Senior Employee Relations Manager

Working as a partnership, both Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust have a shared vision for excellence in care for our patients and communities; with a set of strategic aims underpinning how we will achieve this. 

The single corporate service is delivered across both organisations. You may be based at either IWT or PHU and individuals may be required to undertake business travel between sites. For leaders managing staff across multi-site locations, you will need to be visible and provide in person leadership. The arrangements and frequency will be agreed locally.

Salary: NHS Band 8a - £57,528 - £64,750 per annum

Position Type:  Permanent

Hours Per week:  Full-time, 37.5

Location: Across sites, both Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (frequency of visits to each site, to be agreed locally)

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and qualified senior employee relations practitioner to lead our employment advisory service across both Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust and the Isle of Wight Trust. Our 15 strong team of ER Managers and Advisers play a vital role in supporting the delivery of strategic leadership in employee relations and we are seeking an experienced leader and expert to lead the team. 

The Employee Relations function has a wide remit and provides the opportunity for the successful candidate to really make their mark across two trusts, a workforce of over 12000 and through a Group model.  A high quality and responsive case management service is core to the role but this extends beyond this to include advising on terms and conditions of employment associated contracts (including for medical staff), ensuring employment compliance (including rights to work), policy development and legal compliance, organisational change, job evaluation and coaching and training of line managers in employment relationships in their teams. This is a key role in supporting the management of employment risk, organisational reputation and improving people culture consistent with our values, objectives and declared leadership behaviours. The ER team plays a key part in delivering our aspiration to be a ‘best place to work’ through our recently published Delivering excellence through our people strategy. 

As a key strategic collaborator, the Senior Employee Relations Manager is tasked with effectively managing and advancing employee relations practices across both trusts. This dynamic position demands a proactive approach to leading the ER Team, ensuring their activities align with the trusts' strategic goals while fostering an environment of collaboration and empowerment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic oversight and direction for the ER team, setting ambitious targets and cultivating a high-performance culture that aligns with the Trusts’ mission and values.
• Mentor and develop team members to enhance their capabilities, ensuring they are equipped to address complex employee relations issues while promoting a learning and just workplace environment.
• Collaborate closely with the HR Director, ER & Medical HR to define and implement People Strategies that drive organisational effectiveness, improve employee engagement, and support continuous cultural improvement initiatives.
• Lead case reviews for complex employee relations matters, applying a just and learning approach to conflict resolution and employee engagement, ensuring fairness and transparency in all processes.

For further details, please see enclosed Job Description

Due to our Group model the post holder could be based at our offices at Portsmouth or the Isle of Wight (team members are based in both sites) but with the commitment to travel as required.  

If you think you can make a difference in this role and would like to discuss the opportunity, please contact Andrew Vickers, HR Director, ER & Medical HR via email on [email protected] 

Closing Date: Please note, we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.

 Essential:

• Degree/ professional qualification or equivalent significant relevant experience
• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Professional Qualification (Post graduate level 7) or equivalent
• Evidence of continuing personal and professional development

 Desirable

• Full membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (M/FCIPD)

Experience

 Essential:

• Previous experience of managing complex employee relations casework, including sickness absence and health and wellbeing.
• Able to demonstrate the delivery of initiatives that have reduced sickness absence
• Policy development
• Designing and/or improving process and systems
• Supervising/managing staff
• Managing an HR service to a client group through teams
• Providing high quality professional case supervision
• Preparing reports up to Board level
• Positively engaging with trade unions and staff

 Desirable 

• Experience of a large, highly complex organisation / NHS
• Trained in mediation techniques
• Facilitation Skills
• Employment Tribunal preparation
• Employment Legal negotiations
• Trained in NHS Agenda for Change Job Evaluation 

 Skills & Knowledge

Essential:

• Good understanding of best practice in improving attendance and creating healthy work environments
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a particular emphasis on report writing for the board and employment tribunals.
• Evidence of expertise, interest and continuing professional development in sickness management and/or supporting staff with legally protected characteristics  
• Strong track record and commitment to equality and inclusion with expert knowledge of discrimination in the employment context  
• Demonstrable experience of interpreting and applying terms and conditions of an organisation
• Digital literacy with ability to effectively use technology to work efficiently and deliver objectives
• Sound understanding of employment legislation and regulations, with experience in dealing with employment tribunals and related legal matters. 
• Experience in handling sensitive HR issues and employee relations matters, including managing conflicts and disputes effectively.
• Understanding of health and safety standards; NICE guidance and the latest best practice in improving attendance at work

Desirable 

• Able to demonstrate innovation and new approaches in improving attendance
• Experience in the safeguarding processes
• Understanding of NHS Terms and Conditions (e.g. Agenda for Change and medical staff contracts of employment)
• Trained in Agenda for Change Job Evaluation.

The health and wellbeing of our staff is at the forefront of everything we do. We are proud to be able to offer our staff some fantastic benefits including our on-site Nursery, access to our free Beach Hut for those long summer days, our on-site Wellness Centre including a gym and a swimming pool, access to our fantastic staff networks including LGBTQ, Race Equality and DisAbility, and awards ceremonies to recognise your achievements. We believe we can offer support to all of our staff when they need it the most.

We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs. 

For more information, please see our People and OD Strategy 2026