Associate HR Business Partner

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

Are you an experienced HR professional ready to bring your expertise to employee relations in a dynamic, multi-skilled, and unionised environment?

We're looking for a proactive, experienced HR professional to join our team supporting the Adults Mental Health division. This is a key role where your knowledge of employee relations will be instrumental in fostering a fair, supportive, and effective workplace.

You'll supervise the HR Advisor and lead on the full range of employee relations casework, including advising managers on complex cases such as disciplinary actions, grievances, and dismissals, all within a unionised setting. Your ability to navigate policies, procedures, and organisational change with confidence and diplomacy will be vital in building strong relationships with employees, managers and union representatives alike.

Beyond casework, you'll also have opportunities to contribute strategically. You'll partner with the People Business Partner to support workforce planning, change management, and leadership capability-building across the division. Your work will ensure the service delivers on its "people priorities" while driving engagement and transformation.

We offer great development opportunities, including in-house and external development programs and the chance to undertake Affina Team Coaching.

Applications for this role will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as vacancies may close early.

Main duties of the job

  • Provide professional HR advice to all levels of managers across the full range of employee relations issues

  • Oversight and supervision of band 5 HR Advisor

  • Build and maintain credible relationships with Service Managers within the division ensuring complex or sensitive information is communicated in a confident way

  • Act as a point of contact for managers and staff seeking advice on various policies, analysing queries to offer solutions

  • Advise managers on recruitment processes, providing advice on the writing of job descriptions and person specifications

Your base will be Upton Hospital in Slough and you will have to go for regular team meetings either here or at "London House" in Bracknell. Additionally, there will be travel to other sites in Berkshire as required by the role. The rest of your role will be home based.

About us

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

  • Caring for and about you is our top priority
  • Committed to providing good quality, safe services
  • Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

  • Flexible working options to support work-life balance
  • 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
  • Generous NHS pension scheme
  • Excellent learning and career development opportunities
  • 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
  • Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
  • Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
  • Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
  • Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
  • Free parking across Trust sites

Date posted

10 January 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£39,205 to £47,084 a year per annum ( Incl of HCAS)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

371-TAPCS222-A

Job locations

Human Resources , Upton Hospital

Slough

SL1 2BJ


Job description

Job responsibilities

The must haves for this role:

  • Degree or equivalent experience

  • Working towards level 7 CIPD qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience

  • Experience of supporting complex employee relations casework in a multi-skilled professional and unionised environment.

  • Ability to travel to multiple sites with minimal impact on daily productivity

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

Were committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please dont hesitate to contact: Fran Langan on francisco.langan@berkshire.nhs.uk or Jen Simpson on jen.simpson@berkshire.nhs.uk wholl be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The must haves for this role:

  • Degree or equivalent experience

  • Working towards level 7 CIPD qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience

  • Experience of supporting complex employee relations casework in a multi-skilled professional and unionised environment.

  • Ability to travel to multiple sites with minimal impact on daily productivity

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

Were committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please dont hesitate to contact: Fran Langan on francisco.langan@berkshire.nhs.uk or Jen Simpson on jen.simpson@berkshire.nhs.uk wholl be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

Essential

  • Degree or equivalent experience working within a generalist HR role
  • Working towards or holding a CIPD Level 7 qualification (or equivalent experience in a generalist HR role)

Previous Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working autonomously within HR in a multi-skilled professional and unionised environment.
  • Experience of working in a customer-driven service
  • Experience of providing employee relations advice within the NHS or similar public sector organisations

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Essential

  • Proven ability to interpret and advise on terms and conditions of employment
  • Sound and up to date knowledge of employment law
  • Understanding of the importance of confidentiality, data protection and information governance
  • Good understanding of HR best practice
  • Advanced keyboard skills and an ability to analyse and interpret data
  • Ability to prioritise workload
  • Ability to work under pressure in potentially stressful situations.
  • Ability to communicate sensitive information effectively with all levels of internal and external customers
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including verbal reasoning, presentation skills, influencing & persuasion skills.

Desirable

  • An understanding of NHS terms and conditions of service

Additional Requirements

Essential

  • Ability to travel to multiple sites with minimal impact on daily productivity
Person Specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

Essential

  • Degree or equivalent experience working within a generalist HR role
  • Working towards or holding a CIPD Level 7 qualification (or equivalent experience in a generalist HR role)

Previous Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working autonomously within HR in a multi-skilled professional and unionised environment.
  • Experience of working in a customer-driven service
  • Experience of providing employee relations advice within the NHS or similar public sector organisations

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Essential

  • Proven ability to interpret and advise on terms and conditions of employment
  • Sound and up to date knowledge of employment law
  • Understanding of the importance of confidentiality, data protection and information governance
  • Good understanding of HR best practice
  • Advanced keyboard skills and an ability to analyse and interpret data
  • Ability to prioritise workload
  • Ability to work under pressure in potentially stressful situations.
  • Ability to communicate sensitive information effectively with all levels of internal and external customers
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including verbal reasoning, presentation skills, influencing & persuasion skills.

Desirable

  • An understanding of NHS terms and conditions of service

Additional Requirements

Essential

  • Ability to travel to multiple sites with minimal impact on daily productivity

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

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Address

Human Resources , Upton Hospital

Slough

SL1 2BJ


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Address

Human Resources , Upton Hospital

Slough

SL1 2BJ


Employer's website

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

For questions about the job, contact:

People Business Partner - Human Resources

Fran Langan

francisco.langan@berkshire.nhs.uk

Date posted

10 January 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£39,205 to £47,084 a year per annum ( Incl of HCAS)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

371-TAPCS222-A

Job locations

Human Resources , Upton Hospital

Slough

SL1 2BJ


Supporting documents

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