Senior Employee Relations Advisor | Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

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. 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.

#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.

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

• Demonstrates clear evidence of current continuous professional development
• 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.
• 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 (enhanced), 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.

This advert closes on Sunday 23 Aug 2026.