We are looking for an experienced, proactive and values-driven Employee Relations Manager to join Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust on a 6‑month fixed term or secondment basis. This is a focused and high‑impact role supporting the delivery of the Trust’s sickness absence recovery plan, helping managers and services to improve attendance, strengthen employee wellbeing, and support safe, sustainable workforce recovery.
The successful candidate will work closely with the Head of People Operations, Divisional People Leads, Operational Managers, Occupational Health, Wellbeing colleagues and staff side representatives to provide expert advice, targeted case support, data‑led assurance and practical interventions that help reduce sickness absence and improve staff experience.
Main duties of the job
The main focus of this role will be to support the Trust’s sickness absence recovery programme in the following ways:
- Lead targeted employee relations support for sickness absence cases, ensuring consistent application of Trust policy, employment legislation and best practice.
- Support managers to manage long‑term and short‑term sickness absence confidently, compassionately and in a timely way.
- Use workforce data to identify hotspots, trends, barriers and opportunities for improvement across divisions and services.
- Work with managers, Occupational Health and wellbeing colleagues to strengthen early intervention, return‑to‑work planning, reasonable adjustments and sustainable attendance.
- Provide coaching, advice and practical tools for managers, including case reviews, clinics and focused support sessions.
- Contribute to assurance reporting on progress against the sickness absence recovery plan, including risks, actions, themes and measurable improvement.
- Promote a restorative, inclusive and just culture approach to attendance management, balancing organisational needs with colleague wellbeing.
- Build effective working relationships with staff side representatives and key stakeholders to support fair, transparent and collaborative practice.
Benefits include:
- Commitment to flexible working where this is possible
- 27 days annual leave/year plus bank holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years & 33 days after 10 years’ service
- Yearly appraisal and commitment to ongoing training
- Good maternity, paternity and adoption benefits
- Health service discounts and online benefits
- Incremental pay progression
- Free confidential employee assistance programme 24/7
- Access to our LGBT+ network, BAME Network and Christian Network
- Health and wellbeing opportunities
- Structured learning and development opportunities
Job responsibilities
You will be an experienced HR or employee relations practitioner with strong knowledge of sickness absence management, employment legislation and NHS people practices. You will be confident advising managers on complex and sensitive cases, able to analyse data and translate insight into action, and skilled at building trusted relationships across a complex organisation.
You will bring excellent communication, influencing and organisational skills, together with the ability to work at pace, prioritise competing demands and maintain a compassionate, fair and outcome‑focused approach. Experience of working in the NHS or a similarly complex, unionised environment would be highly beneficial.
Qualifications
- Post graduate Diploma (Level 7) qualification or equivalent in HR Management or equivalent experience
- Evidence of a commitment to ongoing personal development
- Master’s Degree (or equivalent) and possession of MCIPD level membership
Skills
- Analytical skills. Ability to produce clear and succinct reports and correspondence for a range of audiences both internal and external to the Trust.
- Good presentational, influencing and negotiating skills.
- Ability to establish and maintain influential working relationships at all levels internally and externally.
- Ability to motivate and provide support to team members including counselling and mentoring where required.
- Knowledge and proficiency in use of relevant software packages including Excel, Word, Outlook, ESR, Publisher, Powerpoint.
- Ability to understand, manipulate and analyse data and produce reports to be distributed to a wide range of audiences.
- Effective listening and influencing skills.
- Good planning, organisational and prioritisation skills and ability to work autonomously. Able to work on own initiative whilst anticipating the wider consequences of decisions and know when to refer upwards.
- Able to work across a complex, multi‑disciplinary environment.
- Use of electronic payroll/HR system.
- Supervision of staff.
Knowledge and experience
- Broad experience in an HR Advisory role including supporting and advising on a wide range of employment issues e.g. disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence and bullying and harassment.
- Understanding of human resource policy and practice issues. Understanding of the key issues on the NHS HR agenda. Understanding around the principles of HR terms and conditions of employment.
- Specialist in‑depth knowledge of current HRM best practice. Up to date knowledge of Employment Legislation.
- Understanding and experience of change management/TUPE within a complex environment.
- Experience of working in a multi‑unionised environment.
- Experience of developing and implementing HR policies and practices. Knowledge of employment contract law.
- Experience in a generalist human resources role.
- Experience of supporting the development of workforce information which supports organisational strategy.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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