Employee Relations Manager

Derbyshirehealthcareft; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in Derby is seeking an experienced Employee Relations Manager on a 6-month fixed term/secondment basis to drive the sickness absence recovery programme and support managers in attendance and wellbeing initiatives.

You will partner with the Head of People Operations, divisional leads and Occupational Health to deliver expert advice, data-led assurance and practical interventions that reduce sickness and improve staff experience.

Qualifications

• Broad HR advisory experience including sickness absence and TUPE considerations.
• Knowledge of NHS HR practices and employment legislation.
• Commitment to ongoing personal and professional development.

Responsibilities

• Lead sickness absence recovery and advise managers on policy and law.
• Support long- and short-term absence management with timely interventions.
• Analyse workforce data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate with Occupational Health and Wellbeing teams for return-to-work planning.
• Provide coaching and practical tools for managers and review cases.
• Contribute to assurance reporting on progress against the plan.

Skills

Analytical skills

Presentational skills

Negotiating skills

Relationship building

Data analysis

Education

Postgraduate Diploma in HR Management

Master’s Degree & MCIPD membership

Tools

Excel

Word

Outlook

ESR

PowerPoint

Job description

View our current vacancies by professional area below, or view all our vacancies at healthjobsuk.com

Site Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Town Derby Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 12/10/2026 23:59

Want to make a real difference and have a truly rewarding career? Join 'Team Derbyshire Healthcare' and become part of a talented, compassionate and enthusiastic workforce committed to a vision of ‘making a positive difference in people's lives’.

We’ve been rated ‘good’ overall by the CQC, with some outstanding services. The CQC commented at our most recent inspection on how our colleagues “treated patients with compassion and kindness” and “felt positive and proud about working for the trust.

We are passionate about making equality, diversity and inclusion part of our DNA. We take pride in our “People First Culture” which creates a workplace where everyone feels a genuine sense of belonging, difference is celebrated, and people are comfortable to bring their whole selves to work. We value the richness that comes from having colleagues that are fully representative of the local community. We welcome people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, protected characteristics, and with all backgrounds and experiences.

Job overview

We are looking for an experienced, proactive and values-driven Employee Relations Manager to join Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust on a 6-month fixed term or secondment basis. This is a focused and high-impact role supporting the delivery of the Trust’s sickness absence recovery plan, helping managers and services to improve attendance, strengthen employee wellbeing, and support safe, sustainable workforce recovery.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Head of People Operations, Divisional People Leads, Operational Managers, Occupational Health, Wellbeing colleagues and staff side representatives to provide expert advice, targeted case support, data-led assurance and practical interventions that help reduce sickness absence and improve staff experience.

Main duties of the job

• The main focus of this role will be to support the Trust’s sickness absence recovery programme in the following ways:
• Lead targeted employee relations support for sickness absence cases, ensuring consistent application of Trust policy, employment legislation and best practice.
• Support managers to manage long-term and short-term sickness absence confidently, compassionately and in a timely way.
• Use workforce data to identify hotspots, trends, barriers and opportunities for improvement across divisions and services.
• Work with managers, Occupational Health and wellbeing colleagues to strengthen early intervention, return-to-work planning, reasonable adjustments and sustainable attendance.
• Provide coaching, advice and practical tools for managers, including case reviews, clinics and focused support sessions.
• Contribute to assurance reporting on progress against the sickness absence recovery plan, including risks, actions, themes and measurable improvement.
• Promote a restorative, inclusive and just culture approach to attendance management, balancing organisational needs with colleague wellbeing.
• Build effective working relationships with staff side representatives and key stakeholders to support fair, transparent and collaborative practice.

Working for our organisation

Join 'Team Derbyshire Healthcare' and become part of a talented, compassionate and enthusiastic workforce committed to a vision of ‘making a positive difference in people's lives’.

CQC rated us as 'GOOD’ overall, commenting on how our colleagues “treated patients with compassion and kindness” and “felt positive and proud about working for the trust.”

Benefits include:

Commitment to flexible working where this is possible

27 days annual leave/year plus bank holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years & 33 days after 10 years’ service

Yearly appraisal and commitment to ongoing training

Good maternity, paternity and adoption benefits

Health service discounts and online benefits

Incremental pay progression

Free confidential employee assistance programme 24/7

Access to our LGBT+ network, BAME Network and Christian Network

Health and wellbeing opportunities

Structured learning and development opportunities

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will be an experienced HR or employee relations practitioner with strong knowledge of sickness absence management, employment legislation and NHS people practices. You will be confident advising managers on complex and sensitive cases, able to analyse data and translate insight into action, and skilled at building trusted relationships across a complex organisation.

You will bring excellent communication, influencing and organisational skills, together with the ability to work at pace, prioritise competing demands and maintain a compassionate, fair and outcome-focused approach. Experience of working in the NHS or a similarly complex, unionised environment would be highly beneficial.

For more information on the full duties of the role please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

As an employer and sponsor licence holder, to be able to provide sponsorship to overseas nationals via the Skilled Worker route we must ensure that we adhere to the sponsorship requirements set by UK Visa’s and Immigration. For details on eligibility criteria for a Skilled Worker visa, please follow this link to the gov.uk website Skiled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK(www.gov.uk)

Qualifications

• Post graduate Diploma (Level 7) qualification or equivalent in HR Management or equivalent experience
• Evidence of a commitment to ongoing personal development
• Master’s Degree (or equivalent) and possession of MCIPD level membership

Skills

• Analytical skills. Ability to produce clear and succinct reports and correspondence for a range of audiences both internal and external to the Trust.
• Good presentational, influencing and negotiating skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain influential working relationships at all levels internally and externally.
• Ability to motivate and provide support to team members including counselling and mentoring where required.
• Knowledge and proficiency in use of relevant software packages including Excel, Word, Outlook, ESR, Publisher, Powerpoint
• Ability to understand, manipulate and analyse data and produce reports to be distributed to a wide range of audiences.
• Effective listening and influencing skills.
• Good planning, organisational and prioritisation skills and ability to work autonomously. Able to work on own initiative whilst anticipating the wider consequences of decisions and know when to refer upwards.
• Able to work across a complex, multi-disciplinary environment
• Use of electronic payroll/HR system
• Supervision of staff

Knowledge and experience

• Broad experience in a HR Advisory role including supporting and advising on a wide range of employment issues e.g. disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence and bullying and harassment.
• Understanding of human resource policy and practice issues. Understanding of the key issues on the NHS HR agenda. Understanding around the principles of HR terms and conditions of employment.
• Specialist in-depth knowledge of current HRM best practice. Up to date knowledge of Employment Legislation.
• Understanding and experience of change management/TUPE within a complex environment.
• Experience of working in a multi-unionised environment.
• Experience of developing and implementing HR policies and practices. Knowledge of employment contract law.Experience in a generalist human resources role.
• Experience of supporting the development of workforce information which supports organisational strategy.

Additional Information

Flexible Working

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for our service and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that's job share, part time or another flexible pattern.

Disability Confident Employer

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you in the recruitment process please let us know.

DBS Checks

The cost of undertaking a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) disclosure will be met by the individual. The Trust will meet the initial costs of the disclosure which will be deducted from your first month’s salary.

This job may close early if a large number of applications are received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid missing your chance to apply.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Name Liam Cairns

Job title Head of People Operations

Email address [e-mail]

Gill Stevens

Deputy Director of People, OD and Inclusion

[e-mail]

Information about joining our bank of temporary workers

Information on the support and education we provide to junior doctors during their years of clinical training

Information about the agreed set of commitments that employees can each expect from the Trust, and give in return