Job Description

12 month Fixed term - Secondment Cover



We are seeking a dynamic and experienced individual to join our team as the Head of Employee Relations and Policy to cover a period of secondment. This role is pivotal in leading a specialist ER team to provide expert, accurate, consistent, comprehensive and high-quality employee relations advisory services to Trust managers and staff.



The successful candidate will be responsible for managing a wide range of employee relations matters, including MHPS, investigation of complaints, resolving disputes, in addition to devising and implementing people related policies and procedures (drawing on subject matter experts) that promote fairness, equality, and inclusion.



You will need to have robust and up to date knowledge of Employment Law and Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, a deep understanding of HR best practice, as well as strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.



You will be expected to build robust working relationships with direct line reports as well as directors, managers, staff side representatives, and solicitors acting for the Trust.



If you are highly skilled in the management of complex and challenging employee relations issues, and can confidently advise, guide and support managers in executing pragmatic management solutions - we would be delighted to hear from you!

To lead a specialist ER team in the following:

Providing an expert, accurate, consistent and comprehensive human resources advisory service to Trust managers and staff, modelled extensively around e- access and e-tools, that ensures the Trust becomes and remains an employer and provider of choice;

Providing timely and effective interpretation of developing employment law and local and national NHS HR policy and procedures;

Devising and ensuring the implementation of HR policies and procedures that promote fairness, equity and inclusion;

Providing expert information underpinned by analysis of trends, economic circumstances, laws and political factors, to the Trust Management Executive (TME) as appropriate;

Supporting the delivery of a challenging leadership and management development programme to underpin the Trust's leadership development programme;

Minimising the risk to the Trust of an increased employee relations workload by promoting that issues are resolved at informal stages where appropriate, supporting the Trust to develop a culture of continual learning;

Facilitating and encouraging greater employee engagement; developing close links with ICS partners to work collaboratively on policy development to ensure best use of resources.



Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:



Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development



Widening access (anchor institution) and employability



Improving the experience of staff with disability



Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development



Making equalities mainstream



To advise and support senior managers regarding Trust employee relations policy and practice; inform senior managers of the latest trends, economic circumstances, laws and political factors that must be understood and considered in order to maintain optimum employee relations in the Trust.



To utilise, develop and maintain expert knowledge to advise managers in highly complex situations in support of their responsibilities and capacity to fulfil Trust and national HR strategy and effective HR practice, and to provide recommendations on the way forward where no precedent exists or options conflict.



To assess, analyse and understand highly complex, sensitive and contentious employee relations cases, providing advice to managers and the Trust on the appropriate actions to be taken.



To present information relating to these employee relations cases and to highly complex HR issues to senior management, influencing and persuading them as appropriate.



To support managers in the management of highly complex employee relations issues, both individual and collective, and the associated communication with staff, consulting and liaising with trade union representatives as necessary.



To act as a panel member in dismissals and appeals, including MHPS cases and attend Employment Tribunals in support of the Trust's case, giving witness evidence as appropriate.



To liaise and support the Medical Director and Deputy Medical Director to ensure best practice in relation to Medical workforce employee relations processes being managed under the MHPS framework.



To assist in the development and maintenance of employee relations tools, including on-line HR support, to underpin the skill and competencies of managers in managing staff.



To interpret and assess developing national and local NHS HR strategy and employment law at an early stage and recommend courses of action to senior managers of the risks and benefits realisation to the Trust.



Working with the Associate Director of Workforce to devise and implement fair and equitable employment policies, procedures and practices, including the education and awareness raising to managers and staff and reflective of developing employment law and transformational HR practice.



Ensuring that workforce policies and processes are interpreted effectively across the Employee Relations service and that service provision and advice is consistent across Divisions and departments through the development of standard operating procedures for the team.



To ensure joint working with other organisations to identify and implement best practice and achieve an added value environment.



To engage with Staff Side and accredited representatives and ensure a proactive and stable employee relations environment that is inclusive and secures the engagement of the workforce as a whole.



To establish and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the workforce relations team, producing reports as required, ensuring that performance is maintained at a high standard.



To devise and operate appropriate mechanisms that enable managers to feed back on the performance of the service and for the service to undertake proper audit for scrutiny.



To ensure the provision of employee relations data that underpin local management of employment issues and Trust-wide understanding of trends and key issues



To provide expert advice and support for the Trust at Employment Tribunals and in related legal matters, including advocacy for the Trust as required, drafting of correspondence and settlement of remedies.