, requiring the ability to build structures and frameworks where no local playbook exists.
Balances a genuinely regional caseload against deep single-country obligations — must triage and prioritise across markets rather than defaulting to whichever matter is loudest.
Navigates complex multi-entity, multi-CBA environments: Clio's Spanish group operates under multiple collective bargaining agreements with differing employee populations — this role holds that complexity while working toward harmonisation over time.
Anticipates regulatory change and labour market developments, translating them into actionable risk assessments and policy adjustments before issues arise.
Exercises strong judgment in balancing legal compliance, ER best practice, business continuity, and Clio's people values — often under time pressure and with incomplete information.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
Academic / Educational
Degree in Employment Law, Labour Relations, Human Resources, or a related field. Equivalent professional experience demonstrating deep ER and employment law expertise is also considered.
Preferred: post-graduate specialisation or certification in Employment Law, Labour Law, or HR compliance (Master's, LLM, CIPD, or equivalent).
Required Skills & Experience
6–8 years of progressive experience in Employee Relations, Labour Relations, Employment Law, or HR Compliance, including meaningful time supporting ER across more than one country.
Demonstrated experience leading workplace investigations independently, from intake through resolution and written findings.
Working knowledge of employment law fundamentals across multiple EMEA markets, and comfort partnering with outside counsel to fill gaps in jurisdictions where Clio has smaller populations.
Deep expertise in Spanish labour law: Estatuto de los Trabajadores, collective bargaining framework (Convenios Colectivos), works council regulations (Comités de Empresa), equality legislation, and recent regulatory developments.
Demonstrated experience managing or negotiating with employee representatives and/or trade unions in Spain.
Hands-on experience creating and governing mandatory compliance programs (Equality Plan, LGBTI+ Protocol, harassment protocol, whistleblowing channel, or equivalents).
Experience authoring and iterating ER/HR policy from scratch, including piloting changes and incorporating stakeholder feedback.
Track record of coaching and influencing managers and senior leaders through ambiguous, sensitive, or emotionally charged situations.
Excellent written and verbal communication in English (working language with the global People team and leadership).
Comfort operating with high autonomy in a fast-paced, distributed, matrixed environment — building the process as much as running it.
Preferred / Nice to Have
Professional or native proficiency in Spanish — strongly preferred given the works council, CBA, and compliance elements of the role.
Experience in technology, SaaS, or LegalTech, particularly high-growth or post-acquisition integration environments.
Familiarity with a globally distributed People function where the regional ER specialist is the primary local expert.
Exposure to ER matters in EMEA markets beyond Spain — particularly the UK and Ireland.
What you will find here:
Compensation is one of the main components of Clio’s Total Rewards Program. We have developed a series of programs and processes to ensure we are creating fair and competitive pay practices that form the foundation of our human and high-performing culture.
Some highlights of our Total Rewards program include:
Competitive, equitable salary with top-tier health benefits and dental coverage
Hybrid work environment, with expectation for local Clions (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Dublin and Sydney) to be in office minimum twice per week.
Flexible time off policy
Pension contribution
Clioversary recognition program with special acknowledgement at 3, 5, 7, and 10 years
The expected salary range for this role is €71.300 to €96.500 EUR. Initial placement within the range is informed by geographic region, experience, and skillset, with room to progress as impact and tenure grow. Final offer amounts will vary based on candidate profile.Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging and Equity (DIBE) & Accessibility
Our team shows up as their authentic selves, and are united by our mission. We are dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion. We pride ourselves in building and fostering an environment where our teams feel included, valued, and enabled to do the best work of their careers, wherever they choose to log in from. We believe that different perspectives, skills, backgrounds, and experiences result in higher-performing teams and better innovation. We are committed to equal employment and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.
Clio provides accessibility accommodations during the recruitment process. Should you require any accommodation, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.
Learn more about our culture at clio.com/careers
We're a Human and High Performing AI company, meaning we use artificial intelligence to improve all of our operations. In recruitment, AI helps us streamline the process for greater efficiency. However, we've built our systems to ensure that a human always reviews AI-generated output, and we never make automated hiring decisions.
Disclaimer: We only communicate with candidates through official @clio.com email addresses.