Employee Relations Advisor | University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

University Hospitals of Leicester; Leicester; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust is seeking an Employee Relations Advisor to provide high-quality, fair and timely ER advice to managers and colleagues. You will manage delegated casework across attendance, disciplinary, ill-health and performance matters while coaching managers through formal processes and promoting restorative practice.

You will contribute to manager training, use workforce data for improvement, and help review policies within a supportive ER team.

Qualifications

• Degree-level education in HR, Business Administration or related field with CIPD qualification.
• Recent, demonstrable experience in a generalist HR function advising on terms and conditions and applying policies.
• Current knowledge of employment law and HR practice with the ability to escalate when needed.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with professional assertiveness and sensitivity in contentious situations.
• Experience using HR data, strong time-management, and ability to establish, use and review systems and procedures.
• Commitment to Trust values, confidentiality, equality, diversity and inclusion, and treating individuals with dignity and respect.
• Confidence using MS Word, Outlook and Excel; NHS experience with Agenda for Change, ESR, Being Fair, or AI tools would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Provide advice to managers and employees on ER matters, terms and conditions, policies, and employment legislation.
• Manage delegated ER casework including attendance, disciplinary, resolution, ill-health and performance matters, escalating complex issues as needed.
• Support managers with investigations, preliminary inquiries and formal processes, emphasising fairness and proportionate risk.
• Participate in sickness review meetings and formal hearings, advise on adjustments and redeployment.
• Use workforce data to aid attendance improvement and maintain accurate records for audit and governance.
• Design and deliver training for managers and staff on investigations, disciplinary and attendance management.
• Support policy review and implementation and collaborate with Staff Side representatives.
• Promote Being Fair culture and positive employee relations across sites.

Skills

HR advisory

Employment law

Data analysis

Communication

NHS experience

Education

Degree in HR/Business

CIPD diploma

NHS/Agenda for Change knowledge

Tools

MS Word

Outlook

Excel

Job description

Employee Relations Advisor | University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

We are seekingamotivatedEmployee RelationsAdvisortodeliver high-quality,professional and responsiveadviceto managers and colleagues. Working with Clinical Management Groups (CMGs) and corporate departments, you will help ensure that Trust policies, national and local terms and conditions, and employment legislation are applied fairly, consistently and in line with agreed service standards.

You will support employee relations casework delegated by the Senior ER Advisor, and Head of Employee Relations. This will include attendance, disciplinary, resolution, ill-health, performance and other terms and conditions matters. You will coach managers through informal and formal processes, promote restorative and person-centred approaches, and help embed our Being Fair culture through practical, proportionate and evidence-based advice.

This is an excellent opportunity for an HR professional who wants to develop their ER advisory experience in a supportive team. Although the role has no direct line-management responsibility, you will contribute to manager training, use workforce data to support improvement, help review policies, and lead a designated area of corporate responsibility or delegated project.

The role offers opportunities for hybrid working alongside regular on-site working to support collaboration and relationship building. Flexibility is required across UHL sites.

• Provide advice to managers and employees on ER matters, national and local terms and conditions, Trust policies, employment legislation, case law and good practice.
• Manage delegated casework including attendance, disciplinary, resolution, ill-health, maternity, retirement, AWOL and performance matters, escalating more complex issues to a Senior ER Advisor or the Head of Employee Relations as appropriate.
• Support managers with preliminary enquiries, investigations and formal processes, advising on restorative practice, procedural fairness, evidential standards and proportionate risk management.
• Participate in sickness review meetings and formal hearings, advise on reasonable adjustments, redeployment, Occupational Health guidance and ill-health retirement, and prepare and present management cases where appropriate.
• Use workforce information and trend data to help managers develop attendance improvement plans and keep case records accurate and up to date for audit and governance purposes.
• Design, deliver and evaluate training for managers and staff on topics including investigations, disciplinary and resolution procedures, Being Fair and attendance management.
• Support policy review and implementation.
• Work constructively with managers, colleagues and Staff Side representatives to promote positive employee relations, openness, fairness and mutual respect.

Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030).

We have four primary goals:

• high-quality care for all,
• being a great place to work,
• partnerships for impact, and
• research and education excellence

And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.

Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:

• we are compassionate,
• we are proud,
• we are inclusive, and
• we are one team

This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.

About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust:

You will bring

• Education to degree level, or equivalent experience in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related field, together with a CIPD diploma-level qualification.
• Recent, demonstrable experience in a generalist HR function, including advising on employment terms and conditions and applying policies and procedures.
• Current knowledge of employment law and HR practice, with the ability to provide pragmatic advice and recognise when a matter requires escalation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to negotiate and be appropriately assertive while remaining sensitive in contentious situations.
• Experience of using HR data, effective time-management skills, and the ability to establish, use and review systems and procedures.
• A flexible, self-aware and collaborative approach, with the ability to work on your own initiative, establish credibility and demonstrate openness, honesty, inclusiveness and personal integrity.
• A clear commitment to Trust values, confidentiality, data protection, equality, diversity and inclusion, and treating every individual with dignity and respect.
• Confidence using Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel. Experience at advisor level, within the NHS, with Agenda for Change, ESR, Being Fair, basic project management, HR data analysis, or automation and AI tools such as Copilot would be advantageous.

This advert closes on Tuesday 27 Oct 2026