People Advisor

Find out about the current vacancies available at the Trust and take the next step in your career with us. The post-holder will assist the People Business Partner and Deputy People Business Partner in the delivery of the key result areas by providing a comprehensive operational/advisory service to employees of the group in respect of all aspects of human resource management. With support from the Deputy People Business Partner, they will ensure that a professional people service is provided to the Clinical Support Units and empower line managers to deliver good people practices. The post-holder will ensure that People policies, procedures and practices are fairly and consistently applied, supporting best practice to achieve organisational objectives and supporting the effective day‑to‑day operation of the Clinical Support Units.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will make a significant contribution across the operational people directorate by supporting the Deputy People Business Partner in playing a key role in shaping the strategic workforce direction of the group.
• The post holder will be flexible with regards to covering across all Clinical Support Units and Corporate areas in the absence of their colleagues and will provide pro‑active support to other People Advisor colleagues to ensure the provision of continuous equitable workloads.
• Whilst elements of the role will be reactive, the post holder is encouraged to be proactive in their interventions and solution focused.
• Deputise for the Deputy People Business Partner where required.

Working for our organisation South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust now form University Hospitals Tees and as such you may be required to work at any site across both Trusts. We will support staff through providing an inclusive and supportive workplace with health and well‑being initiatives, staff benefits and opportunities for personal and professional development. We support the Making Every Contact Count approach to behaviour change in the promotion of health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Provide day‑to‑day human resources generalist support, advice and guidance to staff and managers within the Trust.
• Facilitate and be responsible for individual caseloads including the effective resolution of employee relations issues (grievance, discipline, capability, redeployment, etc.), including some complex cases.
• Organise and conduct investigations in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.
• Participate on panels for recruitment interviews, absence and probationary processes as required.
• Support managers in applying a consistent approach to short‑term and long‑term sickness absence, to reduce and maintain absence levels in line with organisational targets.
• Provide advice and support on a range of matters including Workforce policy, practice, employment law, terms and conditions, ensuring accurate and consistent interpretation and application; refer or escalade appropriately when necessary.
• Plan work proactively to accommodate the cyclical nature of data availability and meeting frequency, e.g., absence reports.
• Support the management of temporary / fixed‑term workers in line with Trust policy.
• Provide confidential and sensitive advice to colleagues and managers within the Trust; external contacts include other NHS organisations and agencies.
• Form close working relationships with staff side representatives and others from a variety of backgrounds.
• Establish and maintain communication systems to ensure constructive consultation and staff involvement in HR activities related to case‑for‑change processes.
• Analyse and provide workforce information directed by the People Partner, including extraction and manipulation of data/reports from business intelligence systems (ESR, Yellowfin, Health Roster).
• Undertake service‑appropriate audits, interpret findings and contribute to solution‑focused recommendations.
• Support the development of job descriptions, person specifications and job evaluation processes.
• Assist in developing and implementing Trust‑wide Workforce policies and procedures, ensuring appropriate implementation in allocated departments.
• Participate in the design and delivery of training events for managers and staff on relevant Workforce policies and procedures.
• Help implement the portfolio of work‑life balance policies, practices and activities.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification or demonstrable experience within an HR related field.
• CIPD qualified or working towards.
• Knowledge and understanding of current employment law and NHS terms and conditions.

Experience

• Relevant experience gained in an HR role.
• Experience providing advice and guidance on employee relation issues including disciplinary, grievances, capability.
• Experience working with staff side representatives in a large, multi‑unionised organisation on a range of employee relation issues.
• Experience developing and delivering training courses and material.
• NHS experience.
• Experience managing or supervising staff.

Skills

• Knowledge and ability to use Microsoft Office products, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

Working Hours

Full‑time positions (37.5 hours per week) are advertised but applications are welcomed from individuals who may be seeking to work less than full‑time; all requests will be considered in line with the post being appointed to the successful applicant.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We welcome applications from everyone, no matter your age, background, race, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family circumstances or beliefs.

Disability

We are a Disability Confident Lead employer. This means we give fair and full consideration to applicants and will offer reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. If you need help with your application or the information in a different format, please contact our recruitment team and we will support you.

Right to Work in the UK

We welcome applicants who meet the UK work‑right criteria. From January 2021, all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland nationals require sponsorship unless they have permission to work via another route.