HR Business Partner

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

The closing date is 28 April 2025

Job summary

An interesting and exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced HR Business Partner with NHS experience to join our friendly and supportive Human Resources Business Partnering team at University Hospitals Sussex, an acute hospital trust employing c20,000 employees.

Main duties of the job

You must be able to demonstrate your experience of providing professional senior HR advice and support to Trust leaders. The role requires that you have substantial experience of resolving complex workforce issues, building staff engagement, and supporting the achievement of divisional workforce plans.

You will need a good working knowledge of current employment legislation, and experience of providing HR support for staffing restructures. Excellent negotiating, influencing, communication and IT skills are required. Experience of analysing workforce data and engaging with leaders to develop workforce and staff engagement plans will be a key requirement.

There will be opportunities to support corporate HR projects, acquire improvement methodology knowledge and experience, and to develop and deliver training sessions.

This role may be based at either our Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, Worthing Hospital or St Richards Hospital, Chichester, sites, to match the allocated divisions. Some travel will be required across all hospital sites dependent on team and divisional requirements. Although the role is office based, part-week home working will be considered dependent on service needs.

About us

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in ourWellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.

As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.

We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.

Candidate Information Pack: https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/resources/candidate-information-pack/

Date posted

14 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

279-7113316-APR25

Job locations

Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, Worthing Hospital or St Richards Hospital

Eastern Road, Brighton

Brighton, Worthing, or Chichester

BN11 2DH


Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Provide professional and customer-focussed HR leadership, advice and support to Divisional leads and managers to help improve and support staff engagement, address workforce issues, enhance patient care and efficiencies, and achieve divisional and people objectives.

2. Influence and support the strategic direction of the Division by providing expert HR advice and workforce information at a Divisional level to help facilitate the Divisions achievement of their Workforce KPIs. For example, developing effective recruitment and retention plans, improving sickness absence management levels or reducing bank and agency expenditure. Provide HRBP analysis and reports monthly or as required with a focus on addressing hotspot areas effectively and efficiently.

3. Lead on providing professional senior HR support and coaching to improve divisional staff engagement/staff survey results, resolve workforce issues and improve people workforce metrics.

4. Lead on specific HR projects to enable the Trust to deliver workforce initiatives, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of employment and work development/thinking within the NHS, related current and planned employment legislation, adopting good practices.

5. Design and deliver HR training sessions as required to improve manager awareness and capability on a range of issues and to support the roll-out of HR initiatives.

6. Contribute to the formulation and implementation of HR policies and procedures; Research and writing of HR policies and toolkits/guidance/standard operating procedure documents as required. HRBPs may have allocated standard operating procedures to review/maintain in line with legislation, learning, or agreed changes in practice.

-- Please see job description & person specs for full details.

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Provide professional and customer-focussed HR leadership, advice and support to Divisional leads and managers to help improve and support staff engagement, address workforce issues, enhance patient care and efficiencies, and achieve divisional and people objectives.

2. Influence and support the strategic direction of the Division by providing expert HR advice and workforce information at a Divisional level to help facilitate the Divisions achievement of their Workforce KPIs. For example, developing effective recruitment and retention plans, improving sickness absence management levels or reducing bank and agency expenditure. Provide HRBP analysis and reports monthly or as required with a focus on addressing hotspot areas effectively and efficiently.

3. Lead on providing professional senior HR support and coaching to improve divisional staff engagement/staff survey results, resolve workforce issues and improve people workforce metrics.

4. Lead on specific HR projects to enable the Trust to deliver workforce initiatives, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of employment and work development/thinking within the NHS, related current and planned employment legislation, adopting good practices.

5. Design and deliver HR training sessions as required to improve manager awareness and capability on a range of issues and to support the roll-out of HR initiatives.

6. Contribute to the formulation and implementation of HR policies and procedures; Research and writing of HR policies and toolkits/guidance/standard operating procedure documents as required. HRBPs may have allocated standard operating procedures to review/maintain in line with legislation, learning, or agreed changes in practice.

-- Please see job description & person specs for full details.

Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • oEducated to a Masters or equivalent level in an HR related subject
  • oSignificant HR Business Partnering experience of addressing workforce issues in the NHS
  • oExperience of providing HR support for divisional restructuring exercises
  • oAnalysis of staffing data and lead design of people related improvement plans

Desirable

  • oCIPD qualified - Associate level or above
  • oExperience of utilising service improvement methodology eg Kaizen
  • oDemonstrates an understanding of current issues within the NHS

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Essential

  • Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (
  • Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • oEducated to a Masters or equivalent level in an HR related subject
  • oSignificant HR Business Partnering experience of addressing workforce issues in the NHS
  • oExperience of providing HR support for divisional restructuring exercises
  • oAnalysis of staffing data and lead design of people related improvement plans

Desirable

  • oCIPD qualified - Associate level or above
  • oExperience of utilising service improvement methodology eg Kaizen
  • oDemonstrates an understanding of current issues within the NHS

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Essential

  • Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (
  • Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues

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.

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

Address

Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, Worthing Hospital or St Richards Hospital

Eastern Road, Brighton

Brighton, Worthing, or Chichester

BN11 2DH


Employer's website

https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

Address

Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, Worthing Hospital or St Richards Hospital

Eastern Road, Brighton

Brighton, Worthing, or Chichester

BN11 2DH


Employer's website

https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


For questions about the job, contact:

Head of HR Buisnesss Partnering

Linda Lewis

linda.lewis3@nhs.net

07979655452

Date posted

14 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

279-7113316-APR25

Job locations

Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, Worthing Hospital or St Richards Hospital

Eastern Road, Brighton

Brighton, Worthing, or Chichester

BN11 2DH


Supporting documents

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