Company Description

We’re Checkout.com – you might not know our name, but companies like eBay, ASOS, Klarna, Uber Eats, and Sony do. That moment when you check out online? We make it happen.

Checkout.com is where the world checks out. Our global network powers billions of transactions every year, making money move without making a fuss. We spent years perfecting a service most people will never notice. Because when digital payments just work, businesses grow, customers stay, and no one stops to think about why.

With 19 offices spanning six continents, we feel at home everywhere – but London is our HQ. Wherever our people work their magic, they’re fast-moving, performance-obsessed, and driven by being better every day. Ideal. Because a role here isn’t just another job; it’s a career-defining opportunity to build the future of fintech.

Role overview | Context

We are looking for a Strategic Architect to define and build our next-generation Employee Relations (ER) capability. This is not a case-handling role. You will own the end-to-end design of our ER ecosystem, shifting us from a reactive, manual model to a scalable, data-driven, and AI-enabled operation. If you are a 'builder' who has successfully designed ER frameworks, self-service tooling, and automated workflows from scratch, this role is for you.

We are looking for someone who combines deep ER expertise with strong commercial judgment, an ability to simplify complex situations, and a mindset oriented toward scalable design. They will modernise how we approach ER globally, leveraging process redesign, technology, and AI, while striking the right balance between legal compliance and pragmatic business outcomes.

Role overview | Remit and Responsibilities

Build & Enhance Employee Relations Capability

• Develop a clear ER strategy and operating model that aligns with our business structure, risk appetite, and future scale.

• Design and implement a scalable ER operating model, creating the 'Gold Standard' for our internal policy architecture, ensuring all frameworks and toolkits are built for self-service, not manual intervention

• Design decision trees, case categorisation models, escalation pathways, and quality standards that reinforce consistency, speed, and commercial decision-making.

• Introduce mechanisms that reduce dependency on ER specialists while improving capability across the People Partner and leadership populations.

• Shift the function from resolving individual ER issues, to solving systemic issues. Use data to identify behavior patterns and lead strategic interventions that permanently reduce risk and friction.

Training & Capability Uplift

• Develop and deliver structured training for People Partners, managers, and leaders on ER best practices, investigations, performance management, and policy application.

• Provide live, on-the-job coaching and case mentorship to build capability and reduce escalations.

• Build digital self-service content and learning modules that empower employees and decrease reliance on ER experts.

• Facilitate quarterly ER simulation training using real Checkout case patterns to build confidence and decision-making ability.
  

Policy Ownership & Expansion

• Audit and benchmark existing ER policies, identifying opportunities for simplification, clarity, and alignment to our culture, legal standards, and commercial needs.

• Draft and implement updated and new ER-related policies (conduct, grievances, investigations, performance management, etc.) that are globally consistent but locally adaptable.

• Build a global ER policy architecture that supports scale, transparency, and ease of application by non-experts.

Process Redesign (Including AI Integration)

• Own the ER 'Product Strategy.' Audit existing inefficiencies, identify friction points in the employee/manager journey, and lead the technical implementation of automation and AI tooling to minimize transactional workload.

• Redesign ER processes end-to-end to make them scalable, efficient, data-driven, and globally consistent.

• Identify opportunities to embed AI in workflows (case intake, document drafting, triage tools, early-risk detection, theme identification, etc.) to improve speed, accuracy, and decision consistency.

• Define governance, controls, and safe-use practices for AI-supported ER tools in partnership with Legal, Tech, and Compliance.

• Lead implementation of new systems, workflows, and tooling that modernise the ER experience for People Partners, managers, and employees.

• Constantly identify friction points and redesign processes that balance compliance with pragmatic, commercially-sound outcomes.
  

Advisory & Escalation Support

• Act as a strategic advisor for complex and sensitive cases, balancing legal risk, culture, commercial impacts, and reputational considerations.

• Provide high-quality support for high-risk or high-complexity cases, including sensitive conduct issues.

• Drive consistency and fairness across decisions by supporting calibration, case reviews, and cross-team alignment discussions.

• Serve as the primary escalation point for ER appeals and critical decision reviews.

Risk Management & Culture

• Use ER data, insights, and trends to identify behavioural themes, systemic risks, and opportunities for proactive intervention.

• Partner with People, Legal, and business leaders to design interventions that strengthen trust, fairness, accountability, and performance discipline.

• Ensure the ER approach reinforces positive employee experience, organisational values, and an environment where good performance and good conduct are expected and managed consistently.

• Continuously scan for external developments in ER, AI, legal changes, and people risk—and translate them into actionable improvements at Checkout.

About You

• 6+ years in dedicated ER leadership with a proven track record of owning the end-to-end creation of frameworks and policies from inception to implementation.

• A pragmatic problem-solver who balances legal risk with business reality, knowing when the "perfect legal answer" isn't the "right business answer."

• Experienced in high-growth, global environments where you’ve acted as a process architect, building infrastructure from scratch without relying on a massive, pre-existing CoE.

• A deep interest in HR Tech and a clear vision for automating ER workflows, using AI to drive efficiency in triage, document drafting, and risk spotting.

• Deep multi-regional employment law knowledge and the investigative "muscle" to handle complex, high-stakes cases with total discretion.

• The gravitas to coach senior leaders through rapidly evolving environments and the integrity to maintain a balanced, pragmatic approach under pressure.

Additional Information

Bring all of you to work

We create the conditions for high performers to thrive, through real ownership, fewer blockers, and work that makes a difference from day one.

Here, you’ll move fast, take on meaningful challenges, and be recognized for the impact you deliver. It’s a place where ambition gets met with opportunity, and where your growth is in your hands.

We work as one team, and we back each other to succeed. So whatever your background or identity, if you’re ready to grow and make a difference, you’ll be right at home here.

It’s important we set you up for success and make our process as accessible as possible. So let us know in your application, or tell your recruiter directly, if you need anything to make your experience or working environment more comfortable.

Life at Checkout.com

We understand that work is just one part of your life. Our hybrid working model offers flexibility, with three days per week in the office to support collaboration and connection.

Curious about what it’s like to be part of our team? Visit our Careers Page to learn more about our culture, open roles, and what drives us.

For a closer look at daily life at Checkout.com, follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram