Senior Employee Relations Advisor

Nhs-1; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior Employee Relations Advisor to join the People and Culture Directorate. You will provide expert advice on complex employee relations matters across multiple sites, supporting policy development and training.

With CIPD Level 5 qualification and up-to-date employment law knowledge, you will work in a unionised environment, guiding managers through disciplinary, grievance, and absence matters, and collaborating with staff side

Qualifications

• CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent.
• Demonstrates clear CPD evidence.
• Experience advising managers on employee relations in a unionised environment.
• Up-to-date employment law knowledge and case law.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice to managers on a range of employee relations cases.
• Review and develop employee relations policies and management training packages.
• Support with TUPE, absence management and disciplinary processes.
• Collaborate with staff-side representatives, partners, managers and staff.

Skills

HR advisory

Employee relations

Stakeholder management

Legislation knowledge

Negotiation

Education

CIPD Level 5

CPD evidence

Tools

HR databases

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Employer Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Duncan Macmillan House Town Nottingham Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum (pro rata for part time) Salary period Yearly Closing 31/08/2026 23:59

Senior Employee Relations Advisor

NHS AfC: Band 6

We fully support the use of AI and other tools to assist in writing your application. However, it's essential that the content, especially your supporting statement, is personalised and factually accurate. Your application should reflect your genuine experiences and qualifications to ensure authenticity and credibility

Job overview

The People and Culture Directorate is seeking to appoint an experienced Senior Employee Relations Advisor to work within our busy but friendly Employee Relations team.

This exciting opportunity could be the next step in your career; providing opportunity to grow and develop in a supportive, progressive environment.

Main duties of the job

You will be instrumental in supporting the development of a just and restorative learning culture. This will include supporting with the review and development of employee relations policies and management training packages which are reflective of current legislation, caselaw and best practice, and which embed Trust values and behaviours.

The role will provide advice on a range of complex employee relations cases which include disciplinary processes, grievance, performance, management of change, TUPE and absence management. You should have up to date knowledge of Employment Law and providing professional advice to hearing panels up to dismissal. You should have experience of working collaboratively with staff side representatives, partners, senior and operational managers and staff.

Working for our organisation

#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.

The health and wellbeing of colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job responsibilities

You should be CIPD qualified (Level 5) and have demonstrable experience of providing comprehensive advice and support to managers on a range of employee relations issues, in a unionised environment.

You should have excellent knowledge of up to date and relevant employment legislation and caselaw. Please refer to the job description and person specification for further information.

Qualifications and Training

• Postgraduate Diploma (CIPD Level 5) or equivalent qualification
• Demonstrates clear evidence of current continuous professional development

Desirable

• Additional HR specific training & development e.g. Trained Job evaluator

Experience

• Experience of advising operational managers across a wide range of specialised HR and employee relations matters within a complex, multi-site, unionised environment.
• Experience of supporting complex organisational change programmes.
• Proven track record of success at addressing employment issues in order to ensure the effective resolution of concerns.
• Experience of working collaboratively in partnership with staff side, managers and staff.
• Experience of advising on employee relations panels up to and/or including dismissal
• Demonstrable experience of supporting managers with employment tribunal claims and subsequent processes including liaison with Trust solicitors
• Experience of interpreting data in order to formulate effective HR strategies, including audits and surveys
• Experience of working within an HR role in the NHS.
• Has supported ET cases through the provision of information.
• Experience of managing TUPE transfers.

Knowledge

• Excellent working knowledge and understanding of employment law and recent case law.
• Good working knowledge of IT packages e.g., employee relations databases, PowerPoint, excel, word.

Desirable

• National NHS priorities and the significance of the contributions of HR.

Skills

• Ability to form effective business relationships in order to drive forward the contribution of HR services.
• High level communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to professionally and confidently present complex and sensitive data and information.
• Confident and resilient, with the ability to negotiate and influence others.
• High degree of credibility & professionalism.

Values and Behaviours

All staff should be able to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as identified within the Trust's Equality and Diversity Policy and associated Equality, Diversity and Human Rights legislation

Please note that this post does not meet the pay level required for a Skilled worker visa.

Successful applicants with no prior NHS experience would normally be placed at the bottom of the band in line with Agenda for Change. This salary is below the minimum salary required for sponsorship for a Skilled Worker / Health & Care visa. In these circumstances the Trust would not, therefore, be able to sponsor for a Skilled Worker / Health & Care visa.

Applicants requiring a Skilled Worker Visa can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship against the relevant criteria here https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40, this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

Person specification

Training

• Demonstrates clear evidence of current continuous professional development (CPD).
• Additional HR specific training& development e.g., Trained Job evaluator

Qualifications

Experience

• Experience of advising operational managers across a wide range of specialised HR and employee relations matters within a complex, multi-site, unionised environment.
• Experience of supporting complex organisational change programmes.
• Proven track record of success at addressing employment issues in order to ensure the effective resolution of concerns.
• Experience of working collaboratively in partnership with staff side, managers and staff.
• Experience of advising on employee relations panels up to and/or including dismissal
• Demonstrable experience of supporting managers with employment tribunal claims and subsequent processes including liaison with Trust solicitors
• Experience of interpreting data in order to formulate effective HR strategies, including audits and surveys
• Experience of working within an HR role in the NHS.
• Has supported ET cases through the provision of information.
• Experience of managing TUPE transfers.

Skills

• Ability to form effective business relationships in order to drive forward the contribution of HR services
• High level communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to professionally and confidently present complex and sensitive data and information.
• Confident and resilient, with the ability to negotiate and influence others
• High degree of credibility & professionalism

Contractual requirements

• Regular travelling required to sites within the Trust, spread over a wide geographical area

Additional Information

• We reserve the right to close the post early once we have received a sufficient number of applicants.
• The Trust believes in treating everyone with dignity and respect and encourages applications from all sectors of the community. We guarantee an interview to candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum essential criteria.
• In submitting an application form, you authorise Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to confirm from your previous or current NHS employer and other prior employers; previous NHS service details and personal data held about you. This data will be transferred using NHS Electronic Staff Record and third party systems via an automated process and only used for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining accurate employment records, should you be appointed to the post. Should you require any further information please refer our Privacy Policy shown on the Trust website, please
• For eligible posts, DBS disclosures are mandatory before commencement of employment. If you are in a position that is deemed a regulated adult and/or child care role, you will not be able to start your employment until we have received a satisfactory DBS Disclosure. The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Convictions which would otherwise be considered as 'spent' will also be checked as part of an Enhanced DBS Disclosure.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.