Head of Employee Relations

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Head of Employee Relations to lead a ten-strong ER team serving ~13,000 staff and affiliated services. The role emphasizes employment law, complex medical ER cases, and strategic partnership with unions. Hybrid working with approx.

half on site, for a senior ER professional. Interviews are planned in November 2026. The post offers opportunities to shape ER strategy, deliver fair and constructive resolutions, and support clinical

Job description

Hours: Full time, Part time - 37.5 hours per week (This position is being offered on a full-time basis)

Job ref: 188-THQ081026

Site: Southampton General Hospital

Town: Southampton

Closing: 01/11/2026

Job overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Job Title: Head of Employee Relations
Contract Type: Permanent

Please be advised that this vacancy may close earlier than stated if we receive a large number of applications.

Passionate about Employee Relations? Commercially astute, with an excellent grasp of employment law, and the ability to manage complex medical ER cases? Shrewd negotiator who can translate complex information into digestible papers? If this sounds like you then our Head of Employee Relations role may be just the opportunity you are looking for.

Our ten-strong ER team provides a proactive and compassionate service to c.13000 staff at UHS. It also delivers advice to our Subsidiary companies (e.g. UHS Estates Limited, UHS Hospital Pharmacy) and hosted services (e.g. Wessex Cancer Alliance, Health Innovation Wessex), who mainly work under NHS terms and conditions. We’re seeking a leader to continue to develop the service, building on excellent foundations, focusing on providing fair, consistent and constructive ER, linked to strong partnership working with our Union colleagues.

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

You’ll be a seasoned ER professional, ideally with experience of Medical ER. Your passion for employment law and willingness to try innovative means to resolve issues will be clear, as will your ability to work with highly intelligent stakeholders, creating and delivering strategies to resolve tricky MHPS cases.

An authentic leader who supports and challenges their team in tandem, you’ll enjoy working in a varied and challenging role. We operate hybrid working with approximately half time spent onsite, flexibility is required in order to support our clinical colleagues.

This role will offer you an interesting personal caseload, working on our most challenging cases, as well as the opportunity to mould and develop our excellent ER team. Strong leadership skills, high intellect and a sense of humour are essential!

Interviews will consist of two stages and will commence the week of November 9th 2026

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