Job summary
- Main area
- HR
- Grade
- Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 275-1026-ERA
- Employer
- Medway NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Medway Hospital
- Town
- Gillingham
- Salary
- £32,073 - £39,043 per annum/ pro rota
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 04/11/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Employee Relations Advisor
Band 5
Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best People?
Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision of Better, Best, Brilliant is achieved
Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust, we are able to give our employees flexibility on where, when and the hours they work.
Our culture and values are what drives Medway NHS Foundation Trust and is the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when you are completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.
Job overview
Employee Relations Advisor
Division: HR&OD
Care Group: Employee Relations
Band: NHS AfC Band 5
Salary: £32,073 - £39,043 per annum/ pro rata
We are looking for candidates to recruit for an Employee Relations Advisor, who shares our ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best People and has the drive to take us forward, by ensuring that the Trust continues to be the first choice for patients and our staff.
The role will provide a professional advisory support service to managers on general operational ER issues, such as terms and conditions of service, sickness absence, performance management and resolution of staff concerns.
Main duties of the job
The role will support to provide a fully comprehensive and high quality ER support and advisory service to the Trust.
You will manage an ER caseload, supporting managers with all types of ER casework, with specific focus on the proactive management of sickness absence and performance management, including supporting managers in the preparation of these cases at all stages of the procedure as needed.
The role will also support with the management of the ER forums; coordinating meetings, note taking and diary management.
Our values are Bold, Every Person Counts, Sharing and Open and Together. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.
We are committed to endorsing diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion; our policies / procedures ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.
To contribute to our exciting future and become part of our team, apply today.
Working for our organisation
Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision of Better, Best, Brilliant is achieved. Our culture and values are what drives the Trust and is the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation.
Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious environment.
Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement which will not mean sacrificing time for personal interests or family commitments. We aim to support you to work flexibly in a way that will suit you and us.
All of our substantive & fixed term employees can enjoy a range of staff benefits, a gym, an active health and wellbeing programme, an on-site nursery and a cycle to work scheme.
We are taking positive action to ensure that we can attract, recruit and retain the best talent and would welcome more applicants from under – represented groups to support the Trusts commitment to a diverse, inclusive and an employer of choice workforce.
All staff at Medway comply the Trust’s and the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Board’s policies on safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Act as first point of contact for ER advice to managers across the full range of employee relations issues including grievance, discipline, capability, sickness absence, redeployment, in line with best practice, Trust policy and employment legislation
· Take a proactive lead in monitoring and analysing sickness absence for designated business areas, ensuring both short-term and long-term sickness is being managed in line with trust policy in a timely and efficient manner
· Provide advice to managers regarding flexible working requests, ensuring staff are treated fairly and avoiding risks of discrimination
· Providing guidance to managers regarding reasonable adjustments, and facilitating applications for ill-health retirement in a timely manner
· Under the guidance of the Senior ER Advisor, manage caseload of employee relations issues and advise managers on ER issues in particular: sickness absence cases performance concerns and probation cases.
· Ensure that advice and assistance to managers on staff-related operational issues is of a timely, accurate and professional nature, adhering to KPIs and policy timescales
- Contribute to the development and delivery of ER training programmes to develop the capability of line managers in managing ER issues.
· - Analyse workforce information reports, e.g. sickness reports, to highlight trends and provide practical solutions to facilitate timely resolution, including providing local coaching and training to managers and team leaders in addressing employee relations issues
· To be responsible for taking and transcribing minutes at formal hearings to ensure an accurate record of proceedings is kept for use at internal appeals and external Employment Tribunal Hearings
· To support managers and provide professional advice in preparing relevant management statements of case for internal formal case hearings
· Working proactively with managers to improve sickness absence and other workforce key performance indicators in line with the Trust’s performance targets and strategy.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- CIPD Level 5 Intermediate Certificate in HR Management or working towards completing (formerly Graduate), or equivalent skills, knowledge and training
Desirable criteria
- ECDL qualification (desirable)
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Understanding or relevant legislation, e.g. employment law, data protection
- Best Practice Employee Relations
- Experienced and proficient in the use of the Microsoft packages including Excel, Powerpoint and Word
- Ability to analyse complex information and make appropriate recommendations amongst a range of facts
Desirable criteria
- Understanding of Agenda for Change and other NHS terms and conditions of employment (desirable)
Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous experience of working in a busy HR environment
- Experience of participating in formal HR meetings
Desirable criteria
- NHS experience
- Experience of working in a Unionised environment
Skills
Essential criteria
- Strong IT skills, competent user of Microsoft packages and other HR databases
- Strong organisational skills
- Effective time management
- Good team working skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Negotiation and influencing skills
- Good written and verbal communication skills
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Jackie Wyse
- Job title
- ER Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
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