Senior Employee Relations Advisor
At a glance
- Band
- Band 6
- Contract
- Fixed-term
- Pattern
- Full-time, Job share
- Posted
- 16/09/2026
- Closes
- 30/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This role is for an experienced HR professional to join the Employee Relations team at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. The successful candidate will provide expert HR advisory services, support organisational change, and contribute to improving staff experience and engagement. It involves advising on HR policies, employment law, and managing complex employee relations issues. The role also includes line management responsibilities for ER Advisors.
Key responsibilities
- Provide a customer-focussed, high quality, responsive and comprehensive Human Resources advisory service for the Trust.
- Support the implementation of organisational change, workforce programmes and policies.
- Support the Business Partner approach to HR management, working in partnership with line management.
- Be responsible for the line management and development of the ER Advisors.
- Provide expert advice and guidance on aspects of employment law and best practice.
- Lead on undertaking disciplinary and grievance investigations and hearings with line managers.
Essential criteria
- Thorough understanding of contemporary HR practices.
- Significant demonstrable experience of Human Resources issues in a large complex organisation including sickness absence management, employment law and performance management issues, and complex employee relations issues
- Demonstrable experience of supporting the implementation of organisational change
- Grad CIPD or equivalent
- Proven evidence of CPD
- GCSE's 9-4 (A-C) in Maths & English
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise
- Ability to communicate with staff at all levels of the organisation
- Ability to work flexibly to respond to changing service priorities
- Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint) and ability to use other systems as required
- Confidence to take decisions at the appropriate level
- Ability to work individually and as part of a team
- Ability to deal with all issues sensitively and in a confidential manner
- Ability to communicate with employees involved in difficult circumstances in a sensitive manner
- Ability to interpret policies, terms and conditions and analyse situations
Desirable criteria
- Educated to degree level or equivalent
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 6 at £37,338 – £44,962 a year, across England.
This advert: £39,959 – £48,117 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 1d ago · Closes in 14d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Senior Employee Relations Advisor
The closing date is 30 September 2026
Job summary
This is a great opportunity for an experienced HR professional to join the ER team at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. We are looking for high quality people whose backgrounds, experience and identity will enhance the diversity of our current team.This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for a high achieving HR Professional to provide ER support to improve staff experience and engagement, develop people management skills and capability and ensure efficient workforce utilisation.
Joining us at UHP means being part of a team that is committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical expertise and excellent patient care. The Trust has many ambitious programmes for service transformation and cultural change which will rely heavily on the ER function.
Proposed interview date - 08/10/2026
*Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.*
Main duties of the job
If you are ambitious, innovative and passionate about supporting the implementation of our inspiring workforce and business initiatives, then we want to hear from you.
You will
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