Employee Relations Advisor – Band 6

Location: Redhill (with potential cross-site working at Crawley and Horsham)

Pay Rate: £22.40 PAYE holiday inclusive 
 Start Date: ASAP
 Duration: 6 months
 Hours: 37.5 hours per week - Monday to Friday
 Working Arrangements: Hybrid – minimum of 3 days per week on site
 
 Job overview

The successful candidate will provide professional Employee Relations (ER) and HR advice and support to managers across the organisation, ensuring that employee relations matters are managed fairly, consistently and in accordance with employment legislation, organisational policies, and best practice.

You will work closely with the Employee Relations Manager, HR Business Partners and senior management teams, supporting a varied and complex caseload involving disciplinary matters, grievances, sickness absence, investigations and employment-related hearings.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced HR/ER professional with strong NHS or wider employment relations experience who can confidently advise and coach managers through complex employee relations matters.

Key responsibilities

• Provide professional ER and HR advice and guidance to managers on a range of employment matters, including disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence and anti-harassment procedures.
• Advise managers on the interpretation and application of employment legislation, contractual terms and conditions, and organisational policies.
• Support and advise managers undertaking formal investigations, including suspension and exclusion decisions, ensuring a fair and consistent approach.
• Coach managers through investigation processes, including the preparation of investigation reports, management statements of case and hearing documentation.
• Attend formal employee relations meetings, hearings and appeals, providing professional advice and guidance.
• Support the preparation and management of Employment Tribunal claims, working alongside the Employee Relations Manager and HR Business Partners.
• Proactively support managers with short-term and long-term sickness absence cases, reviewing reports and identifying cases requiring intervention.
• Monitor employee relations activity and produce monthly management information, KPI reports and performance data.
• Identify trends and areas for improvement within employee relations casework.
• Contribute to the review, development and implementation of HR and Employee Relations policies and procedures.
• Support the delivery of ER training to managers to improve their understanding and management of employment-related issues.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with senior managers, staff-side representatives and recognised trade unions.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee relations records and case management information.
• Support the Employee Relations Manager with project work and deputise when required.

Essential experience and requirements

• 
  
• Significant experience managing employee relations matters within an operational HR environment.
• Extensive experience advising managers on complex employee relations cases and employment policies.
• Experience coaching and supporting managers through formal hearings, investigations and appeals.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment legislation and its practical application within Employee Relations.
• Experience preparing management statements of case, formal correspondence and investigation documentation.
• Experience dealing with disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence and other complex ER matters.
• Experience developing and maintaining positive relationships with trade union representatives and senior management.
• Experience delivering training to managers on employee relations topics.
• Experience reviewing and developing HR policies and procedures.
• Strong analytical skills, including interpreting ER case data and producing KPI and management information reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong report-writing abilities.
• Ability to manage a busy and varied workload, prioritise competing demands and work to strict deadlines.
• High levels of confidentiality, accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to travel and work across other hospital sites when required.

Desirable experience

• Previous experience working within an NHS environment.
• Knowledge of medical staffing employment issues and Maintaining High Professional Standards (MHPS).
• Knowledge of NHS Agenda for Change job evaluation.
• Experience preparing for and attending Employment Tribunals.
• Previous experience using an Employee Relations case management database.
• Knowledge of current NHS HR priorities and workforce agendas.
• Understanding of general payroll processes.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate Diploma, bachelor’s degree or equivalent level of experience.
• CIPD Level 5 qualification.
• CIPD membership desirable.