Employment Adviser

The British Medical Association (BMA) is the trade union and professional body for doctors in the UK. We represent, support and negotiate on behalf of all UK doctors and medical students.

Join the BMA at a crucial time for doctors and the NHS and be part of a team working for better pay and conditions for the profession.

About the Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a part-time Employment Adviser to join the Member relations team in BMA Northern Ireland.

The Employment Adviser will provide individual case representation, both in person and via Teams, on complex issues to ensure members receive the best possible individual advice and representation. This will include preparing and presenting cases to employers, internal and / or external appeal panels. They will also assist with the development and delivery of local BMA campaigns, working with staff and members to organise in workplaces; they will actively support members undertaking campaigns in their places of work.

The role is a fixed term contract for 6 months, 20 hours per week including a paid lunch break. (total lunch break time 2.5hrs).

It is home based with a requirement to attend meetings and activities anywhere in Northern Ireland including at the BMA Northern Ireland office in Belfast and member workplace locations as necessary. Due to some meetings lasting an entire day the working arrangement will be across two whole days and one part day. The working days are flexible and will be discussed during the interview process. A full UK driving license/access to a car to travel is required.

The successful candidate will be motivated and driven in their delivery of maximising outcomes for and defending the interests of doctors at work.

If you have previous demonstrable experience within a Trade Union or equivalent expertise gained elsewhere (eg: an employment law role) and would like the opportunity to represent our members then we’d love to hear from you.

To be successful as an Employment Adviser you will have:

• Extensive working experience of complex casework, advising and representing employees
• Up to date and in-depth expert knowledge of employment law, employee relations, human resource policies, procedures and good practice
• The ability to manage a demanding workload
• Strong interpersonal, networking and stakeholder management skills
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills
• Excellent IT skills (Word, Power Point, Excel and Outlook)
• A commitment to the Trade Union movement.

It would also be desirable to have:

• Knowledge of HSC structures in Northern Ireland and an understanding of the key issues facing the medical profession in Northern Ireland
• Knowledge of the terms and conditions under which HSC doctors work
• A legal/CIPD qualification or trade union background.

Why work for us?

We offer a wide range of benefits including:

• 30 days holiday entitlement plus bank holidays and a BMA company day
• Double matching pension contributions up to 12% of salary
• Additional leave entitlement for volunteering, moving house or wedding leave (after completion of probationary period)
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Group Income protection & life assurance that is seven times your annual salary
• Annual salary reviews & incremental salary increases from year one to year three
• Electric Vehicle and Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme's (available after completion of probationary period)
• Access to a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) with free confidential counselling, a helpline and specialist support available
• Long service recognition every 5 years
• Professional subscription cover where membership of a professional institution is required for your role
• BMA Law - discounted rates for employees requiring legal services such as will writing/conveyancing
• Multiple flexible benefits and discounts through our employee benefits platform
• Lots of Learning and Development/training opportunities via our internal learning hub
• Season ticket loan (up to £10,000) (after completion of probationary period)
• Additional annual leave- buy up to 5 additional holiday days per year

Anonymous recruitment

The BMA endeavours to be an inclusive employer, ensuring fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for roles. To support our aims, we use specific software to remove all personal identifying information from CVs and applications. Personal information such as name, date of birth, age and gender are anonymised and will only become visible to hiring managers if you are selected for interview.

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.

The role profile outlines the current key responsibilities and expectations for the position. However, the British Medical Association (BMA) is presently engaged in an organisation design process, which aims to ensure that our structure, roles, and ways of working best support our strategic objectives and the needs of our members. As a result, the responsibilities and scope of this role may be subject to change as the association evolves. The BMA is committed to communicating any such changes transparently and supporting colleagues through any transitions that arise as part of this process.

Diversity & Inclusion Monitoring:

Our ambition is to work together to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts everybody signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

BMA is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge as we recognise that diversity makes us stronger.

Please note, we are unable to provide sponsorship under the UK points-based immigration system and we do not hold a sponsorship licence.

Whether the role needs you to work at home, in an office or in a hybrid way, we`ll provide all the support you need.

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, however, if you require any reasonable adjustments or additional support at any point during the application process, please email recruitment@bma.org.uk.