Employee Relations Manager

1. Industrial and Labour Relations

• Act as the day-to-day counterpart of the RSU and trade union organisations, within the strategy defined with the Head of HR, preparing positions and briefing materials and keeping track of discussions and commitments.
• Lead the technical preparation of company-level (second-level) agreements (e.g. working time, smart working, welfare, proximity agreements), from analysis and proposals to drafting and implementation, agreeing the negotiating mandate with the Head of HR and taking part in negotiations together. Monitor the expiry of existing agreements and prepare their renewal in good time.
• Lead the implementation of the stabilisation process agreed with the trade unions under the proximity agreement for the scientific area (conversion of fixed-term contracts into permanent contracts over 2025-2027): applying the agreed criteria, coordinating HR Partners, HR Operations and scientific management, tracking numbers and timelines and reporting progress to the Head of HR and the trade unions.
• Ensure that information and consultation obligations towards workers' representatives are met, including those arising from organisational changes and pay transparency requirements.
• Monitor CCNL renewals and changes in labour legislation, assess their impact on HT and propose the necessary adjustments.
• Ensure the correct application of the CCNL and company agreements in day-to-day HR processes, acting as the reference point for HR Operations and HR Partners on how provisions should be interpreted and applied, and following up on their implementation.

2. Employment Policies and Compliance

• Draft, update and maintain HT internal employment policies and regulations (e.g. working time, leave, smart working, code of conduct and disciplinary code), ensuring consistency with labour law, the CCNL and company agreements.
• Assess the employment law implications of new HR initiatives and organisational changes, in coordination with Legal and, where needed, external labour lawyers. Engage constructively with Legal's advice, proposing practical alternatives where appropriate, and turn the agreed position into concrete, operational solutions.
• Together with HR Operations (owner of employment contracts) and Legal, define and update employment contract templates and standard clauses, ensuring consistency with the CCNL, company agreements and labour law, and referring complex issues to external labour lawyers.
• Ensure that employment practices respect the requirements applicable to HT as a private-law foundation financed with public funds and subject to certain public-law rules, supporting documented and defensible decisions.
• Explain Italian employment rules and HT policies clearly to an international workforce, contributing to accessible guidance and communications.

3. Disciplinary Action, Dismissals and Individual Cases

• Disciplinary action: manage disciplinary procedures in line with art. 7 of Law 300/1970, the CCNL and the HT disciplinary code, from the collection of facts and the written notice of charges to the hearing, the assessment of justifications and the proposal of proportionate measures to the Head of HR, building complete case files with HR Partners and ensuring correct timing and consistency of sanctions across the Institute.
• Individual dismissals: manage individual dismissal procedures (disciplinary and for objective reasons), ensuring the required procedural steps, documentation and timing, and coordinating with Legal and, where needed, external labour lawyers.
• Collective dismissals and collective procedures: under the direction of the Head of HR, prepare and run collective redundancy procedures under Law 223/1991 and other procedures requiring the involvement of workers' representatives (e.g. transfers of undertaking, major organisational changes), including the union consultation phases, documentation, deadlines and implementation of the agreed outcomes.
• Handle reports of inappropriate conduct including alleged harassment, conducting or coordinating fact-finding in a fair, confidential and documented way.
• Support Legal in pre-litigation and litigation matters, providing the reconstruction of facts and the relevant HR documentation.
• Act as the escalation point for complex individual cases raised by HR Partners and managers, ensuring consistent treatment across the Institute.
• Support the HR aspects of whistleblowing and anti-harassment processes, in coordination with the competent functions, and propose preventive actions where recurring issues emerge.

4. Advisory, Monitoring and Reporting