Senior ER Advisor

Previous applicants need not apply!

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Employee Relations Advisor to support services across East Sussex. This is an excellent opportunity for a proactive and credible People professional with substantial senior-level ER experience and a proven track record of managing complex and sensitive employee relations matters.

You will provide expert, solution-focused advice to managers and senior leaders, building trusted relationships and influencing positive outcomes that enhance both organisational effectiveness and employee experience.

The role requires significant experience of independently managing complex ER casework, including disciplinary, grievance, dignity at work, performance, absence management, organisational change and other workforce matters.

Committed to early intervention and risk management, you will provide proactive support that promotes positive workplace cultures, reduces escalation and supports fair, compassionate and timely decision-making.

This is a part-time role with hybrid working. Your contractual base will be Portland House, Worthing, although you will act as a key point of contact for stakeholders across East Sussex. Attendance at the office at least once a week and travel across Sussex will be required.

This is a highly interactive position that requires a significant degree of autonomous working. You will work within an experienced Senior ER Advisor team, providing cross-cover and developmental support to People Advisors.

As a Senior Employee Relations Advisor, you will build credible and influential relationships across the Trust, partnering with senior leaders, managers, trade union representatives and People Directorate colleagues to deliver a high-quality Employee Relations service. You will act as a trusted advisor, providing proactive, strategic and operational ER support that enables leaders to make informed decisions and foster positive workplace cultures.

Using your extensive ER expertise, you will identify emerging people issues, workforce trends and opportunities for intervention at an early stage, helping to improve employee experience and minimise the need for formal processes. You will champion resolution-focused and learning-based approaches, supporting a Just and Compassionate Culture whilst ensuring organisational risks are appropriately managed.

You will also contribute to the ongoing development of workforce policies, procedures and management capability, using insights from casework, employment law, organisational data and employee feedback to continuously improve people practices, systems and processes.

The post holder will be a key senior member of the Employee Relations team, helping to ensure a comprehensive, high-quality and timely People service is provided across the organisation.

We are proud to be rated 'Good' overall and 'Outstanding' for Caring and remain committed to delivering the very best care through supporting and empowering our workforce.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we are seeking an individual who shares our passion for creating positive employee experiences, enabling managers to lead effectively, and embedding a culture of fairness, inclusion, learning and continuous improvement.

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate our Trust values, embrace partnership working and bring the confidence, credibility and expertise required to support senior stakeholders through complex people challenges whilst ensuring our colleagues receive an outstanding employment experience.

Essential Experience, Knowledge and Skills

To be successful in this role, you will be able to demonstrate extensive senior-level Employee Relations and HR experience, with a strong track record of influencing outcomes, supporting organisational objectives and improving employee experience.

You will have significant knowledge and experience of:

Managing a high-volume and complex ER caseload, working autonomously and adapting your approach to achieve positive outcomes, early resolution and organisational learning.

Coaching, partnering with and developing managers and senior leaders, including delivering training and building confidence in managing people issues effectively.

Providing proactive, commercially and operationally focused ER advice that balances organisational priorities with employee experience and wellbeing.

Guiding managers and senior leadership teams through organisational change processes, including redeployment, restructuring and redundancy, while managing associated employee relations risks sensitively and effectively.

Developing collaborative and constructive relationships with Trade Unions and Staff Representatives that promote partnership working and support a Just Culture approach.

Providing expert advice across all areas of Employee Relations, including disciplinary, grievance, dignity at work, capability, performance, attendance management, equality, diversity and inclusion, family-friendly policies and termination of employment.

Advising on terms and conditions of employment and the application of workforce policies and procedures.

Supporting managers through formal investigations, hearings and appeals, including presenting or advising on complex cases and Employment Tribunal matters where required.

Applying up-to-date knowledge of employment legislation, case law and best practice to identify and mitigate organisational risk.

Using workforce information, trends and ER data to provide insight, support decision-making and drive continuous improvement.

Developing and reviewing workforce policies, procedures and ER processes to ensure they remain legally compliant, effective and aligned to organisational values.

Maintaining accurate workforce records and ensuring information is recorded appropriately on workforce systems in accordance with Trust policies and procedures