Senior HR Advisor

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS foundation trust in Greater London seeks a Senior HR Advisor to join their Business Partnering team. This role involves providing HR guidance, analysing workforce data, and influencing people strategies across multiple sites including Harefield and Royal Brompton Hospitals. The ideal candidate will have a CIPD qualification and experience in a complex unionised environment. This opportunity promises career growth and meaningful impact on HR practices.

Qualifications

• Experience in a complex unionised environment.
• Hands-on experience with employee relations advice.
• Ability to analyse workforce data.

Responsibilities

• Provide detailed HR advice and guidance to managers.
• Analyse workforce data to inform strategies.
• Support the implementation of change management programmes.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Coaching approach

Education

CIPD or equivalent qualification

Graduate caliber or significant experience

Job description

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Senior HR Advisor

The closing date is 11 January 2026

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Business Partnering team, supporting the Heart, Lung, and Critical Care Clinical Group. Working in a small embedded HR team to be the key point of contact for managers across the Clinical Group. You will:

• Provide detailed advice and guidance on the interpretation of Trust policies, procedures and employment legislation.
• Act as the interface between the People embedded team and the Workforce Relations team.
• Analyse workforce data, including staff survey results for directorates, to identify trends, hotspots, and risks, and recommend proactive solutions.
• Work with HR Business Partners to develop and deliver training on a range of HR topics, building capability among our people managers. This may include delivering targeted training on an ad hoc basis to support hot spot areas.
• Use a coaching approach to develop management capability and confidence in handling people matters.
• Support and influence local people strategies, workforce planning, and change initiatives.

The role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your HR career, working with senior stakeholders and directly influencing workforce outcomes.

This is a multi-site role, with the usual working pattern being Mondays at Royal Brompton and 2 further days at Harefield Hospital.

The advert is subject to close if sufficient number of applications received.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for a dedicated, experienced, and agile HR professional, who is keen to take their next step in their career. You must be passionate about providing people focused support to a range of stakeholders across operational teams to support the creation and implementation of people plans that support the wider business strategy. To be successful you will need to be resilient, adaptable, initiative‑taking, thrive on challenge, and you will strive to make a positive difference in your work.

We are looking for someone with excellent communication skills and the ability to address complex and sensitive issues with staff at all levels. You will need to display tenacity and resilience and possess the ability to inspire confidence in the managers you support. You must be able to evidence 'hands on' experience within a HR setting operating in a complex and challenging employment environment. Ideally you will have a good working knowledge of the NHS Agenda for Change terms and conditions of service. Experience of providing high quality advice on sickness absence, disciplinary processes, grievance, capability and dignity at work issues is a must. In addition you will have experience of managing or supporting change programmes as well as advising on the implications of change. You must have experience of analysing workforce data with the ability to identify trends and hot spots to inform interventions with the directorate management teams.

About us

Guy's and St Thomas' is among the UK's busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world‑leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world‑renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world‑leading research.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of 'good'. Our adult community services achieved a rating of 'outstanding'.

The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforce in the NHS.

Job responsibilities

Develop effective relationships with directorates to influence, challenge and support service delivery and people strategies and monitor success.

To analyse data both qualitative and quantitative to identify themes and make recommendations on interventions, supporting plans to manage current and future performance targets, meet the directorate business needs and support wider People objectives.

To act as the interface between the People embedded team and the Workforce Relations team in relations to sickness absence management support.

Provide detailed advice and guidance to managers on the interpretation of Trust policies and procedures and employment legislation.

Working autonomously, support and challenge managers in the identification of training and development needs in respect of the people management agenda, and in application of HR policies and practice, providing advice and guidance on complex HR issues in order to minimise risk and financial exposure.

Working closely with managers, determine both short-term and long-term strategies on how to effectively manage their workforce issues. To respond to unpredictable outcomes and events and align the strategy appropriately.

To lead and support the implementation of change management programmes and the launch of such programmes in conjunction with the People Director, Deputy People Director and HR Business Partners.

To work with the People embedded team and wider HR to ensure the services provided meet the needs of the Clinical Group, utilising the expertise of the specialist teams in HR to ensure workforce issues are addressed efficiently and effectively.

To be a key link between the Clinical Group and the HR functions To plan, design and conduct projects to analyse and respond to current and projected workforce need.

To use a coaching style to ensure managers take responsibility for and are supported in the HR management aspects of their roles.

To ensure continuing, personal and professional development, taking ownership and accountability for staying up-to-date and professionally registered with the CIPD.

Ensure equality and diversity is underpinned in all areas of the HR services provided.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Graduate Calibre or person with significant experience
• CIPD or equivalent qualification, skills and experience
• Evidence of continued learning / development

Experience

• Post resignation experience in a complex unionised environment
• Experience of working with managers to develop workforce plans
• Experience of providing employee relations advice and support to managers in a complex unionised organisation
• Experience of analysing and interpreting data to inform workforce initiatives and plans
• Experience of supporting organisational change (e.g. restructures, service redesign, TUPE, culture change)

Skills

• Well developed written and oral communication skills for a variety of formal and informal purposes
• Analytical skills to assess and understand workforce issues and in order that they are resolved in a pragmatic and timely manner
• Skilled in stakeholder management and influencing ideally in times of change
• Analytical skills to interpret workforce data and trends

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.

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Harefield Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, Guys Hospital, St Thomas Hospital

£46,419 to £55,046 a yearp.a. inclusive of HCA

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

196-COF11004-NW

Job locations

Harefield Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, Guys Hospital, St Thomas Hospital