Senior Employee Relations Advisor

NHS; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS organization in the City Of London is seeking a Senior Employee Relations Advisor to provide expert guidance on HR policies. The ideal candidate will have CIPD qualifications and extensive experience in HR, focusing on employee relations and providing high-quality support. This role emphasizes collaboration across various levels of the organization while maintaining a commitment to high-quality service delivery.

Qualifications

• CIPD-qualified professional with extensive experience in HR and organisational development.
• Experience designing and facilitating management training on HR policies.
• Up-to-date knowledge of employment law and its application.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex caseloads covering various employee relations matters.
• Provide expert guidance to managers on HR policies and procedures.
• Collaborate effectively with employees and management.

Skills

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Solution-oriented approach

Demonstrable knowledge of working at a senior HR/ER level

Coaching or mediation skills

Education

Graduate CIPD or equivalent

Tools

Electronic HR reporting systems

Job description

Go back South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Employee Relations Advisor

The closing date is 12 November 2025

Are you ready for your next exciting and rewarding opportunity in People and Organisational Development? Are you a CIPD-qualified professional with extensive experience in HR and organisational development? If so, this could be the ideal next step in your career.

We are embarking on a transformational journey to reshape our People and Organisational Development function, aiming to deliver a proactive, customer-focused service that meets the evolving needs of our organisation. As a Senior Employee Relations Advisor, you will join a team of passionate and committed colleagues, playing a key role in delivering high-quality educational and operational employee relations support. This work will be guided by our values and behaviours framework and rooted in a \"Just and Restorative Learning\" culture.

In this role, you will manage a complex caseload covering a wide range of employee relations matters. You will ensure that all work aligns with current legislation, best practice, case law, and local policies. As the subject matter expert in employee relations, you will provide high-quality advice and support to enable early resolution of workplace issues, while understanding organisational risks and offering practical solutions.

Main duties of the job

Key Responsibilities

• Provide expert guidance to managers on policies and procedures related to absence management, disciplinary action, grievances, performance management, and more.
• Coach and support managers to build confidence and capability in handling employee relations matters.
• Collaborate effectively with employees, managers, senior leaders, and directorate teams.
• Contribute to policy development and deliver training sessions for new managers.
• Communicate clearly and professionally, ensuring timely and effective engagement across all levels of the organisation.

What We Are Looking For

• Associate CIPD membership with substantial HR generalist experience.
• A person-centred, solution-oriented approach with sound judgement and the ability to professionally challenge when needed.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• A commitment to delivering a high-quality, inclusive HR service that makes a real difference to front-line care.

We are committed to flexible working and are happy to discuss how you may wish to structure your hours. However, physical attendance at the workplace for a minimum of three days per week is required.

About us

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.

SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich. By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities, and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job Description for further information regarding the key duties and main responsibilities of this role.

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

• Graduate CIPD or equivalent demonstrable career path, skills and experience
• Evidence of continued professional development within an ER environment

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of providing a wide range of operational employee relations services to staff at all levels
• Demonstrable experience of designing and facilitating management training/briefing sessions on HR policies and procedures and management of staff
• Able to review and update HR policies and procedures in line with changes to employment law, Trust values and/or case law as required
• Understanding and experience of job evaluation processes
• Trained and experience of the AFC job evaluation processes and principles. Trained AFC Job Matcher

Knowledge / Skills

• Demonstrable knowledge of working at a senior HR/ER level within a complex unionised environment
• Up to date knowledge of employment law, ACAS Codes of Good Practice and their practical application in a unionised environment
• Good communication and inter-personal skills with the ability to influence and negotiate with managers and staff to enable the provision of an effective and efficient ER service within the Trust
• Ability to analyse and problem solve from complex information and communicate with managers and staff to assist in determining informed decisions
• Familiar with electronic HR reporting and recording systems and producing reports as required
• Working within the NHS
• AFC Job Evaluation Training
• Coaching or mediation Knowledge and skill
• Understanding and Familiarity with ESR/ Track-It or Trac

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

£46,419 to £55,046 a yearper annum inclusive of Inner London HCAS