Senior People Advisor - Absence Management Specialist

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust; Shrewsbury; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is seeking an experienced Senior People Advisor – Absence Management Specialist to lead sickness absence management and wellbeing initiatives within Estates, Facilities and MES services. This is a Band 6 role, full-time 37.5 hours per week, initially fixed-term for 6 months with potential extension to 18 months.

The post involves owning all aspects of absence management, working with colleagues and managers to create supportive attendance, wellbeing

Responsibilities

• Proactively manage sickness absence cases, maintaining regular and supportive contact with colleagues during periods of absence
• Facilitate early, safe returns to work, ensuring appropriate support plans and adjustments are in place
• Provide expert HR advice on complex absence cases, including long-term and frequent short-term absence
• Ensure robust and consistent application of Trust policies and procedures
• Ensure management of sickness absence cases is inclusive, compassionate, and kind

Job description

Job Overview

Are you a solutions-focused HR professional who is passionate about improving wellbeing and driving meaningful cultural change?

Job Overview

Are you a solutions-focused HR professional who is passionate about improving wellbeing and driving meaningful cultural change? At SaTH, we are committed to creating a healthier, more engaged workforce. We are seeking an experienced Senior People Advisor – Absence Management Specialist to play a key role within our Estates, Facilities and MES services, leading a proactive and impactful approach to employee wellbeing attendance management. This is a Band 6 (Subject to Agenda for Change Job Evaluation) role, full-time 37.5 hours per week, fixed Term for 6 Months initially (if successful will extend to 18 months).

Main duties of the job

About The Role

This is a high-impact, operational and strategic role where you will take ownership of all aspects of sickness absence management, working directly with colleagues and managers to support attendance, wellbeing and performance.

You Will

• Proactively manage sickness absence cases, maintaining regular and supportive contact with colleagues during periods of absence
• Facilitate early, safe returns to work, ensuring appropriate support plans and adjustments are in place
• Provide expert HR advice on complex absence cases, including long-term and frequent short-term absence
• Ensure robust and consistent application of Trust policies and procedures
• Ensure management of sickness absence cases is inclusive, compassionate, and kind

Beyond casework, you will have a key role in shaping and embedding a positive attendance culture across Facilities, moving from reactive management to early intervention and prevention. The postholder will be engaged in -

• Driving Culture Change
• Developing Managers & Processes
• Prevention & Partnership Working

Working for your organisation

Our Poppy’s Promise Commitment

We believe that compassionate care sits at the heart of everything we do. Every member of our team—clinical or non-clinical—plays a vital role in ensuring that patients, families, and colleagues are treated with dignity, empathy, and respect at all times.

We expect all staff to demonstrate compassion not only through their words, but through their actions: by listening attentively, communicating clearly and kindly, and recognising individual needs, feelings, and circumstances of those in our care.

Effective communication is central to safe and high-quality healthcare. We value colleagues who take the time to understand others, explain information in a meaningful way, and respond to concerns with patience and understanding.

By joining our team, you are committing to uphold these values — ensuring that every patient feels heard, respected, and valued, and that compassion is embedded in every interaction, every day.