HR professional

University Hospitals Of Leicester Nhs Trust; Leicester; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust is seeking a motivated Employee Relations Adviser to provide high-quality, evidence-based advice to managers and staff. You will handle delegated casework across attendance, discipline, ill-health and performance, while coaching managers through formal and informal processes.

The role supports policy development, workforce data use and targeted managerial training within a hybrid working model.

Qualifications

• Recent, demonstrable experience in a generalist HR function advising on terms and conditions.
• Knowledge of employment law and HR practice with escalation where needed.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with negotiation skills.
• Experience using HR data and maintaining audit-ready records.
• Collaborative, ethical approach with confidentiality and integrity.
• Commitment to Trust values and equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Comfort with Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel.
• NHS experience with Agenda for Change, ESR, Being Fair or related tools is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Provide ER advice to managers and employees on terms, policies and legislation.
• Manage delegated casework including attendance, disciplinary, ill-health and performance matters.
• Support investigations and formal processes with emphasis on fairness and restorative practice.
• Assist with sickness reviews, hearings and reasonable adjustments.
• Use workforce data to support attendance improvement plans and record-keeping for audits.
• Design and deliver training for managers on investigations, disciplinary, and attendance management.
• Support policy review and implementation.
• Collaborate with managers, colleagues, and Staff Side representatives to promote fairness and openness.

Skills

Employee relations

Policy interpretation

Casework management

Stakeholder collaboration

Data analysis

Education

CIPD diploma-level qualification

Degree in HR or related field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Outlook

Excel

Job description

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 alongsideregularon-site workingto 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: https://www.uhleicester.nhs.uk

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.