Head of Employment (employment law specialism)

NHS Professionals; Hemel Hempstead; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare staffing organization in Hemel Hempstead is seeking a Head of Employment to provide strategic legal leadership. You will utilize your employment law expertise to advise on complex legal issues affecting the NHS. The role involves direct engagement with senior stakeholders, managing high-risk tribunal cases, and advising on compliance and GDPR matters. Strong experience in the NHS sector and a qualification as a Solicitor or Barrister with at least 3 years of relevant experience are essential. In return, a comprehensive benefits package is offered.

Benefits

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Pension contributions up to 10%

Employee Assistance Programme

Wellbeing Programme

Life Assurance

Qualifications

• Minimum 3+ years PQE in employment law.
• Experience in advising the NHS on legal matters.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and advisory skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal leadership across the People Team.
• Act as the organization's lead advisor on employment law matters.
• Manage complex employment tribunal cases and litigation.

Skills

Employment law expertise

Strategic leadership

Advising NHS

Compliance management

GDPR and data protection

Litigation strategy

Education

Qualified Solicitor or Barrister

Job description

About The Role

Ready to shape employment law at the heart of the NHS Professionals workforce?

Are you an employment law specialist who thrives on complexity, influence, and purpose? Do you want your legal expertise to directly support the NHS and the people who keep it running? If so, NHS Professionals is looking for a Head of Employment to provide strategic, expert leadership across our People Team.

The Role

As Head of Employment, you’ll hold a pivotal senior leadership position, acting as NHSP’s trusted authority on all employment law matters. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, with a dotted line to the Company Secretary, you will ensure legal excellence across both our corporate workforce and our flexible NHS workforce.

You’ll be the organisation’s lead advisor on complex and high‑risk employment issues, a key escalation point for senior leaders, and a vital contributor to NHSP’s corporate strategy. Your work will balance legal rigour with pragmatic, commercially‑minded advice that enables the business to move forward with confidence.

As a major provider of flexible workforce solutions to the NHS, this role is central to advising on managed services contracts, workforce models, and the evolving employment challenges facing the wider NHS.

About The Candidate

• Qualified Solicitor or Barrister with a current practising certificate.
• Minimum 3+ years PQE in employment law.
• Significant experience in advising the NHS.
• Providing strategic and operational leadership on all employment law matters.
• Managing legal risk and ensuring organisational compliance.
• Leading and overseeing complex employment tribunal cases and litigation strategy.
• Acting as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders and executive leadership.
• Supporting business proposals and change programmes with expert employment advice.
• Developing and embedding policies that strengthen compliance, inclusion, wellbeing, and flexible working.
• Advising on GDPR, data protection, equality, and EDI-related matters.
• Managing legal budgets, driving value for money, and achieving demanding legal KPIs.

About Us

In return for your commitment, we will offer you some fantastic benefits:

• Generous annual leave allowance with the ability to buy and sell – 27 days per year, plus bank holidays.
• A commitment to talent management & development
• Values Star of the Month! – Our star of the month award enables you to recognise colleagues or teams that have gone the extra mile and they could win £100 worth of shopping vouchers.
• Pension – We’ll contribute up to 10% towards your pension if you join our stakeholder pension scheme.
• Life Assurance
• Group Income Protection
• Wellbeing Programme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee Engagement & discounts platform

NHS Professionals (NHSP) run the largest NHS flexible staff bank, placing highly skilled temporary workers in NHS Trusts to meet their short, medium and long-term needs. Uniquely we are owned by the Department of Health and Social Care and we therefore reinvest any surplus we make directly back into the NHS.

NHSP is committed to being an inclusive employer of choice, working with a variety of partner organisations which provide valuable insights and best practice. We are accredited as a Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute and recognised as one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work. As part of our ongoing commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, we have been awarded the Race Equality Code Quality Mark and are a signatory of Disability Confident, Menopause Pledge and Mental Health at Work Commitment.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)

As part of our commitment to EDI, as well as having a number of related staff support networks and calendar of activities, NHS Professionals is also working to the following aims:

• To ensure we become an inclusive recruiter of choice, encompassing a fully diverse workforce, which truly reflects society.
• To proactively embed the EDI agenda, in a meaningful way, in all that it does.
• To create a psychologically safe environment in which everyone can thrive and be at their best.
• To actively support and include disabled people as part of our commitment to the Disability Confident scheme, including offering an interview to applicants who meet the minimum criteria and choose to apply under the scheme.

We particularly welcome applications from people from minority groups and will provide support to ensure an equitable process.