Senior Employee Relations Advisor

Hpft; Hatfield; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is seeking an experienced Employee Relations professional to join its team in Hatfield. You will advise managers on attendance, discipline and performance, ensuring compliance with employment law and Trust policies.

The role involves supporting change management, service configuration, policy development, and case-work across designated areas. Travel to sites is required and a car is essential.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level, or equivalent qualification.
• Graduate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
• Extensive experience advising on employee relations issues.
• Experience of working with Trade Unions.
• Experience of providing HR services in a multi-site NHS environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide HR support and advise managers on employee relations issues (attendance, grievances, discipline, performance).
• Advise on employment law and policy consistent with Trust policies and guidance.
• Support change management and service configuration through HR input.
• Act as main point of contact for case work and operational issues.
• Travel to designated service areas as required.

Skills

Employee relations experience

NHS environment

Trade Union experience

HR systems

Organisational skills

Education

Degree level education

CIPD qualification

Tools

HR software

Job description

Site The Colonnades, Beaconsfield Rd, Hatfield, AL10 8YE Town Hatfield Salary £41,957 - £50,387 per annum, pro rata (Inclusive of 5% HCAS) Salary period Yearly Closing 25/10/2026 23:59

Values Based Screener

At Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust we are looking for people to join us who share our values and those of the NHS. Before your application can be considered please take part on our online values questionnaire, which you can find below. When you have finished you will be sent a 'completion code' by email, which will be valid for 6 months and required to submit your application form.

An excellent opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, experienced individual to join our Employee relations team. Under the guidance of the Employee Relations Manager you will provide operational human resources support in a professional, timely and consistent manner to designated areas of the Trust

Main duties of the job

The main purpose of the role will involve providing HR support and advising managers on employee relations issues such as attendance management, grievances, disciplinary and performance management. Your advice will be consistent with Trust policies and in line with best practice and current employment legislation. You will need to have extensive experience of Employee Relations management and be used to working with Trade Union representatives.

To support the Employee Relations Manager in the provision of an operational Employee Relations service within designated service areas.

The post holder will be the main point of contact for case work and operational issues which will include HR support for change management/service configuration, employee relations, interpretation of employment legislation, and development of employment policy.

This post requires some travel; therefore a car driver with own transport is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 which prevents you from driving)

Working for our organisation

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.

Our family of over 4000 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.

The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Our Trust values are:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!

Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you you have a be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To ensure best practice within designated service areas through the provision of high quality, consistent, robust, proactive and timely advice to Trust managers and staff.

To provide a proactive operational HR services to managers and staff within specific service areas. To ensure compliance with best practice and employment law.

To provide HR advice to Trust managers on issues such as discipline, grievance, capability, harassment and employment law. To support managers with investigations and the preparation of statement of cases and ensure compliance with Trust policies.

Please see job description and person specification for further information.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level, or equivalent qualification
• Graduate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Experience

• Extensive experience of advising on employee relations issues
• Experience of working with all levels of staff/management
• Experience of Working with Trade Unions
• Experience of providing a service and working with in a multi-site organisation
• Delivering training courses
• Working in an NHS environment

Skills/Abilities

• PC Literate to ECDL standard including data input and interpretation
• Able to establish, maintain and review HR systems and processes
• Ability to understand and interpret Trust policies and procedures
• Ability to interpret legislation and variety of guidance
• Ability to work under own initiative
• Ability to work in a team and across team boundaries
• Ability to delegate work appropriately
• Excellent organisation and administration skills
• Ability to generate creative ideas for improvements to service and methods of working
• Ability to work autonomously and collectively with a multiprofessional workforce

Knowledge

• Specialist knowledge of Human Resource Management, including Absence Management, Bullying and Harassment, Disciplinary and Grievance and Terms and Conditions
• Understanding the barriers to effective retention and recruitment of staff and service delivery
• Demonstrates an understanding of national developments in HR within the NHS and how these relate to operational issues

Please note, we do not charge fees for job applications, recruitment processes, sponsorship arrangements, or employment offers. Please see the Trust careers vacancy webpage and Trac as the only authorised routes for recruitment communications, applications and verification of job offers.