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People Manager

The closing date is 05 August 2025

We are looking for an enthusiastic and professional individual who is fully qualified (or nearing completion) with the CIPD. Previous NHS experience or experience in a complex and unionised environment is essential.

This role has a hybrid working pattern and is part office and part remote working. Your base will be one of our hospital sites in either Brighton,Worthing or Chichester but travel to all sites may be required

Main duties of the job

The key elements of this role are to:

Provide proactive and professional advice and guidance to managers and employees regarding all employee relation issues. This will include conduct and performance management, grievances, sickness and other absence in accordance with Trust Policies, current legislation, the ACAS code of practice and other professional standards.

Support managers in providing effective and high quality evidence based investigations of conduct and other people related issues

Contribute to the development and delivery of employee case management and inputting more widely into all employee relations case management across the Trust

Support managers in using effective people management practices to improve service performance and productivity by using mediation and coaching techniques and developing and delivering training programmes.

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 - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Job responsibilities

Interpret, analyse and provide expert advice on employment matters support the effective and timely resolution of casework, often involving highly complex, contentious and highly sensitive issues requiring tact and diplomacy.

Manage own caseload; deploy appropriate techniques in order to obtain evidence and facts utilising open questioning, clarification, advanced listening, persuasion and influencing skills to ensure the facts are clear.

Work in partnership with Staff Side where appropriate in order to bring cases to conclusion quickly whilst ensuring that standards are upheld.

To support the development and monitoring of appropriate performance targets/standards with the involvement of staff and ensure that there are mechanisms in place to audit them and produce regular performance reports.

Responsible as a line manager for individuals, undertaking appraisals, performance and absence management processes, disciplinary and grievance matters, allocating team workload where necessary. The post holder will have to ensure the most effective and efficient deployment of the staff resource to achieve the service objectives.

To deliver a customer focused and user friendly service which provides accurate, timely, professional advice to managers and maximises the use of appropriate technology and resources.

Person Specification

Essential and Desirable

• Expert knowledge of national NHS terms and conditions including Agenda for Change and Medical Terms and Conditions.
• Extensive experience of employee relations in a complex, multi-disciplinary organisation requiring legally sound analysis and decision making.
• Experience of preparing Employment Tribunal information
• Experience of working in a multi-unionised environment
• Able to advise managers on case management issues related to terms and conditions, discipline, capability or grievance
• Excellent Communication Skills and the ability to communicate at all levels:
• Experience of managing a team/supervising others work and setting performance standards and targets
• Excellent mediation skills proven in bringing resolution to conflict situations

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
• 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.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

£47,810 to £54,710 a yearPer annum pro rata